To strengthen the country’s fisheries statistics and management capabilities, technical staff from the Department of Agriculture–National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (DA-NFRDI) served as resource persons in the “Learning Session on Fisheries Management Areas and Salient Features of RA 10654,” organized by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on June 23–24, 2025, at the PSA Building, East Avenue, Quezon City.

Francisco Torres, Jr., chief of the Coastal Fisheries Section under the Capture Fisheries Research and Development Division (CFRDD), and Ronnie Romero, chief of the Policy Section under the Planning, Policy and Information Division (PPID), led the technical discussions and workshops.

The session covered a wide array of critical topics in capture fisheries, including classifications of fishing gears, distinctions between municipal and commercial fishing practices, geographic-based fishing types, and an in-depth exploration of fishing effort—its components, impact on fish stocks, and role in data interpretation. The workshop also tackled the computation of nominal Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE), aimed at refining the analysis of fisheries production estimates.

With a focus on enhancing the reliability and depth of fisheries data, the learning session served as a platform to explore the integration of fishing effort into national fisheries statistics—an initiative that could significantly inform policy and resource management strategies.

This collaboration underscores NFRDI’s commitment to advancing science-based fisheries management and capacity building, positioning itself as a key player in the development of responsive and sustainable fisheries policies through research, training, and inter-agency partnerships. ### (Rita dela Cruz)