MANILA, Philippines – The government has adopted a national action plan seeking to prevent and eliminate illegal fishing in Philippine waters amid recent high-profile poaching incidents by foreign vessels.

The plan is contained in Executive Order 154 signed by President Aquino last Dec. 6 and published in a national daily yesterday.

In the order, Aquino said illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing undermines efforts to manage fisheries in a sustainable manner and threatens food and livelihood security of coastal communities.

“There is a need to address the ecological, biological and socio-economic challenges posed by IUU fishing in a coordinated and integrated manner through a collaborative institutional mechanism involving the concerned departments and agencies of the government,” the order read.

Read more: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/12/15/1268195/phl-adopts-action-plan-vs-illegal-fishing