International coalition of more than 50 organizations says loss of VMS mandate puts Philippine seafood exports and regional commitments at risk
Washington, D.C. – August 11, 2026 – The Coalition for Fisheries Transparency (CFT) today expressed its support for the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in seeking reconsideration of the Supreme Court’s January 21 decision declaring Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 266 unconstitutional. The order required Philippine-flagged commercial fishing vessels to carry vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and submit electronic catch reports.
Vessel monitoring is a foundational tool of modern fisheries management. It is used by coastal and flag States worldwide to verify compliance with closed seasons and area restrictions, to support investigations into illegal operators, and to generate the data on which science-based management depends. Its removal leaves Philippine authorities with materially less capacity to detect illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, including incursions by commercial vessels into the municipal waters reserved for small-scale fishers.
Ryan Orgera, Director of the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency, said, “The Philippines is one of the world’s most significant fishing nations, and vessel monitoring has become a standard expectation of responsible fisheries governance globally. Without a clear legal framework requiring vessel monitoring, the country’s ability to combat illegal fishing, meet regional fisheries commitments, and provide the assurances increasingly demanded by seafood markets is weakened. The solution is not less transparency, but a monitoring system that is both effective and fully aligned with constitutional protections. We welcome BFAR’s efforts to develop that path forward.”
CFT notes with concern the Court’s finding that the government had not established that the absence of FAO 266 would carry consequences for the Philippines’ international commitments. From the vantage point of organizations working on fisheries transparency across more than 25 countries, the international consequences are concrete and immediate.
Vessel monitoring is an established requirement in Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) in which the Philippines participates, including the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). Both mandate VMS on fishing vessels, with position reporting serving as a cornerstone of shared compliance measures.
The consequences for seafood exporters are equally direct. Major import markets increasingly condition access on verifiable proof of where fish was caught. The European Union requires VMS data as part of flag State verification under its IUU Regulation and may request raw VMS records for consignments entering the European market. Without a VMS mandate, Philippine exporters may find themselves unable to satisfy documentation requirements in precisely the markets on which the sector depends.
CFT recognizes the commercial sensitivities raised by the vessel operators challenging the order. But those concerns can be addressed through safeguards for monitoring data, rather than eliminating the requirement altogether. VMS data is transmitted to regulators for enforcement and management purposes and is subject to confidentiality protections. Moreover, VMS is not the only source of information about fishing activity: AIS broadcasts, satellite-based vessel detection, and other publicly available data can already provide insights into vessel movements and productive fishing areas. Removing VMS would weaken fisheries oversight without meaningfully eliminating operators’ exposure to information about their activities at sea.
Orgera added, “CFT welcomes commitments by BFAR to rectify the identified deficiencies and review its implementing mechanisms to ensure any future framework is aligned with constitutional safeguards. We stand ready to support that work, including by sharing comparative practice on data-protection safeguards, proportionate monitoring design, and monitoring frameworks that apply consistently across fleet segments. We also urge lawmakers to begin consideration of new laws that would reinstate VMS in a way that aligns with the Philippines’ international commitments.”
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The Coalition for Fisheries Transparency is a global network of more than fifty global civil society organisations that work together to improve transparency and accountability in fisheries governance and management. The Coalition promotes the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, a set of 10 policy principles designed to ensure that information about fishing vessels, activities, and governance is publicly available, helping to combat illegal fishing, strengthen ocean governance, and protect human rights at sea. Learn more at fisheriestransparency.net.
Contact: Chip Weiskotten
Sr. Communications Manager, CFT
chip@fisheriestransparency.net
+1 518-669-3936
