Bureau Of Fisheries News

The Philippines on Sunday accused China's coast guard of installing a "floating barrier" in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying it prevented Filipinos from entering and fishing in the area.Manila's coast guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources "strongly condemn" China's installation of the barrier in part of the Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela, a coast guard spokesperson, posted on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter.The barrier blocking fishermen from the shoal was depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities…

National workshop discussed China's potential ratification and implementation of fisheries-related conventions, including IMO's 2012 Cape Town Agreement (CTA), aimed at improving safety standards on fishing vessels, and the 1995 Standards on Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F).Fisheries-related conventions are key tools used by flag, coastal and port States to effectively monitor and control fishing vessels and minimize the risk of illegal…

Fisheries-related conventions are key tools used by flag, coastal and port States to effectively monitor and control fishing vessels and minimise the risk of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, by enhancing transparency, traceability and governance.This was the focus of a national workshop in Shanghai, China (29-30 July),  organized by the Shanghai Ocean University and the Bureau of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, with input from International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), The Pew Charitable Trusts and the IMO Number Scheme manager (IHS Markit).Participants discussed China's potential ratification and implementation of fisheries-related conventions…

Two new 50-meter multi-mission offshore vessels (MMOV) will soon help the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) fight illegal fishing in Philippine waters. The sister ships – DA BFAR MMOV 5001, named BRP Lapu-Lapu, and DA BFAR MMOV 5002, named BRP Francisco Dagohoy – were built by Manilla-based Josefa Slipways, and have recently completed speed and endurance trials ahead of their upcoming delivery. According to designer Incat Crowther, the new vessels will enhance law enforcement’s capability to patrol and protect territorial waters…

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it has apprehended a motor vessel carrying prohibited shark fin meat. The passenger/cargo vessel Trisha Kerstin 2, owned and operated by Aleson Shipping Lines INC, and skippered by Capt. Joel P. Mendoza, was allegedly carrying prohibited shark meat from Bongao, Tawi-tawi to Port of Zamboanga City, where it was seized by the PCG on September 9. Thereafter, the team apprehended and found two perishable crate box containing approximately two tons of assorted fish…

Philippine fishing authorities said on Tuesday they had detained 25 Chinese crew of two seized fishing boats on suspicion of poaching, a move that could further strain ties between two countries at odds over maritime sovereignty. A joint team from the Philippine coastguard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) captured the Chinese vessels on Monday sailing without permits between waters off Babuyan Island and Batanes province in the northern Philippines. The Chinese vessels were in waters that are not part of the disputed South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also have conflicting claims.

Incat Crowther has secured a contract to design a 50m multimission monohull patrol vessel for the Philippine Government. Two identical vessels of this type will be built in Manilla by Josefa Slipways. The primary role of the vessels is to combat illegal fishing for the Philippine government. With the local fishing industry losing billions of dollars to illegal fishing, these assets will enhance law enforcement’s capability to patrol and protect territorial waters. The multi-mission nature of the vessels also affords the flexibility to lead in disaster relief and/or rescue operations…

Japan's concern over a standoff with China over the disputed Senkaku Islands deepens and might escalate. The Japan Coast Guard and the Defense Ministry are closely monitoring voyages of the Haijian 50, which can be loaded with helicopters reports Asahi Shimbun. The vessel, belonging to the China Marine Surveillance, an agency of the government’s State Oceanic Administration, sailed in the contiguous zone next to Japanese territorial waters surrounding the islands on 10 days in February. Of these voyages, it encroached into territorial waters on four days. The Japanese side was most alarmed on Feb. 18, when the hanger doors opened on the Haijian 50 while the ship was approaching an area about 1 kilometer to the southeast of the Uotsurishima islet…

1819-  Congress authorized the revenue cutters to protect merchant vessels of United States against piracy and to seize vessels engaged in slave trade. The cutters Louisiana andAlabama were built shortly thereafter to assist in the government's efforts against piracy. 1837- An Act of Congress (5 Stat. L., 181, 185) laid down certain restrictions, by providing that the construction of the large number of new lighthouses, lightships, etc., for which this law was appropriating the necessary funds, would not be begun until examined by Board of Navy Commissioners. They reported to Congress those cases where the "navigation is so inconsiderable as not to justify the proposed works." The Navy detailed 22 officers to this duty and…

1819-  Congress authorized the revenue cutters to protect merchant vessels of United States against piracy and to seize vessels engaged in slave trade. The cutters Louisiana and Alabama were built shortly thereafter to assist in the government's efforts against piracy. 1837- An Act of Congress (5 Stat. L., 181, 185) laid down certain restrictions, by providing that the construction of the large number of new lighthouses, lightships, etc., for which this law was appropriating the necessary funds, would not be begun until examined by Board of Navy Commissioners. They reported to Congress those cases where the "navigation is so inconsiderable as not to justify the proposed works." The Navy detailed 22 officers to this duty and…

NOAA ship John N. Cobb, the oldest and only wooden hulled ship in the NOAA fleet, was decommissioned in after 58 years of service. The 93-ft. fisheries research vessel began service in 1950 with the Bureau of Fisheries, predecessor to NOAA's Fisheries Service, conducting albacore tuna surveys in , , and . Homeported in , Cobb has operated primarily in Alaskan waters for much of her service life, most recently in support of the fisheries service's Auke Bay Laboratories in . "The John N. Cobb has been an extremely productive platform for NOAA.