The FAO/UNSF1 Deep Sea Fishing Development Project became operational in May 1965. The United Nations Special Fund allocation for this project was US$1.4 million and the Government Counterpart contribution in kind was estimated at the equivalent of US$2.4 million. The Executing Agency was the Philippine Fisheries Commission.
The main purposes of the project as specified in paragraph 1 of the Plan of Operation were to carry out extensive experimental fishing, to train Philippine fishermen in new fishing methods, to improve methods of fish preservation, processing, marketing and distribution, and to advise on the technical and economic planning of fisheries development. It soon became clear that it would be very difficult to fulfill the purposes of the project, and to provide a basis for continuing Governmental action after its termination, unless the statistics covering fishing could be improved. The Government therefore requested the United Nations Development Programme to provide the services of a fishery statistician, and in response to this request the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) appointed Mr. Tsugiharu Shimura for the period June 1966 to December 1969. The first seven months (June to December 1966) were financed through the Contingency Funds of the United Nations Development Programme, the ensuing two years under the expanded Programme of Technical Assistance of the United Nations Development Programme and the final year through the United Nations Development Programme/Special Fund. Two interim reports 2 for the period ended December 1968 have already been presented; this report deals with 1969 only when the expert was a member of the staff of the United Nations Special Fund Project for Deep Sea Fishing Development.
The expert's terms of reference over the whole three and a half years were to advise and assist the Government of the Philippines on the rapid development of an adequate national fishery statistical system covering all phases of the inland and marine fishery industries, which would provide promptly and accurately the basic data needed for the better planning and implementation of a fishery development programme in the country and for other analysis and policy making purposes.
Dr. Tadachi Yamamoto, FAO Regional Statistican stationed in Bangkok visited the Philippines during July and August 1965 to survey the status of fishery statistics in the Philippines. He prepared an overall plan for improving the existing statistical system and detailed proposals on the survey methods to be employed.
About one year later, FAO assigned the expert to the Philippines to assist the Government in the implementation of the proposed sample surveys. During the period ended December 1968, the expert formulated a programme for improving the statistical system of the Philippines Fisheries Commission and assisted the Commission in its implementation. However, since by the end of 1968, the new statistical surveys, mainly due to the shortage of male statistical personnel and funds, did not cover the whole country, the Philippine Government requested a one year extension of the expert's assignment to be incorporated into the UNSF/Philippine Deep Sea Fishing Development Project.
Finally in late 1968, the Commissioner decided to utilize not only statistical personnel but all other available field personnel to expedite the implementation of the new statistical surveys. For this purpose, the expert prepared guide material for the Directors of the Regional Fisheries Offices.
During his assignment in the Philippines in 1969, the expert continued to work in conjunction with the Philippine Fisheries Commission which gave full support to activities of the expert.
The statistical work in the Philippine Fisheries Commission is mainly carried out in the Economics and Statistics Section of the Fisheries Information Division. The Chief of Section, Mr. Jose Q. de la Cruz, was assigned by the government as counterpart to the expert. Mr. de la Cruz with the officers of his Section, the junior statisticans in Regional Offices and the statistical aides in Fisheries Stations cooperated whole-heartedly in the implementation of the new surveys. Mr. Justo E. Montemayor, Chief of the Information Division, and Mr. Candido M. Ramos, Economist in the Economics and Statistics Section, assisted with the implementation of the new surveys and Mr. Mariana Villapando, Chief of the Market Assistance Section of the Fisheries Information Division, provided the expert with data from fish price surveys carried out under his supervision.
Mrs. Medina N. Delmendo, then Acting Chief of the Freshwater Fisheries Division, together with her personnel, assisted with the implementation of the Fishery Survey of Laguna de Bay.
Mr. Mauro E. Amutan, Chairman of the Committee on the Development Programme for Marine Municipal Fisheries (created in the Philippine Fisheries Commission in 1969) and the expert worked together with the other committee members to establish a programme for the general development of the marine municipal fisheries.
The officers in charge of the 1970 Census of Fisheries in the Bureau of Census and Statistics contributed fully to the preparation for the Census of Fisheries.
