Video: Without Fish We Are Nothing - Oceana Philippines
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September 24, 2015

Video: Without Fish We Are Nothing

Artisanal fisheries in the Philippines.
OCEANA / Jenn Hueting

On Tuesday, Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Oceana’s Vice President for the Philippines, invited Oceana Wavemakers to “meet Robert.” Robert Makinano depends on healthy oceans. Every day, this Filipino fisherman sets his hand-mended nets to catch fish to feed his family. If he’s lucky, he might even catch enough to sell at the local market.

But with each passing year there are fewer fish. Robert fears the fish may disappear altogether, and then he’ll have no way of providing for his household. In Robert’s own words, “without fish, we are also nothing.”

We heard from so many people interested in Robert’s story and the lives of artisanal fishers in the Philippines that we decided to share this brief interview with the man himself:

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Robert’s not alone. More than 1.3 million small-scale fishers, the poorest of the poor in the Philippines, depend on the ocean for survival. In total, more than 8 million people in the Philippines rely on healthy fisheries for their livelihoods. With the Philippines’ waters diminishing in abundance, these people and their ocean are in trouble.

Oceana’s work in the Philippines aims to help Robert and the millions of Filipinos like him. With the Save the Oceans, Feed the World campaign, Oceana intends to restore fish stocks, protect special underwater places, and ensure the ocean feeds and supports artisanal fishers forever.

Click here to support Oceana’s work in the Philippines and its Save the Oceans, Feed the World campaign.

Click here to become an Oceana Wavemaker and receive opportunities to take action for our oceans delivered directly to your email inbox.