WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR MORE INLAND FISHERIES?

 WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR MORE INLAND FISHERIES?

When we talk about food security in the Philippines, the conversation almost always drifts toward rice, imports, and maritime fishing. But there is a quieter, more stable, more resilient source of food that we are not maximizing: inland fisheries.

And yes, there is a growing need for more of them—but with a very important caveat. We should stop converting wetlands into fishponds. Wetlands are already among the most threatened ecosystems in the country. They regulate floods, nurture biodiversity, and act as carbon sinks. Turning them into ponds is a short-term gain with long-term ecological losses.

So how do we expand inland fish production responsibly?

The answer lies in above-ground, closed-loop technologies such as the Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS). Architect Ran Quijano, through his social enterprise, has been helping cooperatives set up these modular RAS facilities—systems that recycle water, minimize waste, and fit even in tight or urban spaces. This is the kind of innovation that doesn’t eat up wetlands or agricultural land.

Another promising alternative is the use of recycled shipping containers—a brilliant example of the circular economy at work. Companies like Vantastic are already repurposing containers into aquaculture-ready modules. Stackable, movable, climate-resistant: these are the fish farms of the future.

Why stop there? We could go vertical. Imagine aquaculture inside high-rise buildings, idle warehouses, abandoned factories, basements, even parking structures. If we can plant lettuce in skyscrapers, we can certainly grow tilapia there.

Why inland fisheries matter now more than ever

1. Food Security and Nutrition

Freshwater fish—milkfish, carp, catfish—are a critical protein source. They provide omega-3s, iron, zinc, and other micronutrients essential for child development. Urban poor communities, who often struggle to afford marine fish, rely heavily on these inland species.

2. Livelihoods and Local Economies

Millions globally depend on inland fisheries for income. In the Philippines, women dominate fish drying, processing, and small-scale trading. This sector’s growth supports inclusive, grassroots economic resilience.

3. Climate-Resilient Protein

Unlike coastal fishing, which is threatened by typhoons, rising seas, and extreme waves, inland aquaculture can be shielded from the elements. A well-designed RAS tank doesn’t care if Signal No. 3 hits your province.

4. Cleaner and Safer

Marine fish are increasingly contaminated with microplastics. In mining areas, river and coastal species have shown mercury contamination—a public health time bomb. Controlled inland systems reduce this risk.

5. Cheaper and Greener

Catching or importing fish from far-off seas burns fuel. Producing fish in your own city or barangay slashes transport costs—and therefore emissions.

An ecosystem-friendly expansion

Saying “more inland fisheries” doesn’t mean “more fishponds.” It means smarter, cleaner systems that exist above the ground, not instead of ecosystems. It means aligning with biodiversity protection rather than competing with it.

Inland waters—lakes, rivers, marshes—are home to unique species now under threat from pollution and damming. Boosting sustainable inland fisheries is a way to invest in their protection, not their destruction.

A question for policymakers

If we can promote rooftop solar, why can’t we promote rooftop aquaculture?
If we can subsidize fertilizer, why not subsidize RAS modules for cooperatives?
If we can build malls, why not build vertical fish farms?

The technology exists. Social enterprises exist. The demand for clean, affordable fish definitely exists.

The missing link is political imagination.

A future within reach

Inland fisheries are not merely about raising fish. They are about reviving ecological memory, increasing community resilience, and bringing food production closer to where people actually live.

If we plan it right—and avoid repeating the mistakes of wetland conversion—this could become one of the most sustainable, scalable pillars of our food system.

Wouldn’t it be remarkable if every barangay could grow its own fish, shielded from storms, free from contamination, and supported by Filipino-designed technology?

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres iseneres@yahoo.com senseneres.blogspot.com 09088877282/07-07-2026

HOW SERIOUS IS THE PROBLEM OF SALINIZATION IN THE PHILIPPINES?

HOW SERIOUS IS THE PROBLEM OF SALINIZATION IN THE PHILIPPINES?

Salt is not just for food anymore — in many parts of the Philippines, salt is silently invading our farms, our wells, and our future. Salinization is no longer a minor nuisance, but a real threat to food security, water supply, and livelihoods.

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Salt on the Land: More Than Just a Nuisance

Salinization — the buildup of salt in soil and water — affects coastal and low-lying areas across the country. In rice fields alone, it can slash yields by 30–50 percent. In Navotas and Balayan (Batangas), farmers are already reporting dramatic drops in production because of saline-sodic soils. According to PhilRice, between 500,000 and 600,000 hectares of farmland are at risk of salinity, with up to 200,000 hectares being seriously salt-affected.

What’s driving this? Rising sea levels from climate change, poor groundwater and irrigation management, and storm surges are pushing saltwater into soils and aquifers. These forces don’t act in isolation — they reinforce each other.

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Beyond Rice: Saltwater’s Hidden Dangers

Rice is the poster crop, but the damage doesn’t stop there:

• Inland fisheries suffer, too. Too much salinity kills freshwater species outright; too much—but not enough—can convert fresh ecosystems into brackish ones, disrupting native fish populations.
  
  

• Drinking water becomes unsafe. When salt infiltrates wells and freshwater sources, water becomes unpalatable or even dangerous. The cost of treating it (desalination) is steep.
  
  

• Desalination costs add up. Once an area is heavily salinized, the government may be forced to pay for desalination systems — a significant burden for local communities.
  
  

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How We’re Coping: Science and Policy

There’s some hope. In parts of Camarines Sur, provincial agencies, PhilRice, and DAR are helping local farmers use salt-tolerant rice varieties. One farmer in Casiguran (Boton village) switched to a stress-tolerant rice (NSIC Rc-182) after saltwater intrusion, and saw yield recovery — he went from near crop failure to a more stable harvest. 

PhilRice continues breeding rice that can stand up to salt stress: in Albay, 36 new lines outperformed known varieties under saline conditions. 

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Desalination Is On the Table, But It’s Complicated

The DENR is already working on this. By the end of 2025, it plans to deploy 28 water filtration systems in small island barangays — 10 of them explicitly for saline water. It’s also eyeing modular desalination plants, using Israeli technology, to convert seawater into drinking water in up to 65 coastal villages. The projects are expensive — estimates run between ₱5 million to ₱8 million per plant, but DENR says the modular systems can support a few hundred households. 

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What Must Local and National Governments Do?

Here’s where I think we need to be bold and smart:

1. Local salinity mapping: LGUs must partner with scientists and farmers to map which barangays are being affected right now.
   
   

2. Water governance integration: We need to tie together irrigation policy, groundwater management, and coastal buffer systems (like mangroves) to prevent salt intrusion.
   
   

3. Scaling resilient farming: Promote salt-tolerant rice, but also teach adaptive soil practices — crop rotation, organic amendments, better drainage.
   
   

4. Community-managed desalination: Let coastal barangays run and maintain their own small-scale desalination systems — but make sure they are affordable and sustainable.
   
   

5. National coordination: The Department of Agriculture, DENR, and LGUs must work under a unified plan — salinization is not just a farming issue, it’s a water-security and climate issue.
   
   

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My Bottom Line

Salinization in the Philippines is not just a farmer’s problem — it’s a national problem. It threatens our food and water security, especially in coastal and vulnerable areas. The good news? We have technologies, science, and models to fight back. But we need the will — from our leaders, our communities, and ourselves — to treat salinization not as a distant climate footnote, but as a clear and present danger.

If we don’t act now, salt could slowly, relentlessly eat away at our ability to feed ourselves and drink water. And that’s a price this nation cannot afford to pay.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres iseneres@yahoo.com senseneres.blogspot.com 09088877282/07-06-2026

THE TWIN PROBLEMS OF SILTED RIVERS AND RISING SEA LEVELS

THE TWIN PROBLEMS OF SILTED RIVERS AND RISING SEA LEVELS

While the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is busy building dikes, floodways, and other infrastructure to control flooding, one has to wonder: are we ignoring a more fundamental problem? The twin crises of silted rivers and rising sea levels are quietly conspiring to make flooding, saltwater intrusion, and water insecurity worse — and I don’t hear enough national alarm bells going off.

How Silt Closes Our Rivers

Rivers across the Philippines are becoming shallower due to silt build-up. DPWH itself has admitted that many major rivers are badly silted, but that desilting hasn’t been funded properly — year after year.
Take the Pampanga River: Governor Lilia Pineda recently urged desilting along a 34-kilometer stretch, citing reduced capacity and massive flood damage amounting to over ₱432 million in infrastructure losses.
And in Nueva Ecija, the Digmala River, a part of the Upper Pampanga River system, is being desilted — 4.4 kilometers are being cleared to restore its depth and reduce overflow. 

Why does this matter? Because when rivers are choked by silt, their capacity to channel rainwater drops dramatically. During heavy downpours, the water has nowhere to go, and the result is more frequent and more devastating flooding. Added sediment also smothers aquatic habitats, reducing biodiversity and harming rivers’ self-cleaning capacity.

When the Sea Creeps In

At the same time, our coastal areas are under siege from rising sea levels. In Manila, sea level is reportedly increasing at a rate of 2.6 cm per year, according to a recent study. Part of the culprit? Land subsidence—our cities are sinking, in some cases, because we extract too much groundwater.
Rising seas aren’t just a distant worry — they are already pushing saltwater into rivers, estuaries, and aquifers, threatening both agriculture and drinking water supply. For example, nearly 28 percent of coastal municipalities in Luzon already report saltwater intrusion.
In a place like Dagupan, coastal and riverine flooding risks are compounded by the combined forces of sea-level rise, land subsidence, and saltwater intrusion — putting farms and homes at risk.

A Dangerous Interaction

Here’s the scary part: silted rivers and rising sea levels don’t act in isolation — they amplify each other. Saltwater pushed in by rising seas travels further upstream in silted, slow-moving rivers. That means inland flooding, salinized fields, and infrastructure strain. Older bridges, irrigation systems, and even water supply networks are not built for this double whammy.

What Can Be Done — And What’s Already Being Tried

1. Desilting & Sediment Management

• Dredging: Targeted dredging of silted river channels to restore depth and flow. For instance, Ilocos Norte has begun clearing its Bislak River under a new DENR policy.
  
  

• Watershed reforestation: Planting trees upstream to slow erosion and reduce incoming sediment.
  
  

• Sediment traps, dams, and natural flow restoration: To catch silt before it blocks the river downstream.
  
  

2. Adapting to Rising Seas

• Ecosystem restoration: Mangroves and wetlands can buffer waves and surges, while also filtering water.
  
  

• Climate-smart urban planning: Raise key infrastructure, coordinate zoning to allow retreat zones in vulnerable areas, and update flood maps.
  
  

• Better water use management: Limit groundwater extraction to reduce subsidence, and improve aquifer recharge.
  
  

• Global cooperation: Push for stronger climate action that slows sea-level rise.

But Why Isn’t It Happening Fast Enough?

• Broken water management: Our system is fragmented. DPWH, DENR, LGUs — too many agencies, too little coordination.
  
  

• Budget gaps: DPWH has repeatedly asked for funds to desilt rivers, but often comes up empty.
  
  

• Low visibility: Infrastructure projects get attention, but "invisible" work like riverbed restoration doesn’t have the same political appeal.
  
  

• Short-term thinking: We often react to floods after they happen, not plan for long-term resilience.

My Two Cents

If we are serious about long-term resilience, we need to stop treating river desilting and sea-level rise as separate issues. They are deeply interconnected. Funds and political will should catch up with science.

• Let’s form a National Water Resilience Task Force that unites DPWH, DENR, LGUs, scientists, and community stakeholders to plan desilting and adaptation.
  
  

• Incentivize community-led monitoring: involve fisherfolk, farmers, and barangays in tracking silt levels and reporting saltwater intrusion.
  
  

• Tie climate loans (like from ADB or other multilateral lenders) to projects that tackle both sediment and sea-level threats.
  
  

• Finally, let’s build a public narrative: restoring our rivers is not just about preventing floods — it’s about protecting our land, our water, and our future.
  
  

The fires of climate change and environmental neglect are burning. We cannot afford to feed them with inaction. It’s time to act before our rivers are choked, and the sea takes back what once was ours.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres iseneres@yahoo.com senseneres.blogspot.com 09088877282/07-05-2026