The Philippine government is being urged to craft a national management framework to address overfishing as the country’s existing policy measures are apparently not enough to deal with this issue. This, as studies show that sardines are getting smaller and now spawn earlier to adapt to heavy fishing pressure and environmental changes. Dr. Wilfredo Campos, a scientist from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas, said that existing data shows a decline in fish stocks due to heavy fishing pressure and environmental changes. “Sardines are being overfished and existing policy measures are not enough to protect them, especially spawning fish,” Campos said.

Miraflor, M. B. (2018, March 25). PH's existing policies not enough to stop overfishing. Manila Bulletin, p. B-2.