The Philippines, through the participation of experts from the Department of Agriculture-National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (DA-NFRDI), joined regional fisheries scientists at the South China Sea Fisheries Science Working Group (FSWG) writeshop organized by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) on September 3, 2025 in Singapore.

Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos, Scientist V at NFRDI, attended the meeting onsite, while Francisco Torres Jr., project coordinator of the National Stock Assessment Program, participated online. They joined fellow fisheries scientists from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam in reviewing and refining the draft manuscript for the upcoming Common Fisheries Resource Analysis (CFRA) on little tuna or locally known as “kawakawa” (Euthynnus affinis), set to be launched in October 2025 in Qingdao, China.

The activity was part of a continuing series of regional workshops that HD has hosted since 2018 to foster collaboration among fisheries scientists and policymakers. The process previously produced the inaugural CFRA on skipjack tuna in 2022, with findings later published in Marine Policy in 2023.

At the writeshop, each country’s experts met individually with Dr. Jeremy Prince, a global authority on smallscale and data-poor fisheries assessment, to review national inputs to the draft manuscript. Later, participants convened in a collaborative session to refine the overall draft, which will undergo further revisions before its official launch.

The workshop also covered strategies for disseminating the scientific and policy outputs to wider audiences, as well as discussions on strengthening the institutional role of the FSWG and developing harvest strategies to support evidence-based fisheries management

“Understanding the present status of commercially important fish stocks in South China Sea, such as skipjack tuna and soon “kawakawa” is crucial to the sustainable fisheries management in the area for the benefit of the countries relying on it. Kailangang magtulong tulong ang mga bansang nakapaikot sa South China Sea na pag-aralan at siguraduhing laging produktibo ang pangisdaan dito at huwag itong hayaang mag-collapse,” Dr. Santos said.

By contributing to the scientific analysis of little tuna, a species recognized as highly migratory under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Philippines, through DA-NFRDI, plays a key role in advancing sustainable fisheries management and science-based policymaking in the South China Sea.

The writeshop was organized by HD, a private, non-profit, and impartial organization based in Switzerland that specializes in conflict mediation and dialogue facilitation. ### (Rita dela Cruz)