• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Negros Occidental has called on national government agencies to take urgent measures to restore access to the United States market for Philippine blue swimming crab products.
The implementation of the US import ban took effect on June 11.
On June 9, the Provincial Board passed a resolution authored by Third District Board Member Hope Marey Depasucat, urging the Department of Agriculture, through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and other concerned agencies to immediately address compliance issues that led to the market closure.
The move came after the US National Marine Fisheries Service, acting under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, prohibited the importation of Philippine blue swimming crab products harvested from affected fisheries.
The ban was imposed after the Philippines failed to demonstrate compliance with marine mammal conservation and fisheries monitoring requirements.
Depasucat said the blue swimming crab industry is one of the country’s major fisheries export sectors, providing livelihoods to thousands of fishers, crab pickers, processing plant workers, traders, transport providers, and other stakeholders across the supply chain.
She noted that the Western Visayan seas account for about 51 percent of the country’s blue swimming crab production, making the region, including Negros Occidental, a key center of production and economic activity for the industry.
Depasucat said the industry exports more than 2,400 metric tons of crab meat annually to the US and has generated billions of pesos in export earnings over the years.
She added that Negros Occidental is home to about 20 crab-picking stations, hundreds of landing sites, thousands of crab fishers and crab pickers, and two major crab processing and export facilities, making the province particularly vulnerable to the impact of the US market closure.
“The impact could be devastating,” Depasucat said.
She emphasized that the restriction was not based on product quality, food safety, or sanitary concerns, but stemmed from insufficient documentation showing compliance with marine mammal bycatch monitoring programs, mandatory reporting systems for marine mammal injuries or deaths, and other conservation measures required under US regulations.
With the US accounting for approximately 90 percent of Philippine blue swimming crab exports, Depasucat warned that the loss of access to the country’s primary export market could have serious economic consequences for coastal communities and industry stakeholders.
Former E.B. Magalona town mayor Alfonso Gamboa, president of Saravia Blue Crab Inc., a major blue crab processing company, said the blue swimming crab industry is bracing for massive economic losses, estimated at P6 billion to P7 billion annually, as well as job displacements.
Gamboa estimated that around 10,000 fishermen and an additional 4,000 to 5,000 crab meat pickers in Negros, Panay, Bicol, Samar, Leyte, and parts of Mindanao could be affected by the loss of the US market. | GB
