Benham Rise: A Potential Fisheries Spot
Good news! The newest Philippine territory Benham Rise which is located 250 kilometers east off the coast of Aurora province is a potential spawning grounds of the Pacific Bluefin Tuna which is a high valued variety of fish.
Now, the government is sighting the said territory as potential fisheries hotspot of the eastern seaboard of the country facing the largest body of the ocean (Pacific Ocean) off the coast of Isabela and Aurora Province.
According to Asis Perez, Director of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the shallowest part of Benham Rise also called as Benham Bank, is one of the many traditional fishing sites of coastal dwellers on the Northeastern coast of Luzon.
Perez, who also serves as the DA undersecretary for fisheries said that the area is also “a hotspot for poachers, especially long-liners from neighboring countries.”
According to the BFAR Director Perez, there are a variety of fishes that can be found in Benham Bank and among them are albacore tuna and big-eye tuna.
See also: Japan And Korea Interested In Exploring Benham Rise
According to Jose Ingles, a fisheries expert of WWF-Philippines, the highly valued Pacific Blue Fin Tuna is found mostly in western pacific including Benham Rise.
He also added that there is a huge potential for preserving ecosystem in Benham Bank to protect commercially valuable species of fish, noting that big-eye tuna is now already overfished.
Ingles said, “This can be our contribution to the global economy.”
University of the Philippines’ Institute for Marine Affairs and Law of the Sea Director Jay Batongbacal said, “With its wealth of marine resources, there is a need to craft a management framework for Benham Rise.”
Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Biodiversity Management Bureau is set to make a workshop on management strategies for the sustainable use of the resources that can be found in Benham Rise.
In 2014, marine scientists have found more than 50 species of fish and a thick cover to tiered plate corals during the first oceanographic exploration of Benham Bank.
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