The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) expressed support for the protection of Tañon Strait against commercial fishers, and emphasized that over-fishing could lead to an ecosystem collapse.

“We believe that commercial fishing in an unsustainable manner is one of the major threats to our marine environment. Over-fishing, as one of the many negative environmental consequences, is a primary cause of species extinction and ecosystem collapse,” DENR-BMB Director Mundita Lim said in a letter to Oceana Philippines.