The Philippines’ sale of blue crabs to the United States will be banned effective Thursday, June 11, due to the country’s alleged failure to comply with American marine mammal protection laws.
This will affect the country’s approximately P6 billion in annual crab exports, 90 percent of which goes to the US market, former mayor Alfonso “Diding” Gamboa of EB Magalona, Negros Occidental, said Wednesday
Negros Occidental accounts for a large chunk of the country’s blue crab exports.
Gamboa said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) failed to adequately defend the Philippines against claims that the country violated the US Marine Mammal Protection Act’s import provisions.
The alleged violation stems from a 2010 report on reported entanglements involving Irrawaddy dolphins, he said.
He said that other Asian countries—like India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Vietnam—had also been cited for violations, but all passed on appeal except the Philippines due to BFAR’s failure.
Gamboa said the ban will affect P6 billion to P7 billion in exports, predominantly coming from Negros, Panay, Bicol, Cebu, and parts of Northern Mindanao.
This will impact about 10,000 fishermen, mostly operating in the Visayan Sea, as well as 4,000 to 5,000 crab meat pickers, he added.
Alternative export markets like China and the European Union are very small, he said, noting that about 500,000 pounds of crab meat are exported per month.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said crab industry stakeholders met with him to find ways for the BFAR to regain the US market for the country’s blue crabs.
He called it a considerable loss to the blue crab industry, adding that stakeholders are asking the provincial government for help and are set to meet again.
Meanwhile, E.B. Magalona Vice Mayor Marvin Malacon said the jobs of about 500 to 600 crab meat pickers in his town are at stake. The pickers work in processing plants where crab meat is extracted for export.
E.B. Magalona Mayor Matthew Malacon met with several pickers to discuss the town’s allocation of funds for alternative livelihoods, he said.
The vice mayor noted that while the ban hurts exporters, the price of crabs—which currently sell at P350 to P400 a kilo in the local market—could drop to P150 to P200 a kilo, which would benefit local buyers.*
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