Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, June 16, that he is aiming to meet with the blue crab industry stakeholders by the end of this month or early July to discuss the United States ban on their products.
Lacson said he is waiting for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to prepare the protocols, which could help convince the United States to reopen its market to Philippine blue crabs.
“I will know by then if we are addressing it properly,” said Lacson, who has asked BFAR for a report on the required protocols.
It is also vital that the stakeholders attend the meeting, Lacson added.
A Sangguniang Panlalawigan resolution passed last week clarified that the restriction was not imposed due to concerns relating to product quality, food safety, or sanitary standards. Instead, the U.S. barred the imports because the Philippines failed to demonstrate compliance with marine mammal conservation and fisheries monitoring requirements.
Specifically, the country lacked sufficient documentation demonstrating adequate marine mammal bycatch monitoring programs, as well as mandatory reporting systems for marine mammal injuries or mortalities associated with fishing activities, it said.
The lack of conservation measures to protect marine mammals like dolphins and whales, consistent with U.S. regulatory requirements, was also cited.
The United States accounts for approximately 90 percent of all Philippine blue swimming crab exports.*
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