MANILA, Philippines — While negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) are ongoing, claimant states should also be worried on the impending collapse of fisheries in the region, an expert from a US-based think tank said.
In September 2017, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) released a model of fisheries management and environmental cooperation in the disputed South China Sea.
AMTI director Gregory Poling is currently in Manila to promote the model, which proposes the establishment of a fishery and environmental management area in the South China Sea.
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The blueprint also suggests split enforcement responsibilities between occupiers and flag states, an agreement not to use subsidies to encourage fishing in the region and efforts to reintroduce giant clams and other threatened species in the area.
"If the Code of Conduct negotiations is not going anywhere…I think it’s perfectly reasonable for the ASEAN claimants, among themselves, to say 'We’re tired of this,'" Poling said in a roundtable discussion organized by Stratbase ADRi.
Poling also suggested that claimant countries cooperate on marine scientific research in the South China Sea to preserve marine life in the contested waters.
The AMTI director stressed that preserving marine life in the South China Sea should be deemed urgent as catch rates are down by 66 to 70 percent over the last 20 years and clam harvesting, dredging and island building have severely damaged over 160 square kilometers of the area.
Under article 123 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, states bordering semi-enclosed seas like the South China Sea are obligated to cooperate in areas including protection of the marine environment and management of fish stocks.
The Philippine government, however, still needs to be convinced to take such measures on preserving marine life in the South China Sea, according to former DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario.
"I think we have to convince our government first of the merits of such an initiative not only benefits us, it benefits other claimant countries and it benefits China more than any other country," Del Rosario said in the same forum.
He added that the primary beneficiary of such initiative would be Beijing as it mainly relies on the South China Sea for a greater part of its products.
Del Rosario, who spearheaded the Philippines' arbitration case against China before the United Nations-backed tribunal, lamented that the award is "currently being shelved."
In July 2016, the Hague-based tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China's nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea.
Despite this, it is high time for the Philippines to show more commitment to providing leadership in embracing the initiative on preserving marine life, Del Rosario said.
"This could be a test of how effective our foreign policy with China could be. It’s time to put that to the test because it is indeed a constructive initiative which benefits everyone so China cannot help but be on board as far as this initiative is concerned," he said.