Reef fishermen in the Philippine province of Palawan have agreed to a 27 percent quota cut - about 200 metric tons - in an effort to prevent the region's ecosystem from collapsing, the World Wildlife Fund reported yesterday.
The Philippines is the world's biggest supplier of coral trout - a high-value reef fish - and Palawan supplies around 60 percent of all the country's fish.
The live reef fish trade from Palawan has satisfied demand for fresh tropical fish in Asia since the 1980s. The trade has brought more than USD 100 million (EUR 78.4 million) annually to fishing communities in the province.
The WWF estimates that overfishing will lead to the collapse of the unregulated fishery by 2020.
February 26, 2009
