BFAR orders vessel tracking systems for all commercial fishing boats

The Department of Agriculture (DA), through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), said all commercial fishing vessels are subject to government tracking and must have vessel monitoring measures (VMM) and electronic reporting systems (ERS). In Administrative Order 260, series of 2018, the BFAR said all Philippine-flagged vessels allowed to operate in the high seas and those with access rights to fish in other countries’ exclusive economic zones should be VMM and ERS-compliant. VMM logs the vessel’s position, course, and speed at any given time for the purpose of traceability and management of fisheries resources and fishing effort.