Strong monitoring system to ensure marine wealth protection citedA strong vessel monitoring system to track fishing activities was cited yesterday as needed to protect the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS), known as the largest marine protected area in the Philippines, located between Cebu and Negros. Oceana is pilot-testing the use of vessel monitoring technology, a non-satellite-based tracking system, to track fishing activities within the protected seascape. Vessel monitoring is a non-satellite-based tracking system, which uses onboard units that transmit information such as location and speed of a vessel. A strong monitoring mechanism is necessary to ensure that our marine wealth is protected against illegal commercial and destructive fishing,” said lawyer Gloria Estenzo Ramos, vice president for Oceana Philippines. Last week, Oceana presented to the local stakeholders the benefits of vessel monitoring as a tool to track fishing vessels and identify fishing hotspots during the Tañon Strait site management unit (SMU) meetings.

Source: Manila Bulletin July 23, 2016 16:07 UTC