the fisheries of central visayas, philippines: status and trends

The Fisheries of Central Visayas, Philippines:

Status and Trends

An Initiative of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources 7in collaboration with the Coastal Resource Management Project

of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Regional Development Council of Region 7,Provincial and Municipal Local Government Units of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.

Stuart J. Green Jimely O Flores Joezen Q. Dizon-Corrales Rafael T, MartinezDino Rafael M. Nuñal Nygiel B. Armada Alan T. White

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The Fisheries of Central Visayas, Philippines: Status and Trends


Stuart J. GreenJimely O. FloresJoezen Q. Dizon-CorralesRafael T. MartinezDino Rafael M. NuñalNygiel B. ArmadaAlan T. White

2004

Printed in Cebu City, Philippines

Citation:

Green, S.J., J.O. Flores, J.Q. Dizon-Corrales, R.T. Martinez, D.R.M. Nuñal, N.B. Armada and A.T. White. 2004. Thefisheries of Central Visayas, Philippines: Status and trends. Coastal Resource Management Project of theDepartment of Environment and Natural Resources and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of theDepartment of Agriculture, Cebu City, Philippines, 159 p.

Prepared as a Collaborative Initiative of:

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture in Central VisayasCoastal Resource Management Project of the Department of Environment and Natural ResourcesRegional Development Council of Central VisayasThe Provincial and Municipal Governments of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor

This publication was made possible through support provided by the United States Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) under the terms and conditions of Contract No. AID-492-C-00-96-00028-00 with additionalfunding support for the publication provided by BFAR 7. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authorsand do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID. This publication may be reproduced or quoted in otherpublications as long as proper reference is made to the source.

Cover photos by Stuart J. GreenCRMP Document No. 18-CRM/2004ISBN 971-92753-7-5

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List of Acronyms and AbbreviationsList of Tables and FiguresAcknowledgmentsForewordPreface

Chapter 1Overview of the Marine Fisheries Management Framework Plan for CentralVisayas

IntroductionWhy a Fisheries Management Framework Plan?Fisheries Ecosystem Management

Chapter 2The Geopolitical and Socioeconomic Setting of Central Visayas

SocioeconomicsSummary

Chapter 3An Introduction to the Marine Fisheries Ecosystems of Central Visayas andTheir Habitats

The Marine Fisheries EcosystemsThe Fisheries Ecosystems within Central Visayas Geopolitical JurisdictionSummary

Chapter 4The Status and Trends of Commercial Fisheries of Central Visayas

Fisheries Production/LandingsCommercial Fishing Industry Landings by ProvinceState of Fisheries Ecosystems with Reference to Commercial FisheriesSummary

Chapter 5The Status and Trends of Municipal Fisheries of Central Visayas

IntroductionMunicipal Landings and FishersFishing BoatsFishing GearsMajor Fishing GroundsFishing Craft and FishersCatch Per Unit EffortIssuesSummary

Table of ContentsTable of Contents

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Chapter 6Coastal Management in Central Visayas

The Change in Policy Environment and Its Implications for Central VisayasKey Coastal and Fisheries ProjectsNational Government Agencies and Their Programs in Coastal and Fisheries

ManagementRegional Alliances/Special BodiesOther Organizations Assisting in Coastal and Fisheries ManagementSummary

Chapter 7Mainstreaming and Institutionalizing Coastal and Fisheries Management withinthe Local Government

IntroductionBenchmarking of LGUs in Central VisayasThe Evolving Role of Provincial Governments in Coastal and Fisheries

ManagementSummary

Chapter 8The Private Sector – The Missing Link?

The State of the Commercial Fishing Industry in Central VisayasThe Policy Environment - a Disincentive to ManagementOther Private Sector Initiatives in Central VisayasSummary

Chapter 9Fisheries Trends and Management Framework in Central Visayas

IntroductionKey Trends Common to the Region’s Fisheries EcosystemsManagement Implications for the RegionRegional TrendsThe Fisheries Management Framework Plan for Central VisayasSummary and Recommendations

Appendices1 Glossary2 Coastal Resource Management Showcases in Central Visayas3 Inventory of Fishing Gears in Central Visayas4 Fishing Gears in Central Visayas5 Directory of Participants Involved in the Profiling Process

Bibliography

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List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

ADB Asian Development BankAFMA Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (Republic Act 8435)AT Agriculture TechnicianB/M FARMC Barangay/Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management CouncilBANGON Bohol Alliance of Nongovernment OrganizationsBAS Bureau of Agricultural StatisticsBEMO Bohol Environment Management OfficeBFAR Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic ResourcesBMT Bohol Marine TriangleCBRMP Community-based Resource Management ProjectCELEBOSOLE Cebu, Leyte, Bohol and Southern Leyte Management CouncilCENRO Community Environment and Natural Resources OfficeCFVG commercial fishing vessel gearCLEAR 7 Coastal Law Enforcement Alliance in Region 7CLEC Coastal Law Enforcement CouncilsCMMO Coastal and Marine Management Office of the DENRCPUE catch per unit effortCRM coastal resource managementCRMP Coastal Resource Management ProjectCVRP Central Visayas Regional ProjectCVSCAFT Central Visayas State College of Agriculture, Forestry and TechnologyDA Department of AgricultureDENR Department of Environment and Natural ResourcesDILG Department of the Interior and Local GovernmentDOTC Department of Transportation and CommunicationDREAM Project Development of Resources, Education, Awareness and ManagementDTI Department of Trade and IndustryEcoGov Philippine Environmental Governance ProjectEEZ exclusive economic zoneELAC Environmental Legal Assistance CenterENRD Environment and Natural Resources DivisionEO Executive OrderFAD fish aggregating deviceFAO Fisheries Administrative OrderFRMD Fisheries Resource Management Division of the BFARGEF Global Environment FacilityGT gross tonnageGTZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeitha hectareHDI human development indexHP horsepowerICFM integrated coastal and fisheries managementICM integrated coastal managementIEC information, education and communicationITD-USCG International Training Division of the United States Coast GuardJICA Japan International Cooperation AgencyLGC Local Government Code

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

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LGU local government unitLOI Letter of InstructionMAC Marine Aquarium CouncilMAO Municipal Agriculture OfficerMARINA Maritime Industry AuthorityMCDP Marine Conservation and Development ProjectMCS Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Section of the BFARMOA Memorandum of AgreementMOU Memorandum of UnderstandingMPA marine protected areaMSY maximum sustainable yieldNALECC National Law Enforcement Coordinating CommitteeNGA national government agencyNGO nongovernment organizationNIPAS National Integrated Protected Area SystemNRM natural resource managementNSAP National Stock Assessment Project (DA-BFAR)NSO National Statistics OfficeOBST Olango Birds and Seascape TourPAMAS Panadtaran Mangrove AssociationPAMB Protected Area Management BoardPAO Provincial Agriculturist OfficePCAMRD Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and DevelopmentPCG Philippine Coast GuardPCRA participatory coastal resource assessmentPD Presidential DecreePEDO Police Environment Desk OfficerPFO Provincial Fishery Office of the BFARPNP Philippine National PolicePNP-MARIG PNP-Maritime GroupPO people’s organizationPP Presidential ProclamationRA Republic ActRDC Regional Development CouncilSB Sangguniang BayanSCORE Siquijor Coastal Resource Enhancement ProjectSEED Socioeconomic Empowerment and DevelopmentSIRMAP Siquijor Integrated Resource Management ProjectSP Sangguniang PanlalawiganUP University of the PhilippinesUSAID United States Agency for International DevelopmentVisSea Visayan Sea Coastal Resources and Fisheries Management

Exchange rate: US$1 = PhP55 (as of September 2004)

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List of Tables and FiguresList of Tables and Figures

TABLES

1 Key statistics on the four provinces of Central Visayas.2 The total population of the provinces of Central Visayas and percent increases

since 1990.3 Socioeconomic indices in the provinces of Central Visayas.4 The total area of the different fisheries ecosystems, including area outside of

Central Visayas.5 Major marine fisheries ecosystems of Central Visayas based on computer-

derived model calculating area of marine waters and municipal boundariesand showing management jurisdiction.

6 Area of coral reefs in Central Visayas (based on SPOT satellite imagery)collated by the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

7 Areas (ha and km2) of mangroves and of fishponds in mangrove areas inCentral Visayas.

8 Percent breakdown by type of the top 10 species of fish caught from 1950 to1980s for which data were available.

9 Total number of municipal fishers in the four provinces of Central Visayas in2003.

10 Concentrations of fishers/km of coastline in the region.11 Total number of motorized and nonmotorized boats in Central Visayas.12 Estimated total number of fishers and boats by fishing ground of Central

Visayas in 2003.13 Inventory of fishing gears by fishing ground of Central Visayas: hand

instruments, hook and lines, and jigs.14 Inventory of fishing gears by fishing ground of Central Visayas: traps, pots

and gillnets.15 Inventory of fishing gears by fishing ground of Central Visayas: impounding

gears, dragnets and seines.16 Inventory of fishing gears by fishing ground of Central Visayas: other fishing

activities.17 CPUE (kg/day) of common fishing gears used in Central Visayas.18 Aggregate catch composition of all fishing gears in the fishing grounds of

Central Visayas.19 Ten most important issues raised by municipal fishers in the fishing grounds of

Central Visayas.20 Apprehensions by type of violations in Central Visayas.21 Observed fishing violations in Central Visayas.22 Origin of suspected violators apprehended in Central Visayas.23 Results of enforcement activities of Coastal Law Enforcement Councils

(BEMO), 2000-2003.24 NGOs working in coastal and fisheries management in the region.25 Roles and responsibilities of the provincial government.26 Mandates and progress of the provincial governments in coastal and fisheries

management.27 Comparison of commercial and municipal fisheries in the region.

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A3-1 Estimated total number of fishers and boats in the 6 coastal municipalities ofSiquijor province, 2003.

A3-2 Estimated total number of fishers and boats in the 21 coastal municipalities ofNegros Oriental province, 2003.

A3-3 Estimated total number of fishers and boats in the 29 coastal municipalities ofBohol province, 2003.

A3-4 Estimated total number of fishers and boats in the 53 coastal municipalities ofCebu province, 2003.

A3-5 Inventory of fishing gears by province of Central Visayas: hand instruments,hook and lines, and jigs.

A3-6 Inventory of fishing gears by province of Central Visayas: traps, pots andgillnets.

A3-7 Inventory of fishing gears by province of Central Visayas: impounding gears,dragnets and seines.

A3-8 Inventory of fishing gears by province of Central Visayas: miscellaneousfishing gears.

A4-1 Hand instruments, hook and lines, and jigs found in Central Visayas and theirgeneric English and local names.

A4-2 Traps, pots and gillnets found in Central Visayas and their generic Englishand local names.

A4-3 Impounding gears, dragnets and seines found in Central Visayas and theirgeneric English and local names.

A4-4 Miscellaneous fishing gears found in Central Visayas and their generic Englishand local names.

FIGURES

1 Central Visayas fisheries management framework planning process.2 Map of Central Visayas.3 Population and coastal density in Central Visayas, 2000.4 Human development index, by ranges of thirds, in Central Visayas.5 Relative incidence of poverty in Central Visayas.6 The marine fishery ecosystems of Central Visayas.7 Results of coral reef assessments conducted in Central Visayas since 1995.8 Coastal habitats and their distribution in Central Visayas.9 A cross-section of a typical Central Visayas fisheries ecosystem.10 Quality of live hard coral cover per ecosystem showing average for whole

Central Visayas11 Average total marine capture fisheries landings in Central Visayas.12 Percent contribution of marine capture landings in Central Visayas to total

Philippine marine capture production.13 Annual total landings of two major marine capture fisheries sectors, municipal

and commercial, for Central Visayas.14 Annual commercial fisheries landings trend, 1975-2002.15 Abundance and total gross tonnage of commercial fishing vessels licensed by

BFAR 7 since 1979.16 Commercial fishing gears licensed by BFAR in Central Visayas.17 Change in fishing vessel size for ringnet fisheries, Cebu.

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18 Typical modified Danish purse seine operation (recently banned in municipalwaters through FAO 222).

19 Total commercial fishing sector landings from Visayan Sea.20 Major species landed by the commercial fisheries sector from Visayan Sea: (A)

1950s, (B) 1960s, (C) 1970s and (D) 1980s.21 Major commercial fishing gears with respective percent of contribution to total

volume of landings from Visayan Sea.22 Catch composition of trawl fisheries in Visayan Sea.23 Typical bagnet operation.24 Catch composition of bagnet fisheries in Visayan Sea, 1985-1987.25 Typical purse seine operation.26 Catch composition of purse seine fisheries in Visayan Sea, 1985-1987.27 Catch composition of ringnet fisheries in Visayan Sea, 1985-1987.28 Landings from commercial fisheries in Camotes Sea.29 Composition of landings and respective average relative abundance in

Camotes Sea: (A) 1950s, (B) 1960s, (C) 1970s and (D) 1980s.30 Major commercial fishing gears and respective contribution to total landings of

Camotes Sea.31 Catch composition of ringnet fisheries in Camotes Sea, 1985-1987.32 CPUE trend of ringnet fisheries in Camotes Sea.33 Total landings of commercial fisheries in Tañon Strait.34 Major species landed by commercial fisheries in Tañon Strait: (A) 1950s, (B)

1960s and (C) 1970s.35 Major commercial fishing gears and respective contribution to total landings of

Tañon Strait.36 Total landings of commercial fisheries in Bohol Strait and Bohol Sea.37 Major species landed by commercial fleet in Bohol Strait: (A) 1950s, (B) 1960s,

(C) 1970s and (D) 1980s.38 Major commercial fishing gears and respective percentage contribution to total

landings of Bohol Strait/Bohol Sea.39 Landing composition of bagnet fishery from Bohol Sea, 1985-1987.40 Landing composition of purse seine fishery from Bohol Sea, 1985-1987.41 Landing composition of ringnet fishery from Bohol Sea, 1985-1987.42 Major commercial fishing gears and respective percentage contribution to total

landings/production of East Sulu Sea.43 Landing composition of purse seine fishery from East Sulu Sea, 1985-1987.44 Landing composition of ringnet fishery from East Sulu Sea, 1985-1987.45 Landing composition of trawl fishery from East Sulu Sea, 1985-1987.46 Landing composition of bagnet fishery from East Sulu Sea, 1985-1987.47 Landing composition of all commercial fishing gears in Bohol Sea, 1985-1987.48 Trend of commercial fishing fleet’s capacity (GT) with commercial fisheries

production (t), from the 1970s to early 2000.49 Number and type of registered commercial fishing boats in Central Visayas.50 Fisheries production in Central Visayas showing change in average price of

common marine fishes since the 1970s, with US$ to PhP exchange rate asbenchmark for inflation.

51 Landings from marine-municipal fisheries sector.

List of Tables and Figures

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52 Distribution of fishers in Central Visayas.53 Distribution of nonmotorized boats in Central Visayas.54 Distribution of motorized boats in Central Visayas.55 Distribution and coastal density of all gears in Central Visayas.56 Distribution and coastal density of gill/trammel nets in Central Visayas.57 Distribution and coastal density of hook and lines in Central Visayas.58 Distribution and coastal density of jigs in Central Visayas.59 Trend in CPUE over the last four decades as perceived by municipal fishers in

Central Visayas.60 Top ten municipal fishes as reported per fisheries ecosystem.61 CPUE trend during the last four decades as perceived by municipal fishers in the

fishing grounds of Central Visayas.62 Incidence of illegal fishing activities in Central Visayas.63 Comparison of size composition of Stolephorus indicus (bolinao) caught by various

fishing gears in Danajon Bank.64 Comparison of size composition of Rastrelliger brachysoma (hasa-hasa) caught by

various fishing gears in Danajon Bank.65 CRM support structure in Central Visayas.66 Philippine CRM planning process.67 Municipality/city benchmarks for the three levels of CRM.68 LGUs that have completed their PCRA.69 Relative allocation of LGU budget for coastal management.70 LGUs that have adopted a five-year coastal management plan.71 LGUs that have approved comprehensive coastal and fisheries legislation.72 LGUs which have finalized the delineation of their municipal waters.73 LGUs with an active multistakeholder management council in place.74 LGUs with human and financial resources allocated for coastal law enforcement

(CLE).75 Legally declared municipal MPAs and NIPAS areas in Central Visayas.76 LGUs implementing some form of mangrove management in Central Visayas.77 LGUs with CRM certification at various stages.78 LGUs with packaged CRM best practices for showcasing and educational

tourism.79 LGU and its corresponding number of CRM benchmarks achieved in the

region.80 The delineated fishery ecosystems of Central Visayas for management as

identified by participants in the regional planning.

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The preparation of this book would not have been possible without the cooperation andsupport of key individuals and institutions concerned with fisheries and coastal management inCentral Visayas. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of the Department ofAgriculture (DA) for Region 7, based in Cebu City, has been very active and supportive in thewhole profiling and planning process. The BFAR has been the lead agency in conceptualizingthe profile and the consultation process.

The Economic Development Council of the Regional Development Council (RDC) ofCentral Visayas also provided assistance and adopted the profiling process through RDCExecutive Committee Resolution No. 6, Series 2002. Other partners in the planning processinclude the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Environment Division; theprovincial, municipal and barangay governments of Central Visayas; commercial and municipalfishers; members of the Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council; andother stakeholders. The Municipal Agriculture Officers and Planning Development Coordinatorsin the region also deserve thanks for their assistance in information collection and planning.

The University of the Philippines in the Visayas Foundation funded by the CRMPconducted a baseline assessment culminating in a municipal capture fisheries profile of CentralVisayas in 2003. The data from this study were used as basis for this profile, especially Chapter5.

The people in addition to the authors who have directly assisted during the planningprocess include:

DA-BFAR 7

Corazon M. Corrales Regional DirectorDr. Dionisio B. dela Peña, Jr. Assistant Regional DirectorProtacia R. Sayson Chief, Fisheries Resource Management DivisionAniceta L. dela Peña Chief, Fisheries Extension, Training and

Communication DivisionPrudencio B. Belga, Jr. Project Leader, National Stock Assessment ProjectJeffrey D. Cortes Chief, Fisheries Inspection and Quarantine ServicesNoel M. Alonzo Chief, CRM SectionNumeriano T. Candado Chief, Leasing and Licensing SectionAusterlito Cabangbang Chief, Commercial Fishing Boat Licensing UnitJosefina D. Flores Aquaculturist II, Leasing and Licensing UnitRamona L. Bojos Chief, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation DivisionMaureen Candado Chief, Administration and Finance DivisionEllen L. Ylanan Senior Aquaculturist, Planning, Monitoring and

Evaluation DivisionCresencio P. Pahamutang Provincial Fishery Officer, BoholDr. Leonardo Y. Aro Provincial Fishery Officer, Negros OrientalFlorencia T. Mepania Provincial Fishery Office, Negros OrientalRaul B. Villaneuva Provincial Fishery Office, Negros OrientalWarren S. Inao Provincial Fishery Officer, SiquijorMelania B. Jabat Provincial Fishery Officer, Cebu

AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgments

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Cosme A. Pateño, Jr. Provincial Fishery Office, CebuLourdes Arciaga Aquaculture Technologist and Public Information

Officer

Coastal Resource Management Project

William P. Jatulan Deputy Chief of PartyRebecca Pestaño-Smith Information, Education and Communication (IEC)

Task LeaderMa. Rosario M. Farrarons IEC Social Marketing SpecialistMario C. Gasalatan IEC Outreach SpecialistLiberty Pinili-Aliño IEC WriterMarlito N. Guidote Coastal Law Enforcement Task LeaderSamuel Gulayan Coastal Law Enforcement SpecialistHon. Vice Mayor William E. Ablong Provincial Coordinator, Negros OrientalAnecita Gulayan Provincial Coordinator, Bohol

University of the Philippines in the Visayas Foundation, Inc.

Joselito N. Fragillano Senior Fisheries ResearcherRosemarie I. Crusio Fisheries ResearcherRegina Therese M. Bacalso Fisheries Researcher

Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation, Inc.

Maria Maida S. Aguinaldo Project CoordinatorRey G. Bendijo Project Coordinator, Ting Matiao FoundationFrannie Renacia-Pabayos Training and Field Coordinator

Other Organizations

Aquilino Alvarez Country Director, Marine Aquarium CouncilMay Elizabeth S. Ybañez Visayas Team Leader, Department of Environment

and Natural Resources-EcoGovernance ProjectAlexander Y. Jusay Secretary General, Visayas Alliance of Fisherfolks and

Operators for Reform (BAFOR)Leonida M. Jusay President, BAFOR

Marie Sol M. Sadorra did the copy editing. Rafael T. Martinez, Jessie O. Floren and Leslie S.Tinapay did graphics, artwork, maps and layout. They are all of the CRMP, Tetra Tech EM, Inc.All photos are by Stuart J. Green, unless otherwise stated.

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Foreword

The Central Visayas is strongly dependent on its marine capture fisheries to supply themain source of animal protein in the region as well as to provide livelihood to over 150,000fishers from commercial and municipal fishing sectors.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) publishes a yearly regionalaccomplishments document, alongside the national fisheries profiles of the Central Office. Thisregional fisheries profile entitled The fisheries of Central Visayas, Philippines: Status and trendsadds tremendously to the information already compiled by the BFAR and consolidates historicalfisheries data of the region as a basis for future planning activities.

By looking more closely into the seven distinct fisheries ecosystems of Central Visayas,this profile integrates the commercial and municipal capture fisheries trends to give a snapshotof the current situation. It also proposes a fisheries ecosystem management framework forCentral Visayas.

I would like to congratulate the many partners involved in the production of this profile.May it provide a road map for a new era of fisheries management in Central Visayas in whichthe different resource users of the region’s ecosystem can begin to work together to manage theremaining fish stocks and ensure abundant supplies of protein for the region’s present andfuture generations.

CORAZON M. CORRALES, CESO IV Regional DirectorDepartment of Agriculture -

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 7

Foreword

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Preface

This profile consolidates the wealth of fisheries and coastal related information in CentralVisayas to look at the current state of the region’s fisheries ecosystems. The information aims toprovide a clear basis for policymakers, managers and agencies involved in coastal and fisheriesmanagement to make more informed decisions on what management interventions are requiredin the region.

This profile highlights the fact that although Central Visayas is split by geopoliticalboundaries, the region’s waters are divided into seven distinct fisheries ecosystems. Fish movearound, spawn and migrate within these ecosystems. Fishers follow the fish around the region,crossing political and administrative boundaries in pursuit of their livelihood. Managementinterventions must consider this mobility to improve collaboration and agreements and tointegrate the 109 individual coastal local government units with areas under national waters.

The management of fisheries is one component of an integrated coastal managementframework that has long been tried and tested in Central Visayas. Coastal and fisheriesmanagement at an ecosystem level allows us to look beyond the current localized initiatives. Itgives us a clearer bird’s-eye view of the region and lets us follow marine organisms along theirvarying geographical journeys and wide-ranging life cycles. Fisheries ecosystem managementcan be a vital link that bridges all of the localized coastal and fisheries management initiativesinto a wider area management system.

Despite many coastal management interventions in Central Visayas, the larger fisheriessituation still looks bleak. Many key challenges lay ahead. As identified in the profile, the poorsituation of fisheries is mainly the result of a poor national policy framework. This frameworkdoes not take into account the fact that fisheries are a biologically renewable natural resourcethat can be harvested sustainably up to a certain limit. However, once this limit is reached, thecapacity of the resource to replenish itself is severely inhibited.

The fisheries of Central Visayas have surpassed their natural limits, and their ability torenew and provide fish catch is now hampered. Although coastal management interventions atlocal levels are addressing several issues, there are still many regional problems that affect thestate of the whole resource. Unless there is a shift towards a larger area management, whichconsiders the regional wide issues, then the ecosystems will degrade further. Furtherdegradation will have impacts on long-term social, economic and ecological development. Thiswill directly affect the poorest sectors of the region.

This book aims to communicate the state of the region’s fisheries while suggestingsolutions. Specifically, the objectives of this profile are to:

� consolidate key Central Visayas fisheries-related information into a series of maps thatdocument the status of the region’s coastal and fisheries resources;

� present reliable data on the state of the region’s commercial and municipal fisheries whilehighlighting the relatively poor status of fisheries;

� highlight that the commercial and municipal fisheries of the region are competing witheach other for the same resources in the same fishing grounds of the region and that ifonly one sector is involved in management, then management on the whole will fail;

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� identify the key fisheries ecosystems of Central Visayas and define their boundaries formanagement; and

� present a fisheries management framework plan for Central Visayas, refined from manyfisheries stakeholders’ meetings.

This first Philippine regional fisheries profile — The fisheries of Central Visayas,Philippines: Status and trends - provides the information and policy directions required for theregion to better manage its fisheries for present and future generations. Let us all work togetherand take action now to achieve sustainable fisheries and food security in the Central Visayas!

Preface

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Introduction

Central Visayas is endowed with productive and diverse marine capture fisheries resourceswithin a variety of fisheries ecosystems, such as the Visayan Sea, Camotes Sea, Bohol Sea, EastSulu Sea, Cebu and Tañon Straits and Danajon Bank. These resources provide the majority ofanimal protein to the region’s fast-growing population as well as full-time employment (direct andindirect) to hundreds of thousands of people. As presented in this profile, the resource base, habitatsand fisheries of the region are degraded and their ability to supply food and livelihood is severelydeclining. This situation is having major repercussions on the economic, social and ecological welfareof the region.

Since the 1980s, the region has been the recipient of many government and nongovernment-funded projects in coastal management which have been undertaken at the barangay, municipal,provincial and regional levels. These projects sought to conserve the remaining habitats and fisheriesresources through management interventions targeted at mostly village and local government unit(LGU) levels. Despite many localized successes, these initiatives have not achieved major impactsat the larger ecosystem level. Generally, the resources of the fisheries ecosystems of the region havecontinued to degrade considerably.

Why a Fisheries Management Framework Plan?

The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 provides for the Bureau of Fisheries and AquaticResources (BFAR) to prepare and implement a comprehensive national fisheries industrydevelopment plan to ensure the long-term sustainability of the country’s fishery and aquaticresources (Chapter III, Article 1, Section 65). The planning process model developed in Region 7could form a basis for replication, towards developing the national fisheries industry developmentplan, region by region, and fisheries ecosystem by fisheries ecosystem.

During mid-2002, BFAR 7 and BFAR Central Office, in coordination with the CoastalResource Management Project (CRMP) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources(DENR), signed a memorandum of understanding to formulate a participatory fisheries managementframework plan for the region.

The main objective of the plan was to set a management framework to sustainably managethe fishery resources in Central Visayas. The planning process adopted a participatory approach.Stakeholders from commercial and municipal fisheries, key managers of the resource, LGUs, nationalgovernment agencies, nongovernment organizations, academic institutions and other stakeholderswere involved at all stages of planning through a series of forums. The planning process provideda venue for the different stakeholders to get a broader understanding of fisheries ecosystems of theregion, benchmark management within each ecosystem and identify how local actions could support

Chapter 1Overview of the Marine Fisheries

Management Framework Planfor Central Visayas

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a wider fisheries ecosystem managementapproach. The key outputs of these forums werethe delineation of the key ecosystems in theregion and the development of a workableframework that could lead towards a moresustainable management of resources.

Fisheries Ecosystem Management

The Central Visayas is composed of islandsthat have been placed under different politicaland administrative jurisdictions for ease ofgovernance and manageability. Marine fisheries,however, are totally unaware of theseadministrative boundaries; they spawn, feed andmove around the region, within the differentfisheries ecosystems of the region.

Marine fisheries ecosystems are intricatenetworks of habitats and fisheries that all dependon one another to function properly. If one partof the ecosystem becomes degraded oroverfished, other components are affected. Thisleads to a marked decrease in food, income andother benefits for the human population.Conversely, the same applies to coastalmanagement. If management occurs in only onearea, then the marine organisms are protectedonly for the time in their life cycle in which theyinhabit this area. As soon as they leave themanagement area to spawn or feed in anotherarea that is not well managed, the benefits ofthe management are reduced considerably;livelihood and food benefits are again lost.

Like fish, fishers are also mobile, especiallythe commercial fishing fleet of the region. Theymove among the ecosystems. If the fleet is wellmanaged in one province but poorly managedin another, the impact will be the same on thewhole ecosystem. Eventually, food and incomefor all commercial fishers will be reduced becauseof what is happening in the unregulated areasof the fisheries ecosystem.

Each fish species has a unique biology andecology. Hence, management interventionsshould be attuned to each fish species’ individualcharacteristics. Given, however, that in some ofthe fisheries ecosystems of the region, there aremore than 1,500 identified species of fish, movingaround areas of up to 5,000 km2, individual

management per species would be very costlyand difficult, if not impossible. Managementcould be easier through looking at the ecosystemas a whole and managing it as one larger unit.

The ecosystem approach considers the sumof all the organisms’ life cycles, the key habitatsthey utilize and their resource users. Its goal is amore productive fishery for the benefit of allstakeholders, while ensuring protein is in regularsupply in the region’s markets. The ecosystemapproach also recognizes that management isnot about managing the fish stocks because theynaturally manage themselves. It is aboutmanaging impacts on the resources of humansthrough fishing effort, pollution and others,while making the resources as productive aspossible to ensure users will have sustainablebenefits.

A common excuse for lack of managementand interventions at the regional and countrylevels has been that there is not enoughinformation to initiate management. Theinformation in this profile represents the bestavailable information and gives more thanenough rationale for ecosystem-widemanagement interventions.

The first in the country, the fisheriesmanagement planning framework for CentralVisayas was initiated to integrate barangay,municipal, provincial and regional managementinterventions into ecosystem-wide fisheriesapproaches (Figure 1). It promotes thinking andplanning from an ecosystem perspective, butacting locally!

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Figure 1. Central Visayas fisheries management framework planning process (September 2002 – March 2004). BAS - Bureau ofAgricultural Statistics; LGU - local government unit; MOA - Memorandum of Agreement; NGO - nongovernment organization; RDC - RegionalDevelopment Council

5

Central Visayas is situated in the center of the Philippine archipelago. It is bounded on thenorth by the Visayan Sea, on the south by Bohol Sea and East Sulu Sea, on the west by NegrosIsland and on the east by the Camotes Sea and Leyte Island. It is composed of four island provinces,namely, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor (Figure 2). It has a coastline of 2,029 km; 132municipalities, 109 of which are coastal; and 1,027 coastal barangays and 108 islands (CRMP-GIS2004).

The region’s population is heavily dependent on the marine fisheries ecosystems for livelihoodthrough fishing, with over 125,000 full-time municipal fishers and 5,000 full-time commercial fishers.These figures do not include ancillary industries related to fishing, such as fishing gear supply,boat building, ice factories, fish sellers and fish processors. These ancillary industries provide atleast another 50,000-75,000 full-time jobs.

Marine tourism, developedaround the natural and artificialbeaches of the region, scuba divingand ecotourism activities also provideconsiderable income to the region. In2003, over 1 million tourists arrived,the majority of whom came to visitcoastal areas (DOT 7 2004).

Fish remains a majorcomponent of the diet, accounting forover 50% of the total animal proteinconsumed in the country (ADB 2001).In Central Visayas, fish protein is themain source of cheap animal protein.However, with marine capturefisheries stagnating, the future doesnot look good for food security,especially of lower-income families.

Central Visayas has a totalland area of about 14,923 km2. Negros Oriental comprises 5,402 km2 (36%); Cebu, 5,088 km2

(34%); Bohol, 4,117 km2 (28%); and Siquijor, 344 km2 (2%) (Table 1). Some 83% of municipalitiesand 34% of barangays are located in coastal areas. Central Visayas has a total of 109 coastalmunicipalities (Table 2) and 1,027 coastal barangays, with 65% of the population located in Cebuwhile just about 2% in Siquijor. The rest are in Negros Oriental (18%) and Bohol (15%).

Chapter 2The Geopolitical

and Socioeconomic Settingof Central Visayas

The fisheries ecosystems of the region supply cheap protein to theregion’s fast-growing population as well as livelihood to a variety ofpeople.

6


Figure 2. Map of Central Visayas.

7

Chapter 2. The Geopolitical and Socioeconomic Setting of Central Visayas

Socioeconomics

Central Visayas has apopulation of 5.7 million, or 7.5% ofthe Philippine population (Table 2).Since 1990, the coastal population inthe region has increased 24.7% (NSO2001) (Figure 3). Cebu’s populationhas grown 27.2% since 1990 (makingit the country’s second mostpopulated province, next toPangasinan). In the last decade,population has increased by 22% inNegros Oriental, 19.5% in Bohol and9.7% in Siquijor.

Human development index

The United Nations humandevelopment index (HDI) provides abenchmark of the development of theprovince compared to the rest of thecountry. This shows that theprovinces of Central Visayas are inthe middle and bottom third“developed” in the country (Figure4).

Annual per capita poverty threshold inCentral Visayas varies among provinces (Table3), based on national government weighting.

The percentage of families under povertyincome threshold in the provinces and whichrepresent the percentage of population are asfollows, respectively: Cebu, 28.7% and 32.7%;Negros Oriental, 28.9% and 36.4%; Siquijor,29.2% and 33.6%; and Bohol, which has thepoorest constituents in the region, 47.3% and53.6%. See Figure 5.

The proportion of families (populace) withper capita income less than per capita foodthreshold (i.e., minimum amount required toprovide protein to the family, P6,989 in CentralVisayas) to the total number of families(population) is 17.0% (NCSB 2002). Comparedwith 1997 data, this shows that the percentageof the number of persons below poverty thresholdin the region has increased by 3.4% in Cebu and10.5% in Bohol, while it decreased 3.3% inNegros Oriental and 17.0% in Siquijor comparedto 1990 data.

Table 2. The total population of the provinces of CentralVisayas and percent increases since 1990 (NSO 2001).

Province

BoholCebuNegros OrientalSiquijorTotal

Population(2000)

% Increasesince 1990

1,137,2683,356,1371,126,061

81,5985,701,064

19.527.2*22.09.7

* Reflects Cebu City immigration.

Table 1. Key statistics on the four provinces of Central Visayas.

Province

Bohol Cebu Negros Oriental Siquijor

Capital cityTotal no. of municipality/city LGUsTotal no. of coastal municipalities/citiesTotal no. of barangaysCoastal barangaysLength of coastline (km)Islands/islets

Tagbilaran City Cebu City Dumaguete City Siquijor Town

4829

1,109365

682.373

5353

1,203427

916.530

2521

557166

334.24

66

13469

96.11

Totals

132109

3,0031,027

2,029.1108

Table 3. Socioeconomic indices in the provinces of CentralVisayas (NSCB 2002 and NSO 1995, 2000).

Province

BoholCebuNegros OrientalSiquijor

Povertyincome

threshold(P)

No. ofhouseholdmembers**

9,12510,4858,9408,966

5.184.984.994.64

* National Statistics Office (NSO) defined minimum income level per month per familyfor Central Visayas to be above “poverty level”.** NSO defined minimum income level to supply enough food protein to typical familyin Central Visayas.

Povertyfood

threshold(P)*

7,0827,0556,7037,009

8


Figure 3. Population and coastal density in Central Visayas, 2000.

9


Figure 4. Human development index, by ranges of thirds, in Central Visayas.

10


Figure 5. Relative incidence of poverty in Central Visayas.

11


These figures are very importantwhen considering coastal fisheriesmanagement because the majority ofthe people involved in municipalfisheries live below the poverty level.Families who live below the povertylevel depend on fish for their mainsource of cheap protein. The qualityof marine resources also directlyaffects their income and health.

Summary

The socioeconomic context ofRegion 7 and its implications forfisheries management are summarizedas follows:

� Development is tied intricatelywith the marine fisheries ecosystems,providing income through fishing andother marine-related industries.

� Population is growing very fast, and this ishaving negative implications for theregion’s development.

� A majority of the population lives withinthe coastal zone of the region.

� Region 7, similar to the rest of the country,still has a low rating on HDI. Bohol has thelargest percentage of people living belowthe poverty line, with Negros Oriental closebehind. The levels of poverty in bothprovinces have worsened considerably inthe last five years.

Gleaning and collection of marine organisms by women and youngchildren supply a large portion of the animal protein to a typical coastalfamily in Central Visayas. Moalboal, Cebu.

� Negros Oriental and Siquijor appear to betaking action towards reducing poverty;however, their figures may be influencedconsiderably by outmigration.

� Fishing is the number two employer in theregion, second only to farming. There areover 200,000 people directly employed infishing and related industries.

� Municipal fisheries provide livelihood formany families, who live below the povertythreshold, and marine fisheries providecheap animal protein to those who need itmost. Hence, the state of marine fisheriesecosystems directly impacts the quality oflife of the region’s poorest communities.

13

The Marine Fisheries Ecosystems

The Visayan Sea borders the Central Visayas in the north, Camotes Sea in the east, BoholSea in the southeast and East Sulu Sea in the southwest. The Tañon Strait separates Negros andCebu, and Bohol Strait is between Bohol and Cebu (Figure 6). Table 4 gives key statistics for eachfisheries ecosystem.

For purposes ofthis profile, which looks atthe Central Visayasfisheries ecosystems, onlythe area of the differentecosystems within thegeopolitical jurisdiction ofthe region is considered(NAMRIA 1991). This isfollowed consistently forthe rest of the profile,despite the ecosystemsreaching into otheradjacent regions.

The Fisheries Ecosystems within Central Visayas Geopolitical Jurisdiction

Bodies of marine waters in CentralVisayas cover an approximate total areaof 31,912 km2 (CRMP-GIS 2004), whichis 213% more than the total land area ofthe region. This total marine aquaticenvironment is further classified intomunicipal waters (under the managementjurisdiction of local government units),covering 69.4%, and the remaining 30.6%is considered part of the national waters,administered through the national linebureaus such as the Department ofAgriculture–Bureau of Fisheries andAquatic Resources (Table 5).

Chapter 3An Introduction to the

Marine Fisheries Ecosystemsof Central Visayas and Their Habitats

A seagrass bed, Mactan Island. (A. White)

Table 4. The total area of the different fisheries ecosystems, includingarea outside of Central Visayas.

Ecosystem

Bohol SeaCamotes SeaCebu StraitDanajon BankSulu SeaTañon StraitVisayan SeaTotal

Coastline(km)

273.3248.2264.8301.0205.5452.7242.1

1,987.6

20,943.67,448.03,933.02,475.6

285,612.93,995.211,696.3

336,104.6

Total ecosystem area (km2)(inside and outside of Central Visayas)

14


Figure 6. The marine fishery ecosystems of Central Visayas.

15

Chapter 3. An Introduction to the Marine Fisheries Ecosystems of Central Visayas and Their Habitats

Each of these bodies of water can beconsidered a discrete ecosystem. Within eachecosystem are multitudes of habitats, such asmangrove forests, coral reefs, seagrass, mudflats,sandy beaches and others. These habitats aremost commonly encountered in coastal areasnear the shoreline and are the main feedinggrounds, nursery areas and spawning groundsof coastal-dwelling marine aquatic organisms.

Coral reef habitat

Coral reefs are a diverse and productivehabitat in the Philippines. These can providepotential annual revenues of betweenUS$31,900 and 113,000 when all direct andindirect benefits (such as fishery income andtourism benefits) are included for a healthyreef (White and Cruz-Trinidad 1998). Thetotal reef area in Central Visayas is estimatedto be 1,560 km2, 41% of which is located inDanajon Bank (Ong et al. 2002; CRMP-GIS2004). See Table 6 (Figure 7).

Mangrove habitat

Mangroves are estimated to cover some102.1 km2 (10,208 ha) of the region (Ong et al.2002) (Figure 8). They are widely distributedaround the region, with over 50% in Bohol(Table 7). There are 32 true species of mangroveidentified within the region. Mangroves are avery productive habitat for fisheries and shrimps,providing an ideal spawning ground for manyfish and crustaceans. A healthy and biologically

diverse mangrove ecosystem is estimated toprovide between US$500 and 1,550 per hectareper year (Dixon 1989).

Healthy coral (Acropora) field, Sumilon Island, CebuProvince. (A. White)

Table 6. Area of coral reefs in Central Visayas(based on SPOT satellite imagery) collated bythe National Biodiversity Strategy and ActionPlan (Ong et al. 2002).

Province

BoholCebuNegros OrientalSiquijorTotal

Total area of coral reef

69,614.062,462.313,704.96,935.3

152,716.5

696.1624.6137.069.4

1,527.1

Note: Various surveys on the state of the region’s reefs have been

published, and these are summarized in Figure 7.

(ha) (km 2)

31.262.571.4

100.017.691.054.7

1,248.01,065.01,030.0

-516.0279.0804.0

15.724.726.2

-9.29.0

19.5

4,230.0552.095.0

-4,085.0

1,062.0

53.112.82.4

-73.1

25.8

Table 5. Major marine fisheries ecosystems of Central Visayas based on computer-derivedmodel calculating area of marine waters and municipal boundaries (CRMP-GIS 2004) andshowing management jurisdiction (within political boundaries of Central Visayas).

Ecosystem Area beyondmunicipal waters

(>15 km)

Bohol SeaCamotes SeaCebu StraitDanajon BankEast Sulu SeaTañon StraitVisayan Sea

Coastlinelength (km)

Total area(km2)

0-10km

10.1-15km

Area(km2)

(% ) Area(km2)

(% ) Area(km2)

(% )

273.3248.2342.4301.0128.0452.7242.1

7,968.04,310.03,933.02,476.05,587.03,108.04,116.0

2,490.02,693.02,808.02,476.0986.0

2,829.02,250.0

16


Figure 7. Results of coral reef assessments conducted in Central Visayas since 1995.

17


Many of the mangrove areasin the region were leased to privateindividuals for fishponddevelopment during the 1970s-1980s in line with the nationalgovernment’s fisheries developmentprogram - “the blue revolution”. Atthat time, only a few valued the realbenefits of mangroves. Some of thesemangrove areas that were convertedinto fishpond currently lieabandoned, underutilized andunproductive (Figure 8).

Visayan Sea fisheries ecosystem

The provinces of Cebu (Region 7), NegrosOccidental and Iloilo (Region 6), Masbate (Region5) and a portion of Leyte (Region 7) share thefisheries ecosystem of Visayan Sea. At the northperimeter of the sea is Asid Gulf, which isbordered by Masbate. Visayan Sea is borderedby Bantayan Island, Cebu, to the east; Negros,to the south; and Panay, to the west. The sea isgenerally shallow (therefore productive), withdepths ranging from 6 m to 96 m, the deepestportion being near Leyte Island. The length ofCentral Visayas coastline fronting Visayan Seais 242.1 km while 4,116 km2 of it is within thejurisdiction of Central Visayas.

Visayan Sea is one of the most productivefishing grounds of the country. The fisheriesresources are mostly pelagic, which feed nearthe sea floor such as Indian mackerels andsardines, and coastal pelagics such as anchovies(Figure 9).

The Central Visayas portion of Visayan Seahas only 0.05 km2 of mangrove and no fishpondsin mangrove areas (Ong et al. 2002). Most of thecoral reef habitat is along the coast of BantayanIsland and the islets surrounding it. The total reefarea in the Central Visayas portion is 258.8 km2

(Ong et al. 2002), found along fringing reefs inBantayan Island and the islets surrounding it.Five surveys have been conducted recently onthe status of coral reefs. All the reefs surveyedwere categorized as fair (25.1-50%).

Visayan Sea is also one of the priority areasfor the conservation of cetaceans, mollusks, reef

fishes and elasmobranchs (Ong et al. 2002).Malapascua Island in Daanbantayan, Cebu, isknown to be one of the regular sighting areas ofthe thresher pelagic shark (Alopias pelagicus), inthe world.

A typical fishpond in the region. Argao, Cebu.

A large portion of the region’s mangroves have beenconverted into fishponds, Talibon, Bohol.

Table 7. Areas (ha and km2) of mangroves and offishponds in mangrove areas in Central Visayas (Ong et

al. 2002).

Province

BoholCebuNegros OrientalTotal

Area of fishpondsin mangrove area

4,738.22,888.91,909.2

9,536.2

Area of remainingmangrove

47.428.919.195.4

(ha) (km 2) (ha) (km 2)

9,292.2126.6789.0

10,207.8

92.912.778.9

102.1

*Siquijor maps show minimal mangrove and fishpond area.

18


Figure 8. Coastal habitats and their distribution in Central Visayas.

19


Figure 9. A cross-section of a typical Central Visayas fisheries ecosystem.

Camotes Sea fisheries ecosystem

The Camotes Sea surrounds the CamotesGroup of Islands. Leyte borders the easternperiphery of Camotes Sea, Bohol is at its southand Cebu, at its north. The sea is relatively deep,reaching up to 806 m in its deepest portion. Itscoasts are sharply sloping and highly irregulardue to reef patches. The total length of coastlineedging Central Visayas to Camotes Sea is 248.2km. An area of approximately 4,310 km2 of thesea is within the Central Visayas jurisdiction.

The region’s portion of Camotes has some380 ha of mangroves and 370 ha of fishponds inmangrove areas (Ong et al. 2002). Coral reefhabitats fronting the coasts of mainland Cebuare not so extensive and are mostly fringing thecoasts of Northeast Cebu and Camotes Groupof Islands (Ong et al. 2002). There are 114.5 km2

of coral reef in the Central Visayas portion ofCamotes Sea. Within this area, only three coralreef surveys have been conducted recently. Thelive hard coral was found to be fair (25-50%) instatus.

The Camotes Group of Islands is alsoidentified as one of the priority conservationareas for reef fishes while the northern tip ofCebu is for elasmobranch protection (Ong et al.2002).

Danajon Bank fisheries ecosystem

At the southern periphery of Camotes Seais Danajon Bank, which is about 72 km long onthe east-west axis and ranges from 9 to 25 kmwide. It has a total coastline of 301 km and atotal area of 2,476 km2. The entire Danajon Bankis within municipal waters, within 10 km of theshoreline. Danajon Bank is a unique doublebarrier reef composed of numerous but dispersedislets and reef patches joining together into aninner Calituban and outer Caubyan barrier reef.

Historically, the bank is the most habitat-rich fisheries ecosystem of Central Visayas,having the largest areas of both coral reefs andmangrove in the region. It is rich in mangrovehabitats found mostly in the coastal areas ofGetafe to Calape, with significant patches alongthe coastlines of Talibon and Bien Unido.Mangroves cover an area of 5,250 ha andfishponds in mangrove area cover 4,750 ha. Thearea also contains one of Southeast Asia’s largesthuman-made mangrove forest in Banacon Islandwith over 2,000 ha of Rhizophora spp.

The coral reef habitat covers an area of62,430 ha (Ong et al. 2002). Figure 10 shows thatthe remaining reefs are on the whole fair (25-50%) in status.

20


The Danajon Bank is identified as a priorityarea for the conservation of reef fishes, corals,mangroves and mollusks. It is also part of theAsian southward bird migratory pathway; in1990, over 1,000 migratory birds belonging to

A portion of the outer Caubyan reef in the Danajon Bank DoubleBarrier Reef.

20 species were identified during theirsouthward migration from northern Asiafrom late July to November (Perennou etal. 1994). Also identified was the Chineseegret (Egretta eulophotes), which is on theprotected species list of the WorldConservation Union and is categorized asthreatened.

Tañon Strait fisheries ecosystem

Tañon Strait separates Cebu andNegros. Its peripheral provinces areNegros Oriental, Negros Occidental andCebu. The strait has a total coastline of452.7 km and a total area of 3,108.0 km2.It is relatively deep, with the deepest at

about 509 m. Its coasts are sharply sloping andfringed with reefs.

Patches of mangrove aggregates are foundin the southern coasts of the strait at both sidesof Negros Oriental and Cebu. Only 650 ha ofmangroves remain, while 2,990 ha of fishpondsin mangroves are found within the area (Ong etal. 2002). There are 188.3 km2 of coral reef withinthe strait, composed of mostly fringing reefs alongthe Negros and Cebu coastlines. Forty-seven coralreef surveys have been conducted since 1995.

The strait is a distinct habitat of thechambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) and amigration route of Whalesharks (Rhincodontypus). It is home to at least nine species ofcetaceans, the most interesting of which are theDwarf sperm whale (Kogia simus) and Melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra). Thus, thestrait is identified as one of the priority areas forthe conservation of cetaceans and reef fishes.Initial oceanographic studies of water and larvaeflow suggest that the Visayan Sea is the netsupplier of fish larvae to the strait, suggestingthat management of the strait should be closelylinked with that of the Visayan Sea fisheriesecosystem.

Cebu Strait fisheries ecosystem

Cebu Strait, sometimes called Bohol Strait,is the body of water separating the islands ofBohol and Cebu. This strait is relatively deep,with a maximum depth of about 306 m. It has a

Soft corals, Cabilao Island, Bohol. (T. Parras)

21


coastline length of 342.4 km and a total area of3,933 km2 .

Mangroves, interdispersed with Nypapalms (Nypa fruticans), are found around therivers leading out from the mainland of Bohol inthe towns of Loon, Calape, Maribojoc and Cortes.The strait has over 10.9 km2 of mangrove coverdispersed along the coastline and offshore islandsof Cebu and Bohol, with 3.8 km2 fishponds inmangrove areas (Ong et al. 2002). Its coastline issharply sloping and fringed with coral reefs,especially near Bohol’s offshore islands, with158.6 km2 of coral reef for the whole fisheriesecosystem. Twenty-four coral reef surveys havebeen conducted in the area since 1995.

Bohol Sea fisheries ecosystem

Bohol Sea is also known as Mindanao Sea.It is a large body of water bounded by the islandsof Mindanao (south and east), Leyte, Bohol andCebu (north) and Negros (west). It measuresabout 270 km on the east-west axis and thelength of coastline fronting Central Visayas isabout 273.3 km. About 7,968 km2 of Bohol Sea iswithin Central Visayas jurisdiction. Mangrovesare mostly found in the coasts of Candijay toGuindulman, with small patches in Loay. Thetotal area of mangrove is 2,810 ha, with 1,080ha of fishponds in mangroves (Ong et al. 2002).

The coasts along the islands of Bohol aresharply sloping and fringed with irregularpatches of reefs and rocks. Coral reef covers 132.7km2 within the fisheries ecosystem (Ong et al.2002). Thirty-six coral reef surveys have beenconducted in the area since 1995.

The sea is relatively deep and is famous forits Whaleshark (Rhincodon typus) population,which only recently returned in small numbersafter many years of hunting, and manta ray(Manta spp.) inhabitants, now protected by FAO193. The Bohol Sea is identified as one of thepriority areas in the conservation of mangroves,cetaceans, corals and whalesharks. It has at leasteight species of resident and migratory cetaceans.

East Sulu Sea fisheries ecosystem

The East Sulu Sea is a continuum of SuluSea. It is located at the southernmost part ofCentral Visayas, outlining the south peripheriesof the provinces of Cebu, Negros Oriental andSiquijor. The East Sulu Sea is shared by a numberof provinces, namely, Negros Oriental andSiquijor (Region 7), Palawan (Region 4) andZamboanga del Norte (Region 9). The portion ofEast Sulu Sea under Central Visayas jurisdictionis about 5,587 km2 with a coastline length of 128km.

The coasts of East Sulu Sea fronting CentralVisayas are edged with mangroves, seagrassesand coral reefs. Mangroves cover only 1,300 haof area within the Central Visayas portion of theecosystem, and there are no recognizedfishponds in mangrove areas (Ong et al. 2002).

Fringing coral reefs along the coastline ofNegros Oriental cover some 49.9 km2. Some 29coral reef surveys have been conducted in thearea since 1995.

A large portion of East Sulu Sea is deep. Itis one of the major migratory paths of Yellowfintunas (Thunnus albacores) and other economicallyimportant large pelagic species in the country.The sea is also identified as one of the priorityareas for the conservation of reef fishes,cetaceans, elasmobranches, whalesharks andmarine turtles. It is part of one of the mostbiodiverse marine ecosystems in the world.

Summary

The major coastal habitats and ecosystemsand their conditions within Region 7 aresummarized as follows:

� Central Visayas is surrounded by sevenmajor marine aquatic ecosystems, namely,Visayan Sea, Camotes Sea, Danajon Bank,Tañon Strait, Cebu Strait, Bohol Sea andEast Sulu Sea, which are all unique in termsof resources, habitats and bathymetry.

� The collective area of all these bodies ofwaters is significantly larger than that ofthe Central Visayas land area (213% larger).

22


Figure 10. Quality of live hard coral cover per ecosystem showing average for whole CentralVisayas.

23


� Of the seven major ecosystems, onlyVisayan Sea and Danajon Bank arerelatively shallow. The rest are relativelydeep fishing grounds.

� The coral reef habitats, one of the mostecologically significant coastal waterhabitats in the region, are in a degradedstate, with 172 documented surveys in theregion indicating that 70 sites (42.0%) ofthe reefs have poor quality coral cover andno sites were found to be in excellent state(Figure 10).

� Mangroves are very diverse, with 32 speciesidentified in the region, out of 35 speciesfound in the Philippines. However, themangrove area has been reducedconsiderably from its original state, withover 50% (9,540 ha) of mangroves (19,740ha) now converted into fishponds inmangrove areas.

� There are still abandoned andunderutilized fishponds in the region. Theseshould be rehabilitated by mangrovereforestation to make them productiveagain.

� The region also contains a variety ofendangered and unique species of birds,fish, mollusks and cetaceans that live ormigrate in and around the waters.

� Because the ecosystems cross politicaljurisdictions and cut across regions, NGAsand LGUs should cooperate in managementscheme between regions sharing the sameecosystems with Central Visayas. Jointinter-regional initiatives should be madewith Regions 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 in the longterm if fisheries management is to besuccessful.

25

Marine capture fishes are abiologically natural renewableresource composed of hundreds ofdifferent species interacting withmany different habitats and caughtusing various fishing gears. Thischapter presents historical data andoverall trends of the region’sfisheries production and commercialfishing industry.

Fisheries Production/Landings

In the late 1970s, the averagetotal annual landings in CentralVisayas were about 63,952 t. In the1980s, the average annual fisherieslandings decreased 13.3% to 56,454t, but in the 1990s, these rosesignificantly to 101,822 t, an increaseof 45.56%. By early 2000, landingswere 109,671 t only (Figure 11).Central Visayas has beencontributing 3.7-7.7% to Philippinetotal fisheries production since 1976.In 2002, the region contributedabout 6.0% to total marine capturefisheries production of the country(Figure 12). The fisheries landingsare subdivided into two sectors,municipal and commercial.

From 1976 to 1983,municipal fisheries sector landedmore than the commercial one. However, the period 1984-1986 marked the onset of a shift towardsmore commercial fisheries landings, and this trend has continued to the present (Figure 13).

Chapter 4The Status and Trends

of Commercial Fisheriesof Central Visayas

Figure 11. Average total marine capture fisheries landingsin Central Visayas (BFAR and BAS 1976-2002).

Figure 12. Percent contribution of marine capturelandings in Central Visayas to total Philippine marinecapture production (BFAR and BAS 1976-2002).

26


Commercial FishingIndustry Landingsby Province

Since 1976, the averagecontribution of Cebu to thetotal commercial fisheriesproduction was 73.5%, whilethose of Bohol and NegrosOriental were 15.6% and10.9%, respectively (Figure14).

Over a span of twodecades, there had been ninemajor types of commercialfishing gears used in CentralVisayas fishing grounds(Figure 15). These proliferatedduring the 1970s and 1980s. Inthe 1990s, however, some ofthe gears were banned (e.g.,muro-ami); some became tooexpensive to operate due tofuel prices (e.g., trawl); andsome have simply ceased to beeconomical. Others, such asround haul seine and bagnet,have modified their boat sizeto below 3 GT and have goneunder the guise of “municipalfishers.” The remainingcommercial fishing gears arethe more efficient ones; thesehave lower operating andmaintenance costs. Theringnet has maintained itsposition as the primary fishinggear that targets pelagic fishes;Danish seine took the place oftrawl as the primary demersalfishing gear in the region(Figure 16).

Ringnet

The apparent success ofringnet fisheries is also partlydue to introduction of other

fishing accessories to work in partner with thisgear, such as payao, a fish aggregating device

Figure 13. Annual total landings of two major marine capturefisheries sectors, municipal and commercial for Central Visayas(BFAR and BAS 1976-2002).

Figure 14. Annual commercial fisheries landings trend, 1975-2002 (BFAR and BAS 1976-2002).

Figure 15. Abundance and total gross tonnage of commercialfishing vessels licensed by BFAR 7 since 1979 (DA-BFAR 7).(Since the late 1980s, the muro-ami, drive-in net and Danishseine were declared illegal due to their being defined as“active” fishing gears [FAO 201].)

27

Chapter 4. The Status and Trends of Commercial Fisheries of Central Visayas

that makes fishing very effectiveand is relatively cheap to installand maintain.

The efficiency of ringnetfisheries was further enhancedwith new technologies of the fishfinder (a transducer that helpslocate fish, identifying their depthand volume of shoals) as well assuperlights (composed of halogenlights of up to 5,000 kw which aredropped below boats and poweredby a dynamo) to aggregateschooling pelagics. However, theuse of superlights eventuallybecame regulated. Their use wasbanned within municipal waters during the late1990s. During this time, a new technology, thesonar was introduced and fast became a necessityfor profitable fishing. The sonar is much moreefficient and costly than a fish finder. It canidentify shoaling pelagics from a long distanceaway and gives much more information aboutthe shoal than a fish finder does. Some 20% ofcommercial boats in the region now carry sonars.

During this time, there was also a shift onthe size capacities of the ringnet fishing boatsfrom mostly small-scale to medium-scale, due inpart to the ban on commercial fishing withinmunicipal waters (Fisheries Code, Republic Act[RA] 8550) as well as incentive programs fromthe Department of Agriculture and the FisheriesModernization Act of 1997 (RA 8435). Morerecently, the ringnet boats are being upgradedby owners from small wooden hulled boats tomuch larger and expensive metal hulled boats(Figure 17).

Danish seine

The Danish seine fishery was introducedto the region during the 1980s. Its operationstarted as a large-scale municipal fishing gear.Its full commercial operation developed only after1986 when BFAR provided the commercial sizedesign of the gear as well as trained fishers howto use it. In 2004, BFAR Central Office issuedFisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 222,which regulates the operation of the Danish seinefishery by banning the use of “tom weights” (a

Lightboat using gas lights to attract fishes before harvestingwith a round haul seine, Clarin, Bohol.

Fish aggregating device (payao), near Pamilacan Island,Baclayon, Bohol.

Figure 16. Commercial fishing gears licensed by BFAR inCentral Visayas (BFAR 7 2002).

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large weight that helps keep the net lowto scrape the bottom of the seabed)during fishing operation. It disallows itsuse within municipal waters due to itsfine-meshed net, use of scaring devices,and tendency to catch juvenile fishesand to damage the seabed (Figure 18).

State of Fisheries Ecosystems withReference to Commercial Fisheries

Visayan Sea fisheries ecosystem

Landings

The Visayan Sea hosts various fisheryactivities targeting all major fishing habitats -pelagic (surface and midwater-dwelling fishes),demersal (bottom-dwelling fishes), reefs andseagrass beds. In 1995, the sea was the third topcontributor of fish and other marine fisheriesproducts in the country, with landings ofapproximately 208,883 t (BFAR 1997), makingup 12.4% of total fisheries landings. In thecommercial fisheries sector, Visayan Sea was thetop producer in the country while in marinemunicipal fisheries sector, it ranked third. Thevolume of landings over the years fromcommercial fisheries showed that this sector was

indeed one of the most important sources of fishfood and fisheries revenue of the country. Figure19 indicates a steady increase in landings untilthe early 1980s; since then, there has been asteady decline.

Catch composition

A general trend in the composition oflandings from Visayan Sea, since the 1950s,shows a significant change, from slipmouth tosardine-dominated landings (Figure 20 andTable 8). The shift in catch can be largelyassociated with the demise of the trawl fishery,which mostly caught slipmouths. The trawl has

An array of technologies on top of a commercialfishing boat.

Figure 18. Typical modified Danish seine operation(recently banned in municipal waters through FAO222).

Figure 17. Change in fishing vessel size for ringnetfisheries, Cebu (BFAR 07 2002).

29


Table 8. Percent breakdown by type of the top 10 species of fish caught from 1950 to 1980sfor which data were available (BFAR and BAS 1950-1980).

Decade InvertebratesTop 10 speciescaught as % of

total catch

Demersal Coastalpelagic fishes

Oceanic,small pelagic

fishes

1950

1960

1970

1980

60.675.068.465.4

36.641.839.819.0

11.621.89.427.6

9.66.715.615.7

2.84.73.63.0

Figure 19. Total commercial fishing sector landings fromVisayan Sea (BAS and BFAR 1951-1995).

Figure 20. Major species landed by the commercial fisheries sector from VisayanSea: (A) 1950s, (B) 1960s, (C) 1970s and (D) 1980s (BFAR and BAS 1951-1987).

30


been replaced by Danish seine as themost productive fisheries gear in thesea.

Major fishing gears

A wide range of fishing gearsare used to harvest fisheries productsin Visayan Sea. During early 1960s,the high volumes of landings werefrom trawl (80.3%), bagnet (12.0%)and round haul seine (6.3%). In late1960s, trawl remained as a majorcontributor of fish landings (70%).The bagnet contribution almostdoubled (22.6%), and purse seinereplaced round haul seine as the third contributor(6.0%) (Figure 21).

In the 1970s, trawl fisheries contributed67.5% to total landings from Visayan Sea whilepurse seine, 29.7%. In the late 1980s, trawlfisheries contributed 54.0%; purse seine, 26.8%;bagnet, 6.7%; and all other gear types, 12.2%.The trawl fisheries were consistently the mostimportant until the onset of the oil crisis in the1970s, which made the method less profitable.The void left by trawl operations wasimmediately occupied by Danish seine fisheries,the major demersal fisheries in Visayan Sea atpresent.

Catch composition of major fishing gears

Catch composition of gear may be used asindicator on the characteristics of fishinggrounds as well as of fishingoperation. Data from 1985 to 1987showed that most demersal fishes(i.e., slipmouths) were caught bytrawl; coastal pelagic fishes, such asanchovies, by bagnet; and oceanic,small pelagic fishes, by purse seineand ringnet.

Trawl catch was mostlycomposed of demersal fishes (33.6%),pelagic fishes (33.5%), invertebrates(3.7%) and others (29.2%). The mostabundant catch were round scads(24%) (Figure 22).

The bagnet fisheries operated in differentdepths within Visayan Sea as indicated bydiverse catch composition (Figure 23). Thecommon characteristic among key organismscaught by bagnet was their attraction to light.Hence, the bagnet’s dependence on light as anaggregating device. However, the predominanceof pelagic fishes (56.1%) showed that mostfishing was done in relatively deep waters(Figure 24).

The purse seine fisheries operated in deepwaters through the aid of payaos (Figure 25) andin most cases adjacent to reef areas, as illustratedby the abundance of aggregating reef-associated,pelagic fishes such as mackerels and crevalles(Figure 26). These fishes are known to be proneto aggregate easily if exposed to lights near apayao.

Figure 21. Major commercial fishing gears with respectivepercent of contribution to total volume of landings fromVisayan Sea (BFAR 1962, 1969, 1977, 1987).

Figure 22. Catch composition of trawl fisheries in VisayanSea (BFAR 1985-1987).

31


The ringnet operated similarly to purseseine, as shown by their similar catchcomposition (Figure 27).

Camotes Sea fisheries ecosystem

Landings

The Camotes Sea provides a relatively minorsource of fish and fish-related revenues to thecountry as a whole. However, it is one of themajor sources of fish in Central Visayas. Ringnetsand other pelagic-based fisheries ply the watersof Camotes Sea. This sea is a sharply slopinginsular shelf and has deep bathymetric features.The history of landings shows an abrupt increasefrom less than 500 t in 1950s to the early 1970sto a peak in 1984 of about 22,800 t. BFAR didnot collect data from 1987 to 1996 (Figure 28).

Catch composition

Coastal pelagic fishes, such asanchovies, sardines and mackerels,were the most abundant landingsduring the 1950s and 1960s,comprising 37.6% and 24.6%,respectively. There was an increasein landings of demersal fishes from12.5% in the 1950s to 24.5% in the1960s. During the 1970s, the mostabundant catch shifted to small,oceanic pelagic fishes, such as smalltunas, round scads, bigeyemackerels, moonfishes andflyingfishes, comprising 53.2% oftotal catch. The coastal pelagicspecies comprise 24.1% and thedemersal species decreased to only9.7% of the total catch. In the 1980s,small, oceanic pelagic fishes werestill the most abundant, comprising45.2% of total catch (Figure 29).

Major fishing gears

During the early 1960s, trawl,bagnet and purse seine were themajor fisheries in Camotes Sea. Bythe 1970s, ringnet became the maincommercial fishery (Figure 30).

Figure 23. Typical bagnet operation.

Figure 24. Catch composition of bagnet fisheries inVisayan Sea, 1985-1987 (BFAR 1985-1987).

Figure 25. Typical purse seine operation.

32


Catch composition andmajor fishing gears

Most demersal fishes (i.e.,slipmouths, spadefishes, groupers,crevalles, catfishes, etc.) fromCamotes Sea were landed by trawl.The coastal pelagic fishes (i.e.,anchovies, mackerels, sardines, etc.)were mostly landed by bagnet.Ringnet and purse seine mostlycaught small, oceanic pelagic fishes,such as round scads, small tunas,bigeye scads and others (Figure 31).

Catch rates of ringnet fisheriesfrom 1983 to 1987 had an averageof 198.3 kg/hour while from 1998to 2002, the average was 178.7 kg/hour of fishing. This decrease sincethe 1980s, despite advancement infishing technology, suggests thatcatch per unit effort (CPUE) hasfallen considerably (Figure 32).

Tañon Strait fisheries ecosystem

Landings

Statistics show that the TañonStrait commercial sector producesonly an average of 405 t/year(Figure 33). The area within thewhole Tañon Strait is, however, allmunicipal waters and even with amunicipal ordinance they can onlyfish from 10.1 to 15 km. Without amunicipal ordinance allowing entryto commercial fishers, fishingoperations within this area can beconsidered illegal. It is also aprotected area under the NationalIntegrated Protected Area SystemAct, declared through PresidentialProclamation 1234, due to its richdiversity of cetaceans. The area isheavily fished due to its proximityto a large number of fishingcommunities, particularly in EasternCebu and Negros Oriental.

Figure 26. Catch composition of purse seine fisheries inVisayan Sea, 1985-1987 (BFAR 1985-1987).

Figure 27. Catch composition of ringnet fisheries inVisayan Sea, 1985-1987 (BFAR 1985-1987).

Figure 28. Landings from commercial fisheries inCamotes Sea (BFAR 1951-1987).

33


Figure 29. Composition of landings and respective average relative abundance in CamotesSea: (A) 1950s, (B) 1960s, (C) 1970s and (D) 1980s (BFAR and BAS 1951-1987).

Figure 30. Major commercial fishing gears and respectivecontribution to total landings of Camotes Sea (BFAR 1962,1969, 1977, 1987).

Figure 31. Catch composition of ringnet fisheries inCamotes Sea, 1985-1987 (BFAR 1985-1987).

34


During the 1960s and 1970s, purse seinewas the predominant fishing gear. Recently, thiswas replaced by ringnet.

Catch composition

Pooled catch composition of commercialfisheries in Tañon Strait shows that since the1950s, species harvested were predominantlysmall oceanic, pelagic fishes, comprising 40.5%of total catch, with rainbow runners being mostabundant. In the 1960s, the proportion of smalloceanic, pelagic fishes (32.5%) decreased and themajor fish became the coastal, pelagic ones(36.1%). Round scads, lower-value fish, becamedominant. The abundance of rainbow runnersdecreased significantly by the 1970s and evenceased to be among the top 10 species caughtfrom the strait. Shifts in landing compositionsmay be a function of changes in types of fishingimplements used as well as reaction of fisheriesresources to fishing pressures (Figure 34).

Major fishing gears

During the 1960s and 1970s,there were four major commercialfishing activities plying the waters ofTañon Strait. Bagnet fishery (66.5%)contributed the most landings in the1960s; in the 1970s, it was the purseseine fishery (62.1%) (Figure 35).Correlating the type of predominantgear to the composition of landings,the predominance of bagnet in the1960s largely coincided with theprevalence of coastal pelagic fishes.Likewise, the predominance of purseseine in the 1970s aptly correspondedto a higher prevalence of small,oceanic pelagic fishes caught fromthe strait.

Bohol Strait and Bohol Seafisheries ecosystems

Landings

Before the 1980s, there was nocatch record from Bohol Sea, onlyfrom Bohol Strait. However, from the

1980s to present, only Bohol Sea is found infisheries statistics. A closer look at the area showsthat the reported fish and fisheries landingsstatistics may have been both coming from thesetwo adjoining bodies of water. They do not belongto the top-producer fishing grounds in thecountry, yet their role as major fish supplier inCentral Visayas should not be discounted, asmost of the pelagic-based fisheries in Bohol fishthese waters.

During the 1950s-1970s, commercialfisheries production from Bohol Strait rangesfrom about 50 t in 1968 to about 12,000 t in1974, while the erratically high production from1985 to 1987 was from Bohol Sea (Figure 36).

Composition of landings

In the 1950s, landings from Bohol Straitwere mostly coastal pelagic fishes (26.7%), suchas anchovies, and demersal and reef fishes(18.1%), represented by slipmouths, fusiliers,crevalles and surgeonfishes. In the 1960s, small,

Figure 32. CPUE trend of ringnet fisheries in CamotesSea (Jabat and Dalzell 1988; Belga et al. 2003).

Figure 33. Total landings of commercial fisheries in TañonStrait (BFAR 1951-1977).

35


oceanic pelagic fishes were mostabundant (26.8%) (i.e., round scads,bonitos and rainbow runners),despite the predominance ofanchovies (12.5%), a coastal pelagicfish. There was also an apparent shiftin abundance, from predominantlycoastal pelagic landings in the 1950sto small, oceanic pelagics in the 1960s.During the 1970s, demersal fishes(41.1%) were the most commoncatch, with slipmouths (29.4%) asmost abundant. During the 1980s, inBohol Sea, the most abundant landedfishes were small, oceanic pelagicfishes composed of bullet/frigatetunas (17.2%) and flyingfishes, roundscads, eastern little tuna andskipjacks, which collectively total35.2%. See Figure 37.

Major fishing gears

During the early 1960s, thecatching gears were bagnet (79.6%),purse seine (12.2%) and trawl (3.6%).In the late 1960s, it was still the bagnetlanding the most (42.8%), with the

Figure 34. Major species landed by commercial fisheries in Tañon Strait: (A) 1950s, (B)1960s and (C) 1970s (BFAR and BAS 1951-1977).

Figure 35. Major commercial fishing gears andrespective contribution to total landings of Tañon Strait(BFAR 1962, 1969, 1977).

Figure 36. Total landings of commercial fisheries inBohol Strait and Bohol Sea (BFAR 1951-1987).

36


catches (Figure 38). By the 1970s, muro-ami wasthe most prolific among fisheries in Bohol Straitand Bohol Sea, accounting for 54.6% of totallandings. Bagnet fishery (24.5%) became thesecond top-producer, while ringnet fishery wasstill in its infancy. In the mid-1980s, ringnet

moved in to get 91.9% of total catch and haspersisted as the major catcher ever since.

Catch composition

A snapshot on the catch composition ofmajor gears indicates that bagnets were mostlyoperating in coastal waters as evidenced by theabundance of anchovies and round herrings(Figure 39), the most common coastal pelagicspecies. While ringnet and purse seine caughtmostly skipjacks and small tunas (Figures 40 and41), both are representative of oceanic pelagicspecies, indicating that these fisheries mostlyoperate in deep offshore waters.

East Sulu Sea fisheries ecosystem

Landings

The East Sulu Sea is a continuum of one ofthe world’s most biodiverse seas, part of themigration path and feeding grounds of tunas andother large pelagic fishes. Consequently, the fivemunicipalities of Negros Oriental adjacent to thesea target mainly large and small pelagic fishes.

Figure 37. Major species landed by commercial fleet in Bohol Strait: (A) 1950s, (B) 1960s,(C) 1970s and (D) 1980s (BFAR 1951-1987).

Figure 38. Major commercial fishing gearsand respective percentage contribution tototal landings of Bohol Strait/Bohol Sea(BFAR 1962, 1969, 1977, 1985).

37


Drying anchovies to make lansang. (A. White)

In 1995, the total landing from East Sulu Sea wasabout 90,480 t, and this ranked seventh amongthe 16 major fishing grounds of the country. In2001, it was the third most productive municipalfishery, catching 71,486 t, while it ranked as the12th most productive commercial fishery in thecountry, with 18,994 t (BFAR 7 2002).

Fishing gears and catch composition

Statistical records (1985-1987) of East SuluSea show that the major commercial fisherieswere purse seine (67.1%), ringnet (22.0%), trawl(8.1%) and bagnet (2.2%) (Figure 42). Catchcomposition from 1985 to 1987 were pooled tofurther characterize each major fishing gear. Themajor fisheries were round scads, the main foodsource of tuna and tuna-like species (Figures 43-47).

The small, oceanic pelagic fishes weremostly landed by purse seine and ringnet,comprising 59.2% and 77.8% of total catch,respectively. Most of demersal fishes were landedby trawl (28.4%). The coastal pelagics weremostly from bagnet fishery (56.0%), with 29.4%of total catch from purse seine fishery. Poolingthe catch data of all major commercial gearsshow that the dominant type of fish producedby East Sulu Sea were mostly small, oceanicpelagic fishes, at 60.0% of total landings whilethe coastal pelagics were 24.4%.

Figure 39. Landing composition of bagnetfishery from Bohol Sea, 1985-1987 (BFAR1985-1987).

Figure 40. Landing composition of purse seinefishery from Bohol Sea, 1985-1987 (BFAR1985-1987).

Figure 41. Landing composition of ringnetfishery from Bohol Sea, 1985-1987 (BFAR1985-1987).

38


Summary

Central Visayas is an important fisheriesarea in the country, with six major fisheriesecosystems: Visayan Sea, Camotes Sea, TañonStrait, Bohol Strait, Bohol Sea and East Sulu Sea.

Visayan Sea is the most productive, followed byEast Sulu Sea.

In Camotes Sea, Bohol Sea, Bohol Strait andTañon Strait, the dominant fishery is ringnet.Offshore of East Sulu Sea, the most common

Figure 42. Major commercial fishing gearsand respective percentage contribution to totallandings/production of East Sulu Sea (BFAR1985-1987).

Figure 43. Landing composition of purse seinefishery from East Sulu Sea, 1985-1987 (BFAR1985-1987).

Figure 44. Landing composition of ringnetfishery from East Sulu Sea, 1985-1987 (BFAR1985-1987).

Figure 45. Landing composition of trawl fisheryfrom East Sulu Sea, 1985-1987 (BFAR 1985-1987).

Figure 46. Landing composition of bagnetfishery from East Sulu Sea, 1985-1987 (BFAR1985-1987).

Figure 47. Landing composition of allcommercial fishing gears in Bohol Sea, 1985-1987 (BFAR 1985-1987).

39


fisheries are longline and purse seine, whilenearshore, ringnet and longline are common.Fishes landed in Central Visayas are mostly smallpelagics; ringnet is the most importantcommercial fishery. The demersal fishes aremostly landed by Danish seines, trawls andmunicipal fisheries.

The maximum production in CentralVisayas was reached during the early 1990s andhas since declined 7.5%. Cebu is the majorcatcher and landing site of fish from both itsmunicipal and commercial fisheries. The watersof Cebu are much smaller than those of otherprovinces, therefore suggesting that the Cebufleets are highly mobile, fishing around andoutside the region.

From municipal fisheriesto commercial fisheries

Commercial fisheries since 1986 havereplaced municipal fishers as the main catcherof fishery products with approximately 60% ofall landed fish in the region. With an increase ofabout 250% in size and number of commercialfishing boats since 1991 (when the productionpeak for the region was already met), thecommercial fishers are catching less fish thanthey did in the 1990s; these fishers are merelytaking a greater proportion of the fish from theregion’s waters to the detriment of municipalfishers and other commercial fishers alike.

Since 1998 and the Fisheries Code,commercial fishing production has not beenreduced, suggesting that coastal law enforcementin the region for municipal waters is very poorand the majority of commercial fishing stilloperates within these (which comprise over 60%of the region’s waters).

The average gross tonnage of commercialfishing boat, however, continues to increase, asdoes the use of new fishing technologies.Superimposing production over gross tonnageof licensed commercial fishing boats shows anupsurge of commercial fishing efficiency (fleetsize and technologies) contrary to decreasingfisheries landings. This trend indicates thatgenerally there is economic overfishing in the

whole fisheries sector in Central Visayas. SeeFigure 48.

Shift in quality of catch – overfishing

Not only has volume of catch in the regionbeen reduced, but also quality. On the whole inCentral Visayas, there has been an overall shiftof catch away from coastal pelagic to oceanicpelagic species and away from demersal topelagic species.

The Tañon Strait provides a good exampleof overfishing. The main fish caught in the 1960s,the high-value rainbow runner, is now almosttotally replaced by the lower-trophic and lower-value scad. The changes in catch composition,especially increase in volume of invertebrates(i.e., squids), indicate that ecosystem overfishingis occurring.

The dominant kind of fishes landed in thelate 1980s, small tunas (frigate/bullet tunas), aregiving way to round scads, which were not thetop-fish caught then. The assigned trophic levels*

for the most common small tunas, frigate andbullet tunas, found in Camotes Sea were 4.3 and4.1, respectively. The assigned trophic level formost species of round scads was 3.4, a level thatis far below that of small tunas. This is termed as“fishing through the food web,” and thereduction of tunas due to excess harvesting has* The higher the trophic level, the better the fisheries – a species

of fish becoming dominant from a lower trophic level is an indicatorof overfishing.

Figure 48. Trend of commercial fishing fleet’scapacity (GT) with commercial fisheriesproduction (t), from the 1970s to early 2000.

40


Superlights at night within municipal waters, Panglao Island,Bohol.

allowed the lower-quality round scads toproliferate, as do the squids (due to a lack of theirpredators such as tunas).

Results are similar to those of Visayan Sea.From the 1950s to the 1960s, there has been anapparent shift in the second most abundantgroup of fishes landed from coastal (nearshore)pelagic fishes to small, oceanic (offshore) pelagicfishes in the 1960s.

The 1980s heralded a major change incomposition of catch from Visayan Sea. Thecoastal pelagics have replaced the demersals asthe most abundant catch and the invertebratespecies have shifted from shrimp-dominant tosquid-dominant, illustrating a shift in theecosystem due to fishing pressure and a shiftaway from trawling to purse seine and ringnet.The abundance of squid is considered a keyindicator of excess fishing pressure. Thesechanges illustrate that as far back as the 1980s,Visayan Sea was exhibiting signs ofoverexploitation.

Unhealthy industry?

The commercial fishing industry has facedconsiderable challenges in recent decades. Whatwas once a multispecies, multigear fishery withover nine different fishing gears, now has onlytwo remaining, the ringnet and Danish seine.These gears survive because of various newtechnologies that have assisted their fishingactivities, such as the payao, superlight and sonar.

The industry is still changingtechnologically at the moment. For those whocan afford it, the commercial fishers areupgrading their smaller wooden hull boats tomuch larger metal ones. Other operators are alsoupgrading from fish finders to sonar technology,and others are even moving part of their fleetsaway from the region to fish in other waters,such as General Santos City and other areas inMindanao where fish stocks are still in a relativelybetter state. This suggests that again there willbe further infighting within the industry, andlarger ringnetters with metal hulls and sonarswill soon become the norm in the region, leavingthe other smaller and less technologically

advanced (or well-financed) ownersunprofitable.

The commercial fishing industry is notevenly distributed among various individualowners, but is fast moving towards just a selectfew who own numerous boats, ice plants,distribution networks, and who control thesupply and ultimately the price of the fish theyland (Figure 49). This does not set the path for ahealthy, economically viable and sustainableindustry, but is more similar to a series ofmonopolies dominated by a few key players.

Further problems ahead?

The ever-changing fisheries industry has toadapt to the present situation. One of theadaptations is the use of commercial-size fishinggears using boats of less than 3 GT (although inmost cases these boats are dubiously registeredas less than 3 GT and are in fact larger). This isthe most effective way to overcome the generalrestrictions to commercial fishing within the 15-km radius from the shoreline (municipal waters).This adaptation is alarming as this will furtheraggravate the condition of the overfished shallowcoastal waters through the introduction of moreefficient fishing gears. One example of this is theproliferation of the licom or hapa-hapa, which arefound in all four provinces of the region. Thesesmall-scale ringnets have shorter depth coveragethan commercial ringnets but with almost thesame circumference of net and ability to catchlarge volumes of fish.

41


Figure 49. Number and type of registered commercial fishing boats in Central Visayas.

42


Another example is the lawag, or the small-scale round haul seine, present in Bohol, Cebuand Negros Oriental. These are very big seinesoperated by two municipal fishing boats whichuse an active fishing gear that is active as definedin FAO 203. Other gears that are proliferatingin the region are very long gillnets (both surface/drift and bottom-set types of over 2-3 km inlength). These fishing gears are in theory illegaland all the more problematic as they fish innearshore coastal waters at the detriment ofmunicipal fishers and they also target small,immature fishes that spend their early lives inthese waters before migrating offshore.

Who ultimately pays?

With the technological improvements andreduction in fish catch in the region, it isinteresting to note who is actually paying forthese developments and improvements of fishingfleet to catch even less fish than they used to catch(but of course a larger portion). These extra costs

are all being passed on to the consumers. Thisexplains the fast-rising price of fish in the region.Ultimately, the consumer pays the cost of newsonars, fishing boats and technological advances.The same amount of fish could be caught with alot less fishing effort and technology, and at lessexpense!

The price of fresh fish has increased over1,400% in the last 20 years (Figure 50). Fish is nolonger a source of cheap and nutritious food forthe growing population, but is becoming a luxuryitem. This is worrisome and will have majorimplications in the coming years on economicallymarginalized sectors of the region that need largevolumes of cheap animal protein to feed theirgrowing families. The development of anunsustainably large and technologicallyadvanced fleet will also be at the expense ofmunicipal fishers, most of whom live below theregion’s “poverty threshold limit” and have fewother alternative livelihoods.

Figure 50. Fisheries production in Central Visayas showing change in averageprice of common marine fish since the 1970s, with US$ to PhP exchangerate as benchmark for inflation (BFAR 7 1951-1987, BAS 1992-2002,Antweiler 2003).

43

Introduction

Municipal fisheries provide food and direct and indirect employment to at least 200,000people in Central Visayas. In recent years, the municipal fisheries and fishers have changedconsiderably. This chapter looks at the current status of municipal fisheries – fishers, crafts, gears,and stocks.

Municipal Landings and Fishers

As shown in Chapter 3, municipal fishers now catch approximately 42% of the region’stotal fish catch, a far cry from the 70-75% they used to catch in the 1960s. As of 2002, Cebuprovided the largest average contribution of landings, at 40%; Bohol, 34%; Negros Oriental, 22%;and Siquijor, 4% (Figure 51). There is an estimated total of 126,371 small-scale fishers in CentralVisayas (Table 9) and about 52% of them are based in Cebu, 26% in Bohol, 18% in Negros Orientaland 4% in Siquijor. The distribution of fishers is summarized in Figure 52 and Table 10.

Fishing Boats

There are 78,395motorized and nonmotorizedfishing craft in Central Visayas(Table 11 and Figures 53-54). Onaverage, there are threenonmotorized fishing craft forevery two motorized ones, exceptin Siquijor, where the ratio is 4:1.There is an average of 1.6 fishersfor every fishing craft in theregion. The actual number offishers on board each fishing unitdepends on the size of the fishingcraft, means of propulsion, engineand type of fishing gear (Table 12).

Chapter 5The Status and Trends

of Municipal Fisheries of Central Visayas

Table 9. Total number of municipal fishers in the four provinces of Central Visayas in 2003.

Province

Number of fishers

Bohol Cebu NegrosOriental

Siquijor

32,953 65,748 22,285 5,385

Figure 51. Landings from marine-municipal fisheries sector(BFAR and BAS 1976-2002).

44


Figure 52. Distribution of fishers in Central Visayas.

45

Chapter 5. The Status and Trends of Municipal Fisheries of Central Visayas

This ranges from one for simple hook and line toas many as five for some gillnet types.

Nonmotorized fishing craft compriseapproximately 60% of the entire municipalfishing fleet of Bohol, Negros Oriental and Cebu.In Siquijor, more than 80% are nonmotorized.Municipalities with many nonmotorized fishingboats (over 600) include the coastal town ofSiquijor in Siquijor; La Libertad, Dauin andZamboanguita in Negros Oriental; Loon,Inabanga, Getafe, Talibon, Bien Unido, Pres.Carlos P. Garcia, Mabini and Panglao in Bohol;and Bantayan, Madridejos, Pilar, Lapu-lapuCity, Cordova, Oslob and Asturias in Cebu.

Fishing Gears

There are about 50 generic types of fishinggears in Central Visayas and about 200 specificvariations of these. Several fishing gears have

various local names. Some fishing gears haveundergone modifications to specifically adapt totarget species; hence, their very specific localnames (refer to Appendices 1 and 4). On thewhole, however, frequent modification of fishinggears in an area is not a good indicator,suggesting that changes have had to be made toensure catch of fish.

Figure 55 shows the distribution ofcombined fishing gears, providing a broad pictureof the various levels of fishing activities in theregion. There is a high concentration of gearsaround Bantayan Island, in various parts ofTañon Strait especially along the southern tip ofCebu, Danajon Bank and in the southern partof Bohol. The major fishing gears are gillnets,hook and lines, and squid jigs (Figures 56-58).

Table 11. Total number of motorized and nonmotorized boats in Central Visayas.

Boat category

MotorizedNonmotorized

Bohol Cebu NegrosOriental

Siquijor

8,95211,686

16,79123,680

5,8437,926

6592,858

Total

32,24546,150

Table 10. Concentrations of fishers/km of coastline in the region.

Bohol

Cebu

Negros Oriental

Siquijor

Highest(more than

200 fishers/km)

High(more than

100 fishers/km)

Medium(50-100

fishers/km)

Lowest(less than 50 fishers/km)

Bien Unido

Madridejos,Talisay City,Cordova

Inabanga,Getafe, Talibon,Pres. Carlos P.GarciaBantayan,Daanbantayan,Bogo,Toledo City

Siaton,Manjuyod

Siquijor

Province

Cortes,Tubigon,Buenavista

Balamban,Lapu-LapuCity

La Libertad,San Jose,Dumaguete,Dauin,ZamboanguitaLarena

Maribojoc, Clarin, Ubay, Mabini,Candijay, Guindulman, GarciaHernandez, Lila, Loay

Santa Fe, Medellin, Poro, SanFrancisco, Catmon, Carmen,Compostela, Consolacion,Mandaue City, Minglanilla,Carcar, Sibonga, Argao, Alcoy,Santander, Badian, Moalboal,Alcantara, Barili, Aloguinsan,Tuburan, San RemigioJimalalud, Ayungon, Bindoy,Tanjay City, Sta. Catalina, Basay

Maria, Lazi

Concentration

46


Figure 53. Distribution of nonmotorized boats in Central Visayas.

47


Figure 54. Distribution of motorized boats in Central Visayas.

48


Figure 55. Distribution and coastal density of all gears in Central Visayas.

49


Figure 56. Distribution and coastal density of gill/trammel nets in Central Visayas.

50


Figure 57. Distribution and coastal density of hook and lines in Central Visayas.

51


Figure 58. Distribution and coastal density of jigs in Central Visayas.

52


Major Fishing Grounds

The marine waters of Central Visayas haveseven distinct fishing grounds (fisheriesecosystems), as discussed in Chapter 3. Unlikecommercial fishers, municipal ones generallyexploit fishing grounds near their villages, asfollows:

� Bohol Sea – by fishers from southernmunicipalities of Bohol and eastern andsouthern municipalities of Siquijor;

� Camotes Sea – by fishers from northeasternCebu and Camotes Island;

� Cebu Strait – by fishers from NorthwesternBohol, southeastern Cebu, northernSiquijor and southeastern Negros Oriental;

� Danajon Bank – by fishers from northernBohol and central part of eastern coast ofCebu;

� East Sulu Sea – by fishers from southernNegros Oriental and few motorized boatsfrom west coast of Siquijor;

� Tañon Strait – by fishers from easternNegros and western Cebu; and

� Visayan Sea (southeastern portion) – byfishers from northern tip of Cebu andBantayan Island.

Fishing Craft and Fishers

Fishers and fishing boat distribution aregiven in Table 12. Danajon Bank and Tañon Straithave the highest number of fishers and fishingcraft while East Sulu Sea has the lowest. TañonStrait has the highest number of gillnets, hookand lines and squid jigs. This is followed by CebuStrait and Danajon Bank, with East Sulu Sea asthe lowest.

Typical municipal fishers preparing to go to sea, Siquijor.

Nonmotorized bancas, Balicasag Island, Bohol. (A. White)

Fishing gears

Relative to the length of their coastline,Tañon Strait, Cebu Strait and East Sulu Sea havethe highest densities (units/km of coastline) ofhook and lines; Visayan Sea and Danajon Bank,of gillnets; Tañon Strait and Visayan Sea, ofsquid jigs (where catching of giant squids arealso quite prevalent); Visayan Sea, Danajon Bankand Cebu Strait, of pots and traps; and VisayanSea and Danajon Bank, of spear fishing gears.

Table 12. Estimated total number of fishers and boats by fishing ground of Central Visayas in2003.

FishersNonmotorized

boatsMotorized

boats

BoholSea

CamotesSea

CebuStrait

DanajonBank

East SuluSea

TañonStrait

VisayanSea

Total

13,7924,464

3,165

13,1125,402

2,578

18,2229,356

3,856

27,1888,343

7,553

6,2401,590

2,074

26,8509,884

6,347

20,9677,111

6,672

126,37146,150

32,245

53


Among the minor fishing gear types, TañonStrait and East Sulu Sea have high concentrationsof pushnets mainly due to their very seasonaluse in the capture of milkfish fry; East Sulu Sea,of scoopnets, which are primarily used asaccessory gear in the capture of tuna and tuna-like species as well as other small pelagics;Visayan Sea and Danajon Bank areas, of fishcorrals, which are also quite popular in TañonStrait. Gleaning is relatively widespread inalmost the entire Bohol coastline. Beach seine isrelatively concentrated in Tañon Strait andDanajon Bank.

Hand instruments, hook and lines, and jigs

This group of gears (Table 13) consistsmainly of traditional ones, many of which haveevolved and are currently operated for specificuse or to catch specific marine organisms. Withsome exceptions, many of these are relativelypassive gears, requiring low investment and havelow catch rates. Though scoopnets are designedas accessory gear for hauling the catch, they areused in Central Visayas as a main gear to scoopfishes aggregated by light. They are heavily usedin Tañon Strait and East Sulu Sea and less usedin Visayan Sea. Except in Bohol Sea and EastSulu Sea, spear fishing is very common in mostfishing grounds. Though generally banned, spearfishing with the aid of compressor is stillcommonly used in specific areas of Danajon Bankand Visayan Sea.

Hook and lines are the main fishing gearsin the region. Simple hook and line (pasol) andmultiple handline (undak) are common andoperated as main as well as alternative gear inall fishing grounds. Bottom-set longline (palangre)is commonly used in Tañon Strait, Danajon Bankand Visayan Sea while surface-set longline(tapsay) in Tañon Strait and Cebu Strait. Trolllines (subid) are widely operated in Tañon Strait,Cebu Strait and Camotes Sea.

Fish jigs are highly modified gears that arebecoming common in the area, especially inTañon Strait. Squid jigs are widely used in all ofCentral Visayas, especially in Tañon Strait andVisayan Sea but less used in East Sulu Sea. Alsocommon are the highly modified jigs used to

Beach seine in operation, Liloan, Cebu.

Spear fishing is common in the region, Pamilacan Island,Bohol.

catch giant squid. These jigs are deployed atabout 200 m deep and aided with light.

Traps, pots and gillnets

Traps and pots (Table 14) are some of thetraditional gears still used in the area. These aregenerally made of bamboo. Recently, however,

54


these were modified; parts are now made ofvarious materials like plastic nets, steel screens,polyvinyl chloride pipes and steel pipes. Mostcommon are crab pots, which are widely usedin Visayan Sea and Danajon Bank, and fish pots,in Visayan Sea, Cebu Strait and Danajon Bank.Squid pots are quite widely used in Visayan Seabut rarely used in other fishing grounds. Thereare also traps for specific organisms like eel,nautilus and shrimp. The use of syntheticmaterials like plastic nets and polyvinyl chloridepipes instead of just bamboo poses someproblems. Because they do not degrade easily,pots or traps may still continue to catch fish

when lost in the sea (ghost fishing). Also, lostsynthetic gears become marine debris.

The second most important major groupof fishing gears used in Central Visayas are thegillnets (Table 14) — drift gillnets (kurantay),which are heavily used in Cebu Strait and TañonStrait, and bottom-set gillnets (palugdang), inDanajon Bank. To a lesser extent, also commonin all fishing grounds are surface-set gillnets(patuloy), trammel nets (double/triple nets),encircling gillnets (likos) and drive-in gillnets(bahan).

Table 13. Inventory of fishing gears by fishing ground of Central Visayas: hand instruments,hook and lines, and jigs (Armada et al. 2004).

Major fishing grounds

Hand instrumentsScoopnet

Scoopnet with light

Spear fishing

Spear fishing withcompressor

Spear fishing withlight

Hook and linesBottom set-surface

set longlineBottom-set longline

Hook and line

Hook and line withfloat

Multiple handline

Surface-set longline

Troll line

JigsFish jig

Octopus jigSquid jig

Fishing gear Commonlocal names

Total

BoholSea

CamotesSea

CebuStrait

DanajonBank

EastSulu Sea

TañonStrait

VisayanSea

Sapyaw, sibot,sikpaw

Panulo, paapong,salakab

Pamana,panungkit,gantaaw

Pana-compressor,buso

Pana-panuga,panamal

Panalabay, pakatay,salabay

Kitang, palangre,palabay

Pasol, habyog,tonton

Pataw, palagdas,pahawin

Barangay, lasdak,undak

Bahan, tapsay,pakaras

Subid, limbag,adis-adis

Kab-it, saranggat,helicopter

PangatiAngkla, subid,

saranggat

172

843

209

40

490

432

630

4,167

78

4,246

578

31

40

3,673

38

571

714

14

4

695

3,656

383

4,876

392

1,584

605

1,991

37

618

1,017

59

56

527

981

7,741

1,148

6,532

1,264

1,476

648

3,807

939

918

265

225

2

1,962

5,913

1,228

4,808

30

545

2,801

1,091

36

10

356

262

1,709

2,349

2,646

396

63

1,402

894

39

147

869

3,570

6,525

1,385

8,966

1,299

2,113

929

59,957

135

3,026

105

1,605

1,648

68

1,494

193

5,217

310

5,599

6,814

522

932

2,186

9,705

31,359

6,639

33,568

3,563

5,397

2,767

527,842

55


Impounding gears, dragnets and seines

Impounding gears (Table 15) are alsoamong the traditional fishing gears used inCentral Visayas. The more common ones are fishcorrals (bungsod) and miracle holes (amatong).Fish corrals are found everywhere in the regionbut are more often used in Danajon Bank, TañonStrait and Visayan Sea; and miracle holes, in allfishing grounds, except in Bohol Sea and EastSulu Sea. Less frequently used are bagnets(basnig), filternets (tangab) and liftnets. Bagnetsare common only in Tañon Strait; filternets inVisayan Sea; and liftnets in Tañon Strait. Rarelyused these days are barrier nets (pahubas).

Net fishing in shallow waters. (A. White)

316

672

81934

262

23

4,050

1,280

117

352

71

504

337

Table 14. Inventory of fishing gears by fishing ground of Central Visayas: traps, pots andgillnets (Armada et al. 2004).


Traps and potsBamboo fish trapCrab liftnet

Crab pot

Eel potFish pot

Nautilus potShrimp pot

Squid pot

GillnetsBottom-set gillnet

Drift gillnet

Drive-in gillnet

Encircling gillnet

Gillnet (unspecified)Set gillnetSurface set-

encircling gillnetSurface-set gillnet

Trammel net


Total

BoholSea

CamotesSea

CebuStrait

DanajonBank

EastSulu Sea

TañonStrait

VisayanSea

Dupa-dupaSapyaw, bintol,

skylabPanggal, gulo-

gulo, ligidBantak, pangbakasiBubo, panggal,

timingBubo panglagangBubo

pangsapayan/pasayan

Bubo/panggalpangnokos

Palugdang,pamahala,palubog

Kurantay, paanod,palaran

Bahan, sagiwsiw,tapsay

Likos, panglihos,kayagkag

PukotKayagkag, patulayPangnokos,

pangsulidPalutaw, patuloy,

kurantayTriple net, double

net, padlas

53

42461

8

1,181

2,595

62

181

48

424

695

21377

12

1,145

1,767

185

61

273225

195

176

18

38

1831,229

1,227

3,476

212

131

127657

789

1,042

34

19

32

3

2

420

232

12

52

194

318

20

5

188

5518

28

2,333

3,824

167

677

5225477

1,212

630

4

845

1,420

1,109

2,943

1,575

207

334

22456

219

18359

1,815

3324,971

3065

1,154

13,299

14,749

962

1,788

17892827

3,442

3,119

56


Fry dozers (saplad) are commonly used,especially in areas where milkfish fry is gathered,such as in Tañon Strait, East Sulu Sea and BoholSea. Pushnets (sudsud) are still regularly used inall fishing grounds, except in East Sulu Sea. Thesefine-mesh nets catch shrimps and small fishes.Also with fine-mesh nets, beach seines (baling)are commonly used along sandy beaches,particularly in Tañon Strait and Danajon Bank.

Many very efficient, active fishing gears arestill being used by municipal fishers but areconfined to specific areas, such as baby trawl(palakaya) and Danish seine (liba-liba) in DanajonBank; midwater trawl in Danajon Bank andVisayan Sea; and round haul seine (lawag) inDanajon Bank and Tañon Strait. These gears,

however, are subjects of controversy, especiallyin implementation of recently enacted laws andmunicipal ordinances that prohibit their use inmunicipal waters.

Other fishing activities

There are many other fishing activities thatcannot be categorized under the abovegroupings. These include gleaning and diving forshells and other invertebrates as well as illegalfishing activities like blast fishing and fish captureor collection with the aid of poison (Table 16).Almost all of these activities are known to becarried out in Danajon Bank. There aremiscellaneous fishing activities quite popular inother fishing grounds like abalone fishing

9

34

20

800

42

Table 15. Inventory of fishing gears by fishing ground of Central Visayas: impounding gears,dragnets and seines (Armada et al. 2004).


Impounding gearsMiracle hole

(artificial reef)Bagnet

Barrier netFilternet

Fish corral

Liftnet

Stationary liftnet

Dragnets and seinesBaby trawlBeach seine

Danish seine

Fry dozerMechanized pushnet

Midwater trawlOther seines,

seine netPushnet, scissor nets

Ringnet/purse seine

Round haul seine


Total

BoholSea

CamotesSea

CebuStrait

DanajonBank

EastSulu Sea

TañonStrait

VisayanSea

Gango, amatong,balirong

Basnig, tapay,iwag, sabinit

Pahubas, pang-aliTangab, lukob,

sanggabBungsod, dumpil,

punotSapyaw, sabinit,

surambao“New look”, bintol

Parakaya, palakayaBaling, sahid,

sarap, aghidHulbot-hulbot,

liba-libaTrol, sapladBaling, baby trawl,

sudsudPalupad, sapyawSabinit, pukot

binulsahanSahid, sudsud,

salibotLikum, hapa hapa,

kubkubLawag, sabinit,

sapyaw

13

275

12

26

14

240

364

24

137

10

111

3

131

16

174

6

278

7

232

35

4

361

9

293

650

536

20

240

104

864

785

125

92

518

12

3,0476

18

962

8

126

108

305

573

178

2213

306

14

1,413

149

21391

2,916

159

171

1761,564

246

4,911155

3255

3,110

101

164

696

18

802

55

176398

204

149

1018

664

24

57


(pangkapinan) in Cebu Strait, gleaning (panginhas)in Bohol Sea, Cebu Strait and Tañon Strait, andshell dredging (panginhas ug imbaw) in CamotesSea.

Catch Per Unit Effort

Indicative of catching efficiencies offishing gears are their catch per unit effort(CPUE), in this case, expressed in andstandardized to catch in kg/day (Table 17).Fishing gears with generally high catch rates areDanish seine, spear fishing with the aid ofcompressor and encircling gillnet. Gillnets andvarious hook and line types have generallyhigher catch rates in East Sulu Sea compared toothers. This is primarily due to the presence oftuna and tuna-like species in this area. Lowestcatch rates among various gillnet types are inTañon Strait and Camotes Sea while thoseamong different hook and line types are inDanajon Bank. Though changes in CPUE cannotbe measured during a short data collectionperiod, interview with fishers indicated largedecreases in catch rates during the last fourdecades (Figure 59). Decreasing trends were

likewise observed in different fishing grounds ofCentral Visayas (Figure 60).

Catch composition

In general, the catch by municipal fishersin Central Visayas consists of bigeye scads, roundscads, Indian mackerels, anchovies and varioussquids. Other major catches are siganids, bluecrabs, flying fishes and halfbeaks. Thecontribution of various fish groups to total fishlanding in different fishing grounds of CentralVisayas is shown in Table 18 and Figure 61. Themajor catches by all gears operated by municipalfishers in the following fishing grounds are:

� Bohol Sea - anchovies (bolinao), followed bysquids (nokus) and round scads (tulingan);

� Camotes Sea - bigeye scads (tamarong),followed by round scads (tulingan andmangko);

� Cebu Strait - bullet tunas, followed byanchovies and bigeye scads;

� Danajon Bank - blue crabs (lambay), bigeyescads and siganids (danggit);

Table 16. Inventory of fishing gears by fishing ground of Central Visayas: other fishingactivities (Armada et al. 2004).


Abalone fishingBlast fishingCastnetCrab fishing, picking

Diving forornamentals

GleaningLobster fishingOctopus lure

Poison, rotenonefishing

Sea cucumbercollecting

Sea urchin picking

Shell dredging (rake)Shell/pearl diving

Sponge divingStarfish diving


Total

BoholSea

CamotesSea

CebuStrait

DanajonBank

EastSulu Sea

TañonStrait

VisayanSea

PangkapinanPaniroLayaPangkasag,

panikopSawm pangsimilya

PanginhasPangmantabaPangtamaa,

pangugitaPanuble, panghilo,

panguskusPangbat, panulo ug

batPanuyom,

pangswakiImbaw panginhasPanawm ug

kinhason, sarapPanawmPanawm

12

600

137

40

926

17

570

9

1

5

583

15

6

92151379147

75

1,9728

48

7

310

38

40108

440

145345

10

75

2138

24

7

309

38

108

440

58


Table 17. CPUE (kg/day) of common fishing gears used in Central Visayas (Armada et al.2004).


Baby trawlBeach seineBottom-set gillnetBottom-set longlineCrab potDanish seineDragged handlineDrift gillnetDrift longlineDrive-in gillnetEncircling gillnetFish corralFish jigFish potHook and lineHook and line with floatMultiple handlinePush netScissors netScoop netScoop net with lightsSet gillnetSpear fishingSpear fishing with compressorSpear fishing with lightSquid jigStationary liftnetSurface-set longlineTrammel netTroll line

Fishing gear

BoholSea

CamotesSea

CebuStrait

DanajonBank

EastSulu Sea

TañonStrait

VisayanSea

-19.35.56.12.3

20.05.0

12.6-

18.113.716.0

-6.33.6

20.04.60.51.0

16.216.117.84.17.5

-3.57.5

13.85.58.5

-6.99.15.41.0

--

12.55.0

16.012.3

6.65.6

10.68.07.64.81.41.77.03.57.13.0

65.010.0

6.235.011.6

5.07.7

-25.7

7.16.22.8

-12.310.4

8.515.016.9

3.97.07.15.29.63.79.3

30.02.38.79.33.6

30.02.84.08.77.84.67.3

-12.6

7.27.33.3

-4.5

10.77.1

15.017.0

4.66.37.14.8

12.74.72.37.64.0

11.16.03.6

23.12.65.6

30.011.3

6.18.9

-11.414.313.8

3.4--

17.7-

19.742.0

7.6-

20.38.5

30.03.91.81.3

-4.86.04.4

13.3-

5.6--

3.38.7

15.36.67.77.24.2

65.110.013.2

-27.012.9

6.34.3

10.53.9

10.24.22.09.34.55.46.34.9

21.37.34.1

12.13.06.6

14.0

-17.812.8

6.06.2

-6.7

40.316.912.060.0

5.0-

6.38.8

42.57.5

---

11.63.54.0

-5.08.8

--

12.03.5

Figure 59. Trend in CPUE over the last four decades as perceivedby municipal fishers in Central Visayas.

59


Figure 60. Top ten municipal fishes as reported per fisheries ecosystem.

60


� East Sulu Sea - bigeye scads, followed byvarious species of small tunas and Indianmackerels (anduhaw);

� Tañon Strait (generally deep waters) -squids (lumayagan and dalupapa), bigeyescads and Indian mackerels; and

� Visayan Sea - squids (nokus), followed byIndian mackerels (burao) and siganids.

Issues

Overwhelmingly, the most important issueraised by municipal fishers is the intrusion ofcommercial fishing boats in municipal waters(Table 19). This is followed by problems withillegal fishing activities, such as spearfishing withthe use of compressor, use of noxious substances

in catching or collecting fishes, and blast fishing(Figure 62). The other issues raised includereduction of catch due to increase in boats andfishers and due to excessive fishing in general;problems with existing law enforcementactivities; and use of destructive gears, such asdrive-in and fine-meshed nets. See Tables 20-22.

Summary of observationsand implications to management

The various aspects of the municipalfisheries profiling process of Central Visayas haveeach contributed to a common realization ofvarious degrees of fisheries resource depletion.Depletion of fish stocks were manifested in manyways. Some insights on possible approach in

Figure 61. CPUE trend during the last four decades as perceived by municipal fishers inthe fishing grounds of Central Visayas.

61


Table 18. Aggregate catch composition of all fishing gears in the fishing grounds of CentralVisayas.

Bohol SeaRank catch %

Camotes SeaRank catch %

Cebu StraitRank catch %

Danajon BankRank catch %

123456789

10

bolinaonokostulingananduhawtamarongbangsidanggitkatambaklumayaganmangsi

8.677.226.664.504.003.252.722.682.462.27

123456789

10

tamarongtulinganmangkohasa hasabarongoydanggitdalupapanokosbawoborot

14.996.245.053.883.633.162.962.902.872.73

123456789

10

tulinganbolinaotamarongmalapatilumayaganburot-burotnokosdanggittulirokanduhaw

13.518.615.885.204.123.413.132.862.232.04

123456789

10

lambaytamarongdanggitbodborontulingannokospasayanmolmolpotpotnokus sa lusay

7.276.314.823.773.733.363.002.632.282.13

East Sulu SeaRank catch %

123456789

10

tamarongihalasontulingananduhawtulakhangtugnostabasbalobelong belongmamsa

7.315.995.505.504.244.173.032.652.512.43

Tañon StraitRank catch %

123456789

10

lumayagantamarongdalupapaanduhawbolinaomalangsibalobagabansikoldanggit

8.547.525.684.753.933.692.362.352.071.98

Visayan SeaRank catch %

123456789

10

nokosburaodanggitlingirolambaytalholibodbalobanghutintamban tuloy

17.595.564.944.624.523.563.253.232.902.86

Table 19. Ten most important issues raised by municipal fishers in the fishing grounds ofCentral Visayas.

Fishing ground

1

23

45

6

7

8

9

10

Rank

Cam

ote

sSea

Cebu

Str

ait

Danajo

nBank

East

Sulu

Sea

Tañon

Str

ait

Vis

aya

nSea

31

1011

115

8

2

3

46

2212

1014

5

11

11

6

8

157

1323

3712

4

3

9

13

2

23

51

115

1

1

4

1

393

9274

7269

35

32

30

24

24

6

13

2

4

1

95

1315

218

2

5

2

2

11

Issue

Bohol

Sea

Tota

l

35

289

113

19

4

2

1

Commercial boats (likum, palakaya, hulbot-hulbot) operating inside municipal watersSpear fishing with compressorFishing with noxious substances, e.g.cyanide, tubli (Derris elliptica)*, insecticideBlast fishingIncrease in the number of boats and fishersleading to reduction in fish catchDecrease in fish catch attributed tooverfishingProblems with Bantay-Dagat (inactive, lack ofsupport from local government, no patrolboats)Operation of drive-in nets (bahan, sagiwsiw,kurantay and lamba)Fine-mesh net operation, such as baling,basnig and lawag, catching juvenilesWeak enforcement (inconsistent, lack of localgovernment support and low penalty)

* A mangrove associate, the roots of which are crushed and thrown into shallow waters to stun fish.

62


Figure 62. Incidence of illegal fishing activities in Central Visayas.

63


managing the fisheries in general and inreversing the trend in particular may be gainedby examining them.

Decreasing CPUE trend

A decreasing trend in catch per unit ofeffort has been observed by a majority of thefishers interviewed. Without referring to anytype of fishing gear, fishers indicated a reducingtrend of catch rates especially during the lastthree decades. Only a few pelagic fishers claimthat their catch has not changed during the pastdecades. The majority believe that catch rates in

recent years are much lower than before evenfor pelagic fishes. Almost all believe that catchrates of demersal fishes are markedly lower nowthan before. The majority of the fishers are awarethat the main reason for decline in catch isbecause there are just too many of them. Eventhe few who still claim that fish stocks remainthe same all through these years are alsoconvinced that there are just too many fishersoperating in all fishing grounds of the region.

Effort reduction as a major managementoption may still not be acceptable to a majorityof fishers or among resource managers in the

Table 20. Apprehensions by type of violations in Central Visayas (September 2002-September2003) (UPV 2003).

CompressorDynamite fishingEmploying unlicensed fishersUnauthorized fishing/fishing without licenseUse of superlightUse of active gearUse of fine-meshed netUnauthorized taking of rare speciesPossession/sale of dynamited fish

Total

Violation No. of Apprehensions No. of Suspects

1887

313

5251

23

148

551514674

163121

17

348

Table 21. Observed fishing violations in Central Visayas (UPV 2003).

Child labor in fishingCompressor fishingCyanide fishingDynamite fishingIntrusion of commercial

fishers in municipalwaters

Unauthorized gathering ofaquarium fishes

Use of fine-meshed nets

Bohol Cebu Negros Oriental Siquijor

Compressor fishingCyanide fishingDynamite fishingIntrusion of commercial



Use of fine-meshed netsUse of noxious substances

(e.g., tubli)

Child labor in fishingCompressor fishingCyanide fishingDynamite fishingIntrusion of commercial




Baby muro-amiCompressor fishingCyanide fishingDynamite fishingIntrusion of commercial

fishing in municipalwaters


Table 22. Origin of suspected violators apprehended in Central Visayas (September 2002-2003)(UPV 2003).

Bohol Cebu Negros Oriental Total

Same municipalitySame provinceOther provinces

5810912

422216

184554

11817682

64


local government units. The collectedinformation, however, suggests thatmanagement interventions leading to effortreduction have to be done now before the declinebecomes irreversible. Registration and ultimatelylicensing of fishers, fishing crafts and fishinggears can lead the way to rational allocation offish resources for various fish stock exploitationactivities in every particular fishing grounds orwater territories. This can be complemented byother management interventions likeprioritization of resource exploitation activities,agreeing to standardization of gear dimensions,allocation of areas for protected or “no take”zones, mesh regulations, and declaration ofclosed seasons during spawning of thecommercially important species of fish.

Change in catch composition

Catch composition by municipal fishingoutfits recorded during the profiling process cannot be compared with the past because ofabsence of previous documentation. Collectedinformation, however, provide some evidence ofchanges in the population of harvestable fishstocks in various fishing grounds of the region.These changes were observed as follows:

� The fishing gear is no longer used becauseit no longer catches fish that it once caught.

� Operating a particular gear has beenreduced to minimum because of low catchrate for species it was designed to catch.

� Gears designed to catch a particular speciesare still regularly used but they are catchingother species instead.

Many fishers in Siquijor have stopped usingsurface longline (pamirit) because they are nolonger able to catch skipjack tuna (pirit) in theirfishing ground. In the same manner that bottom-set gillnets are no longer used in Tayasan andAyungon in Negros Oriental because of thedecline in the population of balanak, kilawan,tabogok and banagan. Fish pots are no longer usedin Boljoon, Cebu.

The multiple handlines (bira-bira and latak)and bottom-set longline (palangre) in southernBohol have reduced their operation because of

the sharp decline in the population of mamsa,katambak, maya-maya and sagisihon.

Other surface longline (pamirit) fishers inSiquijor continue to fish but they are nowcatching tabas instead of pirit. In Tabogon, Cebu,trammel nets (ukay-ukay) are catching mainlydanggit instead of molmol and katambak and thebottom-set longline (palangre) are catchingmainly ubod instead of ahaan or pogapo. Driftgillnets (panulingan) are catching primarily kutoband anduhaw instead of tulingan.

Fine-meshed nets

The use of fine-meshed nets by beach seine(baling), round haul seine (lawag), fish corral(bungsod), Danish seine (liba-liba) and baby trawlare, to various degrees, still tolerated in manyfishing grounds of Central Visayas. A numberof municipalities are, however, very serious intheir management initiatives that they no longerallow the use of these gears especially thosecategorized as active gears like beach baling, liba-liba and baby trawl in their territorial waters.These actions are supported by appropriatenational laws and local ordinances and theproblem ultimately boils down to merelyenforcing these laws consistently.

The predicament of fishing gears designedto catch relatively small species of fish such asanchovies (bolinao) is a bit more complicated. Thisis particularly true in the case of the round haulseine, locally known as lawag. The sizecomposition of bolinao caught by lawag iscomparable to other fishing gears (Figure 63).However, the problem arises when lawag startsto catch other fish species that grow bigger(Figure 64). The information gathered throughthe profiling process of municipal fisheries inCentral Visayas also recognizes the fact thatsome species of pelagic fish do not grow big andcan only be exploited using gears with relativelyfine-meshed nets. These species of fish arelikewise seasonal. However, the gears designedto catch them become destructive when theystart catching the juveniles and early stages ofother species of fish outside of the normal seasonsof these fish. This includes other fishing gearslike the stationary liftnet (tower), pushnet

65


(sudsud), and fish corral (bungsod), that all usefine-meshed nets, but catch a variety ofspecies.

There is an option to totally ban the useof fine-meshed nets. This may prove drasticand may not totally be feasible. It is oftenargued that a number of species of fish canonly be caught using fine-meshed nets. Thesespecies of fish appear only during a particularseason of the year. The other option is to allowthe use of these fishing gears but be veryprecise with its implementation like strictadherence to close and open seasons. This mayhave to be accompanied by a study todetermine exactly the start and end of thefishing season for particular species.

The profile study shows that for hasa-hasafor instance, the lawag gear is catching the fishvery young and small, so it is in effectcontributing to overfishing. It is economicallyand ecologically better to disallow lawag tocatch hasa-hasa and this will ensure more catchfor the other gears and allow stocks to matureand breed consistently.

Use of synthetic materials

The development of stronger twinesmade of synthetic materials has improved thefishing efficiency of many fishing gears.However, it also brought with it a number ofproblems. Because they are stronger, they caneasily be configured to fit into innovations offishing gears and therefore increase catchrates. Nylon gillnets are relatively invisible inthe water column thereby catching more fishesthan before. Because of synthetic materials,dragged gears became sturdier and fishers canoperate in relatively rough sea bottoms therebydestroying important fish habitats.

Lost synthetic gears also pose someproblems to fisheries in general. Aside fromtheir contribution to environmentaldegradation, these gears lost in the bottom ofthe sea continue to catch fish (ghost fishing)while intact. Some agreements may be forgedamong fishery resource users of CentralVisayas in terms of rationalization of the useof synthetic materials. There are traditional

Figure 64. Comparison of size composition ofRastrelliger brachysoma (hasa-hasa) caught byvarious fishing gears in Danajon Bank.

Figure 63. Comparison of size composition ofStolephorus indicus (bolinao) caught by variousfishing gears in Danajon Bank.

Repairing nets is a part of daily life. (A. White)

66


fishing gears made of organic materials thatperform at par with similar gears constructed ofsynthetic materials. In the case of fish pots, fishersare making innovations such as the use of plasticscreen and polyvinyl chloride pipes instead ofbamboo. These synthetic materials, when lost atthe bottom of the sea, continue to catch fish fora much longer period of time compared to thosemade of bamboos, which quickly degrade.

Summary

� There are a large number of fishers in theregion dependent on fisheries for theirlivelihood. Municipal fishers’ catch hasdecreased considerably in the last twodecades.

� In general, the highest fishingconcentration is in Visayan Sea, DanajonBank and Tañon Strait. The region’sfisheries have changed significantly in the

last decades and the changes are on thewhole negative for the fishers, withdeclining CPUE shown for all fishinggrounds.

� There have been many changes in fishinggears in the last two decades. Many newtarget specific fishing gears have evolved,indicating a loss in diversity of the fishstocks.

� There is a need to limit some fishing gearsin the region. If certain gears continue toget larger and more advanced, catch ofother gears will decrease proportionaly.

� There is a dire need to enforce fishery lawsand regulations more consistently.

� The introduction of new fishing gears andnew synthetic materials is not good forfishing as a whole. Because these gears arenot biologically degradable, when dumpedat sea or lost they continue to catch fish foryears.

67

In coastal and fisheries management, the two key influencing factors in Central Visayashave been change in policy at the national level as well as a large number of internationally andnationally funded development projects (White and Chua 2004). Both of these key influences willbe briefly described in this chapter.

The Change in Policy Environment and Its Implications for Central Visayas

With the passage of Presidential Decree 704 in the early 1970s, the national governmentthrough its line agencies aimed to assist fishers and the private sector to develop more intensivefishing gears at both municipal and commercial levels to increase “production” of fisheries througha more “globally efficient and technologically advanced” fleet. Large areas of mangroves consideredunproductive were zoned as “available for fishpond development,” and various new “efficient”fishing gears were introduced, such as trawl, Danish seine and purse seine.

The fishing industry was encouraged through a series of loans and incentive schemes toincrease the number and size of vessels and technologies in use. This encouraged a change fromlow-cost and more sustainable fishing gears (such as hook and line) to more efficient and even insome cases habitat and fisheries-destructive gears.

With the passing of the Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act [RA] 7160), themanagement of “municipal waters” was devolved away from national government to localgovernment units (LGUs). The Fisheries Code of 1998 then realigned the priorities of the Bureau ofFisheries and Aquatic Resources away from production towards fisheries and coastal management.In 1998, the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) (RA 8435) was also introduced,modernizing agriculture and fishing vessels, in an unsuccessful attempt to assist small and mediumcommercial fishers to move beyond municipal waters and fish more in the huge Philippine exclusiveeconomic zone (EEZ). The AFMA allocated funds for the commercial fleet to upgrade their boatsand to move beyond municipal waters. The money, however, was never released!

These laws enabled a more localized management (through devolution of waters within 15km) to LGU, but overlooked some legacies from previous decades of fisheries development. CentralVisayas, like other regions, was left with a well-financed and excessive commercial fleet as well asa variety of gears which were destructive and too efficient, such as trawl and Danish seine. Theselegacies stall the full implementation of the Fisheries Code. These gears and the excessive fleet mustbe restricted so the Fisheries Code can be fully implemented.

The other key factor that has influenced Central Visayas fisheries and coastal managementhas been the various foreign and nationally funded special projects. Each of these projects is presentedbriefly below.

Chapter 6Coastal Management

in Central Visayas

68


Key Coastal and Fisheries Projects

Marine Conservation and DevelopmentProgram

The Marine Conservation andDevelopment Program (MCDP) was fundedthrough the Asia Foundation by the UnitedStates Agency for International Development(USAID) and implemented by SillimanUniversity in 1984-1986. This was one of the firstcoastal management projects in Central Visayas.It focused on the establishment of community-based marine protected areas (MPAs) in 3 sites.MPAs in Balicasag and Pamilacan Islands, Boholand Apo Island, Dauin, Negros Oriental wereestablished. These proved to be some of thefounding MPAs in the region, providingimportant examples of potential sustainable useof coral reef habitat and of fisheries (MCDP 1986).

Central Visayas Regional Project

The Central Visayas Regional Project(CVRP) was a pilot project for decentralizationfocusing on integrated rural development usingcommunity-based approaches. The program ranfrom 1984 to 1992. Of the US$35 million loanfrom the World Bank, approximately 10% wasallocated for the nearshore fisheries component.Operating in nine critical watersheds in theregion, a total of 182 barangays became involvedin nearshore (coastal) activities covering selectedmunicipalities of all provinces in Central Visayas.The project piloted various integrated coastalmanagement (ICM) tools, such as marinesanctuaries, mangrove reforestation,mariculture, fish aggregating devices, artificialreefs and coral reef management havingconsiderable successes in certain areas.

One of the key strategies of the project wasthat it worked hand in hand with theDepartment of Environment and NaturalResources (DENR) and the Department ofAgriculture–Bureau of Fisheries and AquaticResources (DA-BFAR) regional offices as wellas provincial governments through ProvincialResource Management Committees. These laterbecame the Resource Management Division inNegros Oriental and the Cebu Resource

Management Office (project) of the provincialgovernment.

The World Bank Project Report of 1993revealed that the design of the project establishedan approach to natural resource management(NRM) in the Philippines that was successful inachieving community participation, extendingproject technologies, improving NRM andincreasing participants’ income.

Coastal Resource Management Project

The nine-year (1996-2004) Coastal ResourceManagement Project (CRMP) was funded byUSAID and implemented by DENR inpartnership with NGAs. It provided technicalassistance and training to coastal communities,LGUs, NGOs and national government agencies(NGAs) to promote improved management ofcoastal resources in the Philippines. WithinCentral Visayas, the project focused on theprovinces of Bohol, Cebu and Negros Oriental,with small interventions in Siquijor incoordination with an NGO, the CoastalConservation and Education Foundation, Inc.

Technical assistance was provided initiallyto “learning areas” composed of municipal andcity clusters within each of the provinces. Theassistance offered various ICM tools under apredefined planning process, with adequateroom for innovation and focusing on key issuesand needs of LGUs concerned. The key objectiveof the project was to expand and sustain ICMfrom pilot-scale, community-based and LGUprojects to a strategic spread that cuts across abroad range of coastal stakeholders andgeographical areas. The latter period of theproject concentrated more at the provincialgovernment level. Here, the project helpedinstitutionalize the tools implemented and thelessons learned during implementation inlearning areas. Eventually, the goals wereachieved in some 52 coastal LGUs in Region 7and in 61 LGUs in other regions.

Community-based Resource ManagementProject

The Community-based ResourceManagement Project (CBRMP) was a

69

Chapter 6. Coastal Management in Central Visayas

continuation in part to lessons learned fromCVRP, with a new funding window opened in1997, supported by the World Bank andimplemented through the Department ofFinance. The CBRMP aims to reduce ruralpoverty and environmental degradation throughsupport for locally generated and implementedNRM projects.

Funding consists of a grant and loan facilityfor LGU-initiated community-based resourcemanagement projects, with LGUs implementingactivities along with DENR, BFAR and otherappropriate development partners. The LGU,however, is the one to apply, document andmanage the whole project as well as providecounterparts to a loan, grant and equity mix offunding for priority areas in the municipality.Seventeen coastal LGUs in Region 7 have availedof funding. Central Visayas was one of the firstpilot regions in the country for this fundingwindow.

Cebu Socioeconomic Empowermentand Development Project

The Cebu Socioeconomic Empowermentand Development (SEED) Project is a project ofthe Provincial Government of Cebu working withthe Provincial Planning and Development Office.It is funded by the Japanese InternationalCooperation Agency. The project assists five coreLGUs in Cebu, in various development activities.It plans to assist in promoting CRM to over 20target municipalities within the province. Theproject also works with other nationally andinternationally funded projects to furtheramplify its results in Cebu Province.

Philippine Environmental Governance Project

The Philippine Environmental Governance(EcoGov) Project is a technical assistance grantfrom USAID to the Government of thePhilippines from December 2001 to November2004. Its aim was to foster improvedmanagement of the environment and naturalresources that provide key inputs to long-termeconomic development.

Project-sponsored activities addressedcritical threats to coastal resources and forests,

primarily overfishing, use of destructive fishingpractices and illegal cutting and conversion ofnatural forests. EcoGov assisted decisionmakersand implementers in adapting and practicingtransparent, accountable and participatorydecisionmaking at national and local levels toimprove the management of coastal resources,forests and forestlands, and solid wastes.

The project worked with DENR, self-selected LGUs, communities and coalitions inCentral Visayas. It assisted LGUs to improve locallegislation to support coastal resourcemanagement (CRM). It has encouraged LGUsto take proactive actions in municipal waterdelineation, MPA establishment and CRMzoning and planning. The legitimization process,which secures the LGU’s executive and legislativesupport, commits it to implement CRM plansthat will ultimately protect municipal watersfrom illegal fishing and overfishing.

Bohol Marine Triangle

The Bohol Marine Triangle (BMT) is aproject of the United Nations DevelopmentProgram–Global Environment Facility (GEF)initiated in late 2000 in southern Bohol. TheProject Management Office is managed by theFoundation for Philippine Environment. Itimplements ICM with a focus on tourism in thethree towns of Dauis, Baclayon and Panglao, ahighway and residence area for globallysignificant coral reefs, marine mammals andrelated resources.

The project is working with the BoholAlliance of Nongovernment Organizations(BANGON), Bohol Environment ManagementOffice and Silliman University to coordinateplanning and management in this globally richmarine area.

Visayan Sea Coastal Resourcesand Fisheries Management Project

The Visayan Sea Coastal Resources andFisheries Management (VisSea) Project is aninitiative supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ). Theproject involves all coastal LGUs fringingVisayan Sea, one of the country’s most

70


productive fishing grounds. Based on aparticipatory framework and involving thecooperation of DA-BFAR Regions 5, 6 and 7 aswell as DENR, Department of Science andTechnology–Philippine Council for Aquatic andMarine Research and Development, and theacademe, the project aims to promote a moreintegrated resource management system for theentire Visayan Sea.

Siquijor Integrated ResourceManagement Project

The Siquijor Integrated ResourceManagement Project (SIRMAP) is a GTZ-fundedproject of the Siquijor Provincial Government.The project aims at economic reform andstrengthening of the market economy. It focuseson building the capacity of the provincialgovernment to map and collect information asbasis for planning and implementing a series ofcoastal management (e.g., aquaculture, tourism)and waste management initiatives at variouspilot sites around the province.

Fisheries Improved for SustainableHarvest Project

The FISH Project is a seven-year (2003-2010) technical assistance project funded by theUSAID, and implemented in partnership withthe DA-BFAR. The FISH Project activities willfocus on four target implementation areas:Calamianes Islands (Palawan), Danajon Bank(Bohol), Surigao del Sur and Tawi-Tawi. TheProject is currently collecting baseline data forthe four sites.

National Government Agencies and TheirPrograms in Coastal and FisheriesManagement

Aside from special projects in the region, itis the government line agencies that providemost development assistance to LGUs andstakeholders in coastal and fisheriesmanagement. The main agencies and their keyroles are described below. In recent years, therehave been many changes in the mandates ofvarious NGAs. This section summarizes theircurrent mandates and thrusts in coastal andfisheries management.

Department of Agriculture–Bureauof Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

The DA-BFAR, in cooperation withconcerned NGAs, has jurisdiction over themanagement, conservation, development,protection, utilization and disposition of allfisheries and aquatic resources of the country,except those within municipal waters. Inmunicipal waters, however, it may coordinatewith and assist LGUs, Fisheries and AquaticResource Management Councils and otherconcerned agencies in the development,conservation, protection, utilization andmanagement of fisheries and aquatic resourcesas specified in RA 8550, the Fisheries Code of1998. BFAR’s vision is “a modernized fisheriesthat is technologically advanced and globallycompetitive.” The transformation of fisheries isguided by sound practices of resourcesustainability, principles of social justice and astrong private sector. It has three overridingmandates: on global competitiveness, on foodsecurity and on support services.

Department of Environmentand Natural Resources

The DENR, through Executive Order 192,is the primary government agency responsiblefor the sustainable use of the country’senvironment and natural resources. It aims tobe a dynamic force behind people’s initiative inthe conservation, management, developmentand proper use of the environment and naturalresources through strategic alliances andpartnerships, participatory process, relevantpolicies and programs, and appropriatetechnology towards sustainable development.

Coastal and Marine Management Office/Division

The DENR through the DepartmentAdministrative Order 2002-08 established theCoastal and Marine Management Office. Theoffice offers technical assistance in coastalmanagement to LGUs through the Coastal andMarine Management Division/Section at theRegional/Community Environment and NaturalResources Office levels. In Central Visayas, thesites assisted by the office include Carcar,

71


Carmen and Pinamungajan in Cebu; Calape,Getafe and Talibon in Bohol; and Bayawan,Dauin, Basay, Ayungon, Guihulgnan and ValleHermoso in Negros Oriental.

National Integrated Protected Area System

The Central Visayas has a unique anddiverse ecosystem, which has led to thedeclaration of many national protected areasunder Presidential Proclamations (PP) 2151 and2152. PP 2151 establishes areas as initialcomponents of the National Integrated ProtectedArea System. PP 2152 establishes areas underthe category of protected landscapes andseascapes, such as mangrove swamp forestreserves. Over 40 coastal areas have beendeclared in the region. DENR does not currentlyhave the funding to help establish and enablethe various Protected Area Management Boardsto manage these, so many of the protected areasstill need considerable assistance.

Department of the Interior and LocalGovernment

The Department of the Interior and LocalGovernment (DILG) was reorganized by virtueof RA 6975, which created two basic sectorswithin the department: the Local GovernmentSector and the Interior or Public Safety Sector.

The Local Government Sector is responsiblefor planning, implementing, monitoring andevaluating plans, programs and policiespertaining to local autonomy, decentralizationand local governance. The Public Safety Sector,which includes the Philippine National Police(PNP), plans and implements the department’sprograms on peace and order and public safety.It has the lead role in all types of lawenforcement, including coastal law.

Patrol 117

One of the more recent programs of DILGis Patrol 117 or Dial 117. Patrol 117 was primarilyestablished to encourage public reporting ofcommon crimes. It was expanded to includeemergency response and report of violations ofspecial laws. Distinctively, in Region 7, patrol117 further broadened its coverage to include

acceptance and referral of reports concerningviolations of coastal and fishery laws. Any personmay call the number and get an immediateresponse to any criminal or environmental crime.

Police Environment Desk Officer

Letter of Instruction (LOI) 10/01, alsoknown as LOI Perfect Environment, establishedthe position of the Police Environment DeskOfficer (PEDO) in response to the clamor ofcoastal mayors for them to assign at least onepolice officer in every station to be directlyresponsible for coastal and environmental lawviolations. The PNP in Central Visayas, however,expanded the scope of PEDO to include allenvironmental law violations. The National LawEnforcement Coordinating Committee(NALECC) in 2002 endorsed the LOI to beimplemented nationwide leading to LOI 08/03,called National Perfect Environment, establishingthe position of PEDO across the country.

The main function of PEDO is to be the keyperson who is trained and capable of respondingto all reports of environmental law violations.Such a scope is possible because, unlike otherenforcement agencies such as DENR and BFAR,PNP is present in all communities. Under the law,PNP enforces all laws of the state includingspecial laws and ordinances. PEDO will assumejurisdiction if necessary or refer violations andcrimes to appropriate agencies.

Philippine National Police – Maritime Group

RA 6975, as amended by RA 8551,created the PNP-Maritime Group (PNP-MARIG),which can perform all police functions “overPhilippine territorial waters and rivers, coastalareas from the shore line to one mile inland toinclude ports and harbors and small islands oftwo miles in length or diameter with less than1,000 population.” Section 24 of RA 6975 alsoclarified that after an 18-month transition period,PNP-MARIG would absorb all police functionsof the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). Thistransition period ended in June 1992.

72


Department of Transportationand Communication

The Department of Transportation andCommunication’s involvement in coastal andfisheries management is through the MaritimeIndustry Authority (MARINA) and PCG. TheMARINA is responsible for the promotion anddevelopment of the maritime industry, regulationof shipping and maritime safety regulations incollaboration with PCG. The MARINA used tobe involved in the registration and inspection ofcommercial fishing boats, and issuance ofcertificate of Philippine registry to commercialfishing boats operating in the country.

Philippine Coast Guard

The PCG’s mandates are to: promotesafety at sea and maritime security as an armedforce; assist in implementing laws in the highseas and waters under Philippine jurisdiction;and safeguard marine resources andenvironment. In Central Visayas, the EasternVisayas District Command is responsible for theregion.

Regional Alliances/Special Bodies

Apart from special projects and NGAs,various regional alliances and special bodies werecreated to initiate interagency collaboration onpriority projects and issues. Some of these havea large role to play in Central Visayas.

Regional Development Council

Composed of provincial governors, citymayors and heads of NGAs as well as academicinstitutions and with one-fourth of thecomposition coming from the private sector, theRegional Development Council (RDC) is thehighest policymaking and planning body in theregion. It is also the primary institution that setsthe region’s direction of social and economicdevelopment efforts.

The RDC was created to implement thepolicy of the state so that socioeconomicdevelopment programs and activities ofgovernment should be undertaken with theextensive and active participation and support

from and coordination of various governmentagencies as well as the private sector at thenational, regional and local levels.

The RDC integrates and monitors allregional plans and activities of NGAs in thecountry and reviews policy activities. It canassure that programs and activities do notoverlap and that the civil society, academe andnational government programs are done incoordination with one another through shortand long-term regional development, physicalframework and special development plans. Thecouncil also reviews and endorses national plans,programs and projects proposed forimplementation in the region as well as specialprojects it has identified.

Coastal Law Enforcement Alliance in Region 7

The Coastal Law Enforcement Alliance inRegion 7 (CLEAR 7) is a voluntary initiative ofNGAs and NGOs with the objective ofintegrating coastal law enforcement activities inCentral Visayas. The alliance was establishedthrough a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) in 2001 among DENR, DILG, BFAR,PNP-MARIG, National Bureau of Investigation,Office of the Regional State Prosecutor, Leagueof Municipalities–Bohol Chapter, InternationalMarinelife Alliance, Environmental LegalAssistance Center, Philippine NationalAssociation of Fish Wardens and CRMP.

CLEAR 7 benefited from a short-termtechnical assistance from the InternationalTraining Division of the United States CoastGuard (ITD-USCG) through USAID. In 2001, theITD-USCG dispatched a team to conduct a seriesof classroom and on-site training on interdictionplanning and boarding protocols.

The regular training and interaction of lawenforcement agencies provided manyopportunities for information exchange andimprovement of inter-operability strategiesamong its members. The result was an enhancedindividual agency or group enforcementresponse. Central Visayas has now establisheda protocol on vessel impoundment and a jointoperations plan. A series of task forces, such asTask Force Kinhason (Convention on

73


International Trade in Endangered Species ofWild Fauna and Flora enforcement), Task ForceMailap (wildlife enforcement), Task ForceSundown (anti-intrusion of commercial fishingvessels in municipal waters) and Task ForceTiklong (anti-dynamite blasting cap), have beenestablished to focus on key law enforcementissues in the region.

The key lesson learned by CLEAR 7 is thatdue to the complexity of coastal and fisheries lawviolations, it is almost impossible for one agencyto address them all. Thus, to be effective, coastallaw enforcement must be integrated, multi-agency and multisectoral.

Mactan Channel Multisectoral Council

Because of degrading water quality andhabitats due to heavy land and water pollutionof the Mactan Channel, various stakeholdersformed the Mactan Channel MultisectoralManagement Council. This council is composedof stakeholders from LGUs, NGOs, POs, NGAs,religious sector, academe and industry/businesssector.

With assistance from the Ramon AboitizFoundation through a USAID grant, the councilhas begun to look at some of the problemsconfronting the channel. With a wide array ofstakeholders and active assistance from differentagencies, the council is currently running acommunity-based advocacy campaign. It is alsoprofiling the state of the channel as basis forvarious proposed management interventions.

Danajon Bank Double Barrier ReefManagement Council

Currently being established through MOU,the Cebu, Leyte, Bohol and Southern LeyteManagement Council (CELEBOSOLE Council)has been formed to provide an overseeing andpolicy function for assisting to manage the onlydouble barrier reef off the northern coast of Boholand south of Southern Leyte province. Originallyformed to assist in collaborative management,the council and a technical working group arecomposed of key persons from provincial andmunicipal governments of Bohol, Leyte, Cebuand Southern Leyte, alongside key NGAs andNGOs.

Bohol District Coastal LawEnforcement Councils

The three Bohol District Coastal LawEnforcement Councils won in the Top TenNational Galing Pook Awards in 2003. Thecouncils are multisectoral, composed of keyagencies and groups involved in law enforcementin Bohol. They were a spin-off of the BoholCoastal Law Enforcement Summit in 2000,which pulled together all agencies and personsinvolved in law enforcement to identify whycoastal law enforcement in the province was soweak. The councils, divided by congressionaldistricts, assist in implementing coastal lawenforcement across the province through a multi-agency team and fully equipped patrol boatsfunded by the province. The efforts of the multi-agency teams have led to the conviction of over350 illegal fishing infringements since 2001 (Table23).

Table 23. Results of enforcement activities of Coastal Law Enforcement Councils (BEMO),2000-2003 (UPV 2003).

2000200120022002 CLEC I CLEC II CLEC III2003 (Jan-Aug)

Year/District No. of Apprehensions No. of Persons Arrested No. of Cases Filed

214312346

8421349

143

4621,073

887

247491149348

131202200

511024793

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Mabata Bay Initiative, Negros Oriental

Manjuyod, Bais City and Tanjay Baymanagement system evolved in early 2000 dueto a need for a more integrated management ofBais Bay. Although initial activities wereunsustained, there have been recent moves tore-establish the alliance and look at a moreintegrated management for Negros Oriental’sproductive bay.

Other Organizations Assisting in Coastaland Fisheries Management

The Local Government Code encouragesLGUs to involve NGOs (Sections 34-36). NGOs,POs and civic groups have significant roles inCentral Visayas’ coastal and fisheriesmanagement. The government recognizes theroles of NGOs and POs in catalyzingdevelopment in rural areas, particularly insecuring people participation in thedecisionmaking process and in amplifying thecommunity’s role in environment protection.Table 24 shows some of the NGOs working in

coastal and fisheries management in the regionand includes a variety of projects such as theSiquijor Coastal Resource Enhancement Projectin Siquijor and the Local Governance for CoastalResource Management Project (LGCRMP) inSouthern Cebu as well as others. Many areworking on their own activities, but there is greatroom for collaboration among them and withLGUs and to go beyond the typical community-based coastal management.

Academic institutions that help inimplementing research on coastal and fisheriesmanagement abound in Central Visayas. Theseinclude Central Visayas State College ofAgriculture, Forestry and Technology(CVSCAFT), Silliman University Center ofExcellence in Coastal Resource Management,Negros Oriental State University, Siquijor StateCollege and Research Foundation, University ofSan Carlos, University of the Philippines (UP) inVisayas, UP Foundation, UP CoastalEnvironment Information System as well asspecial projects being handled by UP-MarineScience Institute.

Table 24. NGOs working in coastal and fisheries management in the region.

Philippine Partnership forthe Development ofHuman Resources inthe Rural Area

United NationsDevelopment Project-Small Grants Fund

Ramon AboitizFoundation Inc.

Coastal Conservationand EducationFoundation, Inc.

Visayas Central FundMarine Aquarium

CouncilEnvironmental Legal

Assistance Center, Inc.

Regionwide Bohol Cebu Siquijor

Bohol Alliance ofNGOs

Bohol IntegratedDevelopmentFoundation

Project SeahorsePhilippines

Haribon FoundationParticipatory

Research,Organization ofCommunities andEducation TowardsStruggle for Self-Reliance – Bohol

Feed the ChildrenPhilippines

TambuyogDevelopmentCenter

Reef Check

Rtn. Martin “Ting”MatiaoFoundation, Inc.

St. Catherine’sFoundation

Negros Oriental

St. Catherine’sFoundation

Rtn. Martin “Ting”MatiaoFoundation, Inc.

World Wildlife FundTañon StraitInitiative

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Figure 65. CRM support structure in Central Visayas.

76


Summary

The results discussed in this chapter as wellas the various institutions and agencies workingin the region are summarized in Figure 65.

� The policy framework and nationalgovernment thrusts on coastal and fisheriesdevelopment have changed considerablyover the last two decades, moving awayfrom “increasing production” tomanagement and protection. However,there are still considerable overlaps inpolicy environment between AFMA andthe Fisheries Code as well as legacies fromprevious thrusts that must be dealt withwhile moving forward.

� There are many agencies and organizationsinvolved in coastal management in theregion. The chapter identifies 7 specialprojects, 9 NGAs, 7 alliances, 22 NGOs and9 academic institutions currently involvedin coastal and fisheries management in theregion. Each of these has a key focus and aperspective to share, which can be greatlyenhanced through more formal alliancesof these different organizations. Thesegroups need to clarify one another’s roleand to ensure that those groups workingin the area will not overlap their activities.They need to work together by providingdifferent perspectives and sharingresources on common coastal agenda andactivities.

� In Central Visayas, assistance providers incoastal and fisheries management are notevenly distributed around the region.Northern Cebu and until recently Siquijorand certain parts of Negros Oriental haveon the whole been overlooked by assistanceproviders. In contrast, Bohol has manyassisting organizations, whose functionsoverlap.

� The role of academic institutions in coastaland fisheries management should bestrengthened. More research on integrationof results into management will be helpful.More tie-ups among academe, NGOs andNGAs are also vital.

� Based on initial calculations, special projectsand national government andnongovernment funding in the region oncoastal and fisheries management are inexcess of PhP300 million (US$6 million) peryear. If evenly distributed around theregion, this would amount to around PhP3million per coastal LGU.

� There are more than enough innovativemanagement and collaborationmechanisms in the region. However, thekey to success is to institutionalize theminto the government systems to ensure theirsustainability.

� There is poor collaboration among NGOs,special projects, academe and allianceswith the private sector of the region. Thisshould be improved to assist the region’sdevelopment.

77

Introduction

This section focuses on the local government units (LGUs), at the municipal and provinciallevels, and analyzes how far coastal and fisheries management has been adopted at these levelswithin the region.

The Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991 recognizes the municipality/city as the keymanager of coastal waters from the shoreline to 15 km and mandates it to be the key provider ofservices, extension and technical assistance, protection, regulation, revenue generation, enforcement,local legislation and knowledge of conduct of relations (between government units and amongpeople’s organizations and nongovernment organizations). In line with this, there is already aprescribed set of benchmarks which can be used to assess the LGU’s status in providing coastalmanagement as a basic service. The following section maps out the current state of LGUs offeringthese services in Central Visayas.

Coastal and fisheries management should follow a basic planning cycle, integrating lessonsfrom each phase of the cycle into the next (Figure 66). Within each planning cycle, there are also aseries of tools/benchmarks which can be achieved. These benchmarks are considered the minimumthat an LGU should implement if it adopts coastal and fisheries management as a basic service.

Chapter 7Mainstreaming and Institutionalizing

Coastal and Fisheries Managementwithin the Local Government

Figure 66. Philippine CRM planning process (adapted from DENR 2001).

78


To institutionalize the benchmarks formaking CRM as a basic service at the LGU level,Regions 7 and 11 tested a CRM certificationprocess at the provincial and regional levels(Figure 67).

Benchmarking of LGUs in Central Visayas

The section below shows how far the 109coastal LGUs have gone in implementing 11 keybenchmarks, as of 2003. The information came

Figure 67. Municipality/city benchmarks for the three levels of CRM.

MUNICIPALITY/CITY BENCHMARKS FOR CRM

0 2 3 41 5 years

� Multi-year CRM plandrafted

� Baselineassessmentconducted

� CRM-relatedorganizationsformed and areactive

� Annual budgetallocated for CRM

� Shoreline/foreshoremanagementmeasures plannedand initiated

� At least 2 CRM bestpractices plannedand initiated

LEVEL 1: BEGINNING CRM

Acceptance of CRM as abasic service of municipal/

city government withplanning and field

interventions initiated(1 - 2 years)

� Multi-year CRM planimplemented,reviewed, and revisedas necessary

� Socioenvironmentalconditions assessedin accordance withmonitoring plan

� CRM-relatedorganizations effectiveand supportedfinancially throughmunicipal/city budgetor revenue-generatingmechanisms

� Annual programmingand budget sufficientto implement the plan

� Shoreline/foreshoremanagement effectivewith regularmonitoring andenforcement ofguidelines

� At least 6 CRM bestpracticesimplemented withmeasured resultsand positive returns

LEVEL 3: ADVANCED CRMSustained long-term

implementation of CRMwith monitoring, measured

results and positivereturns

(5 years or more)

� Multi-year CRM plan finalizedand adopted

� Monitoring plan developedfor assessingsocioenvironmentalconditions

� CRM-related organizationsare active and effective

� Financial and humanresources assignedpermanently to CRMactivities

� Shoreline/foreshoremanagement plan adoptedwith implementingguidelines

� At least 4 CRM best practicesimplemented with measuredsuccess

LEVEL 2: INTERMEDIATE CRMImplementation of CRM plans

underway with effective integration tolocal governance

(2 - 5 years)

PRE-LEVEL 1

79

Chapter 7. Mainstreaming and Institutionalizing Coastal and Fisheries Management within the Local Government

from various sources and was validated duringthe Fisheries Management Planning ProvincialWorkshops.

1. Completion of the participatory coastalresource assessment of the municipalities’resources – This assessment profiles thedifferent habitats and fisheries resources inan area and identifies the key issues, leadingdirectly into the coastal managementplanning process (Figure 68).

2. Allocation of an annual municipal budget forcoastal management - A coastal LGUrequires a minimum budget to implement thecoastal management initiatives as planned(Figure 69).

3. Adoption by the LGU of the five-year,approved coastal management plan - Anessential component of any coastal andfisheries management program is a clear planand direction; the functions andresponsibilities of all agencies and officesshould also be clearly defined, preferablyprepared in a participatory manner (Figure70).

4. Approval of the comprehensive coastal andfisheries legislation – The LGU should laydown its comprehensive coastal and fisheriesmanagement laws in its own legislation/codebut should be consistent with national lawsand policies (Figure 71).

5. Delineation of the municipal waters – TheLGU should have clear boundaries of whereits jurisdiction exists. This is finalized throughthe delineation process, as laid out in theDepartment of Agriculture AdministrativeOrder 1, Series of 2004 (Figure 72).

6. Putting the multistakeholder managementcouncil in place – This council might be theFisheries and Aquatic ResourcesManagement Council (FARMC) or anothermultistakeholder management structurewhich is essential in helping plan andimplement coastal initiatives in the LGU(Figure 73).

7. Allocation of human and financial resourcesfor coastal law enforcement activities - Acoastal law enforcement unit will enable thelaws and policies declared by themunicipality to be implemented. This is vitalto successful coastal and fisheriesmanagement (Figure 74).

8. Establishment of well-managed MPAs –MPAs established in Central Visayas(including sites under the NIPAS law) are asimple, easily replicable and manageable toolwherein communities and LGUs can see fastfish biomass buildup, rehabilitation of coralreefs and achievement of various coastalmanagement objectives (Figure 75).

9. Initiation of mangrove managementinterventions, such as reforestation/rehabilitation activities and/or putting inplace a community-based forestrymanagement agreement within themunicipality – Mangroves are an importanthabitat which, if better managed andprotected, can help ensure increased fisheriesproduction and fishers’ livelihoods (Figure76).

10. Auditing of the LGU and granting it a CRMcertification – A CRM certification is anoptional system whereby LGUs can submitfull documentation and assessment of theircoastal management projects to regional andprovincial Technical Working Groups forassessment and possible endorsement and“certification” that they have indeed reacheda series of benchmarks and levels (1, 2 and3) in institutionalizing coastal and fisheriesmanagement (Figure 77).

11. Packaging of the best and wise practices incoastal management and showcasing themfor educational and mainstream tourism -Visits to well-packaged and high-qualitycoastal management interventions provide astrong impetus for replication and sharingof experience in other parts of the countryand outside. The interventions needconsiderable assistance initially to establishthe area as a showcase (Figure 78).

80


Figure 68. LGUs that have completed their PCRA.

81


Figure 69. Relative allocation of LGU budget for coastal management.

82


Figure 70. LGUs that have adopted a five-year coastal management plan.

83


Figure 71. LGUs that have approved comprehensive coastal and fisheries legislation.

84


Figure 72. LGUs which have finalized the delineation of their municipal waters.

85


Figure 73. LGUs with an active multistakeholder management council in place (i.e., FARMC,PAMB, etc.).

86


Figure 74. LGUs with human and financial resources allocated for coastal law enforcement(CLE).

87


Figure 75. Legally declared municipal MPAs and NIPAS areas in Central Visayas.

88


Figure 76. LGUs implementing some form of mangrove management in Central Visayas.

89


Figure 77. LGUs with CRM certification at various stages.

90


Figure 78. LGUs with packaged CRM best practices for showcasing and educational tourism(see Appendix 2).

91


Figures 68 to 78 (maps) indicate that thereis indeed a strong momentum in coastalmanagement in the region. Since 1991, throughthe LGC of 1991 and reiterated in Republic Act8550, LGUs have been given the responsibilityto manage their municipal waters. This policyshift supports localized management. It madeintegrated coastal management a lot easier toimplement. With little technical assistance orbudget, the LGUs of Central Visayas have, onthe whole, done an excellent job of taking onmandates and protecting their nearshore habitatsand implementing coastal management (Figure79).

The problem, however, is thatapproximately 85% of the fish caught in theregion are pelagic-dwelling species (i.e., livingand moving around on a larger geographic scalethan municipal waters), as discussed in chapter4. The fish are unaware of geopoliticalboundaries overlaid on top of their juvenile,feeding and spawning grounds. This means thatin the current situation, the “regional waters”are divided into 109 smaller management units(LGUs), with different levels of managementinterventions. This is now the key problem forthe region’s fisheries, an uncoordinated and anon-uniform implementation of coastal andfisheries management in the region. This leadsus to the role of the provincial governments incoastal and fisheries management.

The following section reviews provincialmandates and analyzes the situation of the fourprovinces in Central Visayas. Their function asa technical assistance provider to coordinatecoastal and fisheries management across theLGUs is higlighted.

The Evolving Role of ProvincialGovernments in Coastaland Fisheries Management

In terms of coastal and fisheriesmanagement, the provincial government has amuch better “bird’s eye view” of the provincethan municipalities have. Based on the LGC of1991, the provincial government has thefollowing roles and responsibilities (Table 25).Despite being an optional provision in the LGCof 1991, a key first step towards institutionalizing

coastal management within a province is theestablishment of a Provincial EnvironmentManagement Office which can assist in offeringtechnical assistance to LGUs and otherstakeholders in coastal and fisheriesmanagement, as well as other environmentalmanagement sectors.

A marine sanctuary signboard in Basdio, Guindulman,Bohol. The sanctuary is part of the CRM showcase in CentralVisayas.

Logistics and patrol boats, such as above, are essential forcoastal law enforcement.

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In Central Visayas, the Environment andNatural Resources Division was created as earlyas 1993 under the Office of the Governor ofNegros Oriental and the Bohol EnvironmentManagement Office (BEMO), in 1997. Morerecently, Executive Order 2003-OF-018 of theSiquijor Provincial Government created theSiquijor Integrated Coastal ManagementCouncil, as well as different task forces inimplementing the Siquijor Coastal ResourceEnhancement (SCORE) Project and providingfunds thereof.

Cebu, with the most number of coastalmunicipalities, largest provincial budget and

most fishers in the region, still needs to define itsrole in coastal management. Cebu has noseparate office offering coastal and fisheriesmanagement.

The provincial offices offer technicalassistance, training and capacity-building toLGUs and key stakeholders in coastal andfisheries management. Table 26 summarizessome of the key indicators that can be used toassess the level of institutionalization of aprovincial government in coastal management.These only serve as guide and others may still beadded to the list, depending on the priorities ofthe provincial government and its stakeholders.

Well-trained law enforcers, such as these members of theFish Wardens’ Association of Samboan, Cebu, are essentialfor coastal management.

Placing permanent buoys around MPAs in the region is animportant part of the MPA establishment process. Saavedra,Moalboal, Cebu.

Table 25. Roles and responsibilities of the provincial government.

Legislation (Sangguniang Panlalawigan)- Approve ordinances that shall ensure efficient and effective delivery of basic services and facilities, as provided for

under Section 17 of the Local Government Code- Adopt measures and safeguards against pollution and for the preservation of the natural ecosystem in the province- Review ordinances enacted by the municipal/city governmentRegulation- Issue permits to extract sand, gravel and other quarry resourcesEnforcement/Technical Assistance- Provide agricultural extension and onsite research services and facilities which include transfer of appropriate

technology- Organize farmers’ and fishers’ cooperatives and other collective organizationsProtection/Conservation- Adopt measures to preserve the natural ecosystem in the province and to safeguard against pollutionEnforcement- Protect the environment and impose appropriate penalties for the following acts which endanger the environment:

dynamite fishing and activities which result in pollution, acceleration of eutrophication of rivers and lakes and ecologicalimbalance

- Prescribe a criminal penalty in accordance with the provisions of the Fisheries CodeImplement laws against smuggling of natural resource products and of endangered species of fauna and flora

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For a broader fisheries ecosystemmanagement within the region, it is essential forthe provincial governments to adoptresponsibilities and to oversee the wider resourcemanagement under their jurisdictions. This willensure that all coastal LGUs implement coastaland fisheries management in a consistentmanner. Most municipal and provincial

governments in Central Visayas are ahead ofother regions of the country. However, this maybe because, compared with those in otherregions, the fisheries here are more degraded andthe impetus for management is stronger.

Phase 2: Provincial government program development (3-5 years)

Provincial information management system for ICFM.Active provincial coastal law enforcement team.Provincial resource assessment team trained and active.Five-year masterplan for ICFM finalized.Environmental management office focused on ICFM, equipped

with human and financial resources.Provincial fisheries profile, consolidating key provincial data

published.Provincial training team that offers standardized training packages

to LGUs requesting technical assistance in ICFM.

Key Best Practices Bohol Cebu Siquijor

√√xx√

√

√

xxxxx

x

√

xxxxx

√

x

Negros Oriental

√x*√x√

√

√

* Not deemed as necessary by the Negros Oriental provincial government staff during consultations.

Table 26. Mandates and progress of the four provincial governments in coastal and fisheriesmanagement.

Phase 1: Institutionalizing the mandates at the provincial level (1-3 years)

Provincial environment code lays out role in integrated coastaland fisheries management (ICFM).

Provincial committee under the SP focuses on coastal managementissues and problems.

Provincial office (provincial agriculturist or provincial planning),has full-time ICFM staff.

Provincial ICFM framework is established for implementing CRMwith clear benchmarks.

Provincial budget for ICFM.Provincial technical working group for ICFM implementers is

established.


√

√

√

√

√√

x

x

√

√

√√

x

x

√

x

√√

Negros Oriental

x

x

√

√

√√

Phase 3. Integrated program development (5 years and beyond)

Inter-LGU management is encouraged through coastal lawenforcement and fisheries management councils.

Fisheries ecosystem boundaries are delineated.Province-wide color coding system for fisheries licensing is

established and integrated into a regional system which identifiesboats from all four provinces of Region 7.

Model showcases of good ICFM practices established in theprovince.

Interprovincial ICFM is encouraged.Other environmental management sectors are included in

provincial environmental management office – i.e., wastemanagement, watershed management, water resources.

LGUs incorporate user-fee systems into already established ICFMprojects, i.e., MPAs.


√

xx

√

x√

x

x

xx

√

xx

√

x

xx

x

xx

x

Negros Oriental

x

xx

√

x√

√

94


Figure 79. LGU and its corresponding number of CRM benchmarks achieved in the region.

95


Summary

� Coastal and fisheries management isbasically a planning process with a seriesof benchmarks which can be used to guidethe initial activities.

� Since the implementation of the LGC of1991, LGUs have done a remarkable job ofmoving towards coastal and fisheriesmanagement, with only limited technicaland financial resources to implement theirmandate. Although there is stillconsiderable work to be done, most LGUsare achieving important benchmarks.

� The municipal waters and the current legalframework break up the waters of CentralVisayas into a series of individual units.Initially, this will help with themanagement as each LGU takesresponsibility for its municipal waters. It,however, misses some of the larger fisheriesecosystem issues. There is a need for moreintegrated management among the units,and the provincial governments are in thebest position to assist with this.

� All LGUs must practice good coastalmanagement in the region before widermanagement can be implemented. In this

regard, the provincial government and thenorthern municipalities of Cebu are stilllagging behind the rest of the region.

� To institutionalize coastal and fisheriesmanagement, the provincial governmentmust establish a provincial coastalenvironment office. This has already beendone in three provinces.

� Fish managed in the municipal waters thenmove into “national waters,” i.e., beyondmunicipal waters. These can be totallyharvested if no restrictions or managementis in place. This is the case of CentralVisayas, where there is little or nocoordination of management between themunicipal waters and the national waters.This explains why despite manyinterventions and investment in the regionfor coastal management, the larger fisheriesissues remain unresolved.

� A key first step in moving towards a widerarea management is through the provincialgovernment’s assistance and coordinationof more inter-LGU agreements. Provincialefforts must also interface with nationalagency mandates, particularly those ofDENR and DA-BFAR.

97

The State of the Commercial FishingIndustry in Central Visayas

This chapter views the role of theprivate sector in coastal and fisheriesmanagement – initially the commercialfishers and then the fast-growing tourismindustry in the region. A unique privatesector–driven initiative of the MarineAquarium Council, that could set thetrend for future coastal and fisheriesmanagement interventions, is discussed.

The commercial fishers catchapproximately 58% by volume (BFAR 72002) of fish within Central Visayas fishinggrounds although some of this may becaught from outside the region’s waters.Given that they only have access toaround 33% of the region’s waters (i.e., those outside municipal waters), the large volume of catchfrom this sector can only be explained by the fact that their catch is being caught from the municipalwaters. Although two LGUs in the region have allowed limited commercial entry from 10.1 to 15km in their waters, this does not explain the large portion of catch going to the commercial sector.Commercial fishers also maintain that municipal waters are also their historic fishing grounds,and since the 1940s, they have been traditionally fishing within municipal waters.

As stocks have declined significantly over the last decade, the response from both commercialand municipal fishing sectors has been to upgrade their fishing gears and technology to catch alarger proportion of the diminishing catch. The national government further encouraged and assistedthe commercial fishers to upgrade their capacity and even offered incentives through laws such asthe Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act although only limited budgets were released andused. The upgrading was meant to assist the industry to operate within the Philippines’ exclusiveeconomic zone, but for many reasons, the commercial fleet continued fishing in the region, increasingpressure on already overfished stocks.

Historically, there has been little conflict between commercial and municipal fishers asfisheries resources were still abundant. In the last two decades, however, there have been significantchanges in number of fishers, fishing boat size and the technologies used to catch fish (sonars,payao, etc.). There are no restrictions on new technologies for the commercial sector and these canbe added to the vessel at any time under current policies. New technologies have not added

Chapter 8The Private Sector -The Missing Link?

A typical municipal water scene with three commercial fishing boatsharvesting illegally within 3 km of the coastline in Baclayon, Bohol.

98


“production or catch” inthe region as the fisheriesare already in decline. Thenew technologies,however, increase theproportion of catch of theindividual boat whileminimizing the catch forthe rest of the fishers in thefishing ground.

The commercial fishers maintain that thelaw (Republic Acts 7160 and 8550) should notdeny entry to commercial fishing withinmunicipal waters. However, while the sectorsargue over who should get access to theremaining resources, the stocks continue todecrease and technologies and fishing effortincrease. In fact, the ringnetters are currently intheir own “technology war” with the industrynow being split into boats with sonars and thosewithout. This is not healthy for the industry andwill just lead to further price increases forconsumers with no further rise in catch. As oneboat buys a new technology, others will follow,until all the commercial fishers have upgradedat considerable cost. After all the expenses, theboats will still only be catching the same amountof fish!

The commercial industry is very “efficient”in comparison to municipal fishers. It employsonly 5,000 people, compared to 125,000 full-timemunicipal fishers (Table 27), in a region withover 10% unemployment. The Philippinecommercial industry development is intended forthe Philippine EEZ and not municipal waters.Unfortunately, the commercial boats find itdifficult to fish beyond the municipal waters ofthe region. With minimal municipal watersenforcement, this will continue. Given thecurrent situation, the commercial industry willdevelop further, leaving less room for municipalfishers. With fewer people employed in thecommercial industry, this will impact onemployment opportunities in the region. Suchfishing increases unemployment amongmunicipal fishers.

Despite appearing to be a healthy andeconomically viable industry, the commercialindustry is not without its problems. It is

fragmented and has had its own financialproblems. It has moved from a healthy industrywith over nine types of different commercialfishing gears spread among many differentindividuals in the 1960s-1970s to the presentsituation where only three fishing gears dominatethe industry (and these are, on the whole, ownedand managed by only a few individuals in theregion). The remaining boats now look beyondthe region for places to fish, as far as GeneralSantos and Zamboanga, due to the poor state ofresources in the region. BFAR oceanic studieshave also found the Pacific Seaboard to havepotential for effort expansion. The problemhowever, is that most commercial boats in theregion are not designed or capable of longoffshore fishing trips.

The Policy Environment – a Disincentiveto Management

Given that the commercial sector iscatching 58% of the catch, it is now the mostimportant sector to work with to gain moresustainable fisheries in the region. The sectormust be involved in fisheries management forthis to be successful. However, the national andlocal policy environment does not offer anybenefit or incentive for the commercial fishers toinitiate management of their fisheries. There isno mechanism for “preferential access or use”of the local commercial fishing boats to waterswithin the region, unlike municipal waters whichgive preferential access to municipal fishers withactive local government units (LGUs) that aremandated to manage and protect their waters.

Commercial fishers – in a de factoopen access system

The commercial fisheries and nationalwaters, unlike municipal waters, are in a de facto

Table 27. Comparison of commercial and municipal fisheries inthe region.

Commercial fisheries

Number directlyemployed

% of catch (volume)Number of boats

126,000

4265,000

Municipal fisheries

5,000

58500

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Chapter 8. The Private Sector - The Missing Link?

“open access” unmanaged system. The industrywill not be sustainable if managementinterventions are not made, but in the presentpolicy environment, any managementinterventions are a disincentive to those whoinitiate the management.

Commercial fishing vessel license fees arealarmingly low, ranging from PhP1,000 to 3,000per year, a miniscule amount of 0.0012% of thetotal value of fish caught by commercial fishers(Green et al. 2003), although FAO 198 hasmodestly increased the fees. This is much lowerthan the amount paid in other countries and isnot reflective of the “resource rent” of the fishery(i.e., a percentage of how much profit is madefor the resource). The resource is, after all, anational resource open to all Filipinos. Even somemunicipal fishery outfits pay more for smallfishing boats and their access to municipal waters(e.g., Tubigon, Bohol). This must be rectified, withthe revenues from the license fee being fed backinto the commercial industry for its managementactivities.

There are also no restrictions followed onthe building and purchase of new fishing boatsin the region. In theory, a commercial operatorshould first apply for a permit to build with theDepartment of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheriesand Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), but this isnot followed or enforced. Anyone wishing topurchase a boat and to become a commercialfisher may do so with very few limits to access.This unlimited system is the reason why theregion’s fisheries are in the state that they are.There are restrictions on where commercialfishing boats may fish but enforcement is left upto the LGUs, although they do have to informDA-BFAR if they move home port for any periodunder the commercial fishing vessel license. Thismeans that at certain times of the year, vesselscoming from other regions of the country movein to fish the waters within Central Visayas,when stocks are plentiful and there is no limit tothe number of vessels which may do this. Vesselsfrom the region likewise may also move to otherregions.

Within the current lacking managementregime, any fish – whether young, old, cheap orexpensive – is harvested as long as it is in volume.

Once a large quantity of fish is found, all thecommercial fishers from around the region movein and extract them. This is successively depletingthe region’s fish stocks and explains why speciescomposition in the region has changed fromhigh-class to lower-class fishes (see Chapter 4).To add to the problems, commercial boats fromas far away as Navotas in the north andCagayan de Oro in the south come to fish in thecalm Central Visayan waters from March to Juneto the detriment of the catch of the locally basedcommercial fishers.

Under the present situation, any boat canmove anywhere. As soon as one fish stock isdepleted, the fishers move onto another fishingground. The problem is that the country as awhole is running out of fishing grounds and thefisheries of Central Visayas mirror the poorfisheries situation in the rest of the country.

While LGUs are initiating limited accessregimes and licensing systems to restrict accessto their waters, the commercial fishers continuebuilding and purchasing new boats andtechnologies. Thus, they make their fishingactivities more efficient, affecting pelagicresources in the region (which move in and outof municipal waters). Overlapping policiesamong LGUs, Maritime Industry Authority, DA-BFAR and Philippine Coast Guard make theregistration of commercial vessels unclear. Initialdialogues have begun to look into this registrationissue.

Furthermore, 85% of the region’s fish catchare pelagic species, which have both offshore andcoastal parts of their life cycles. This means thateven though LGUs are managing their municipalwaters, the fish within them are moving in andout of the area. So even if management is strongwithin municipal waters, the fishes eventuallymove out to deeper sea where they enter otherLGU waters or areas outside of LGU jurisdiction.For effective management of the fisheriesecosystems in the region, both municipal andcommercial fishers need close coordinationthrough DA-BFAR and LGUs.

Research conducted by the WorldFishCenter in 1998-2001 and reinforced by theinformation in this profile found that, overall,

100


“the level of fishing in the already grosslymodified stock in the Philippines is 30% higherthan it should be” (i.e., fish are being harvestedat a level 30% more than they are capable ofproducing). This excess fishing is resulting ineconomic losses conservatively estimated at aboutPhP6.25 billion (US$125 million) per year in lostcatch for the whole country (ICLARM 2001).Given that Central Visayas catches 7.5% of thecountry’s marine fishes, the losses in the regionwill amount to somewhere in the order of US$10million (PhP550 million) every year – a lot ofmoney to be wasted.

Overfishing was recognized by the nationalgovernment in the early 1990s – “subsidizedacquisition by the industrialized sector of a fleetcapacity about three times in excess of what wasrequired to harvest the present marine catchesof 1.9 million t per year (BFAR 1994)”. Initialsteps have been taken to resolve this, such asRepublic Act 8550, but there is still considerableroom for improvement of its implementation.

In simple economic terms, if restrictions andmanagement were put in place, fewer fishingboats and less financial investment could catchmore fish as well as ensure the sustainability ofthe stocks at the same time! The region’scommercial fleet is fast becoming an expensiveand overcapitalized fleet.

A recent move by the government in solvingthe problems of overfishing was the issuance ofFisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 223 inDecember 2003 that provides guidelines ontemporarily suspending the issuance of newcommercial fishing vessel and gear license(CFVGL) as part of precautionary approach tofisheries management.

Registration of all commercial fishingvessels, whether licensed or unlicensed, wasconducted in 2004 by BFAR Regional Offices.This created an inventory of these fishing fleetsand generated a computerized CFVG licensingsystem to help maintain the present level offishing effort in Philippine waters.

Another relevant fisheries law issued wasFisheries Administrative Order 222 which bansoperation of Danish seine (hulbot-hulbot) and

modified Danish seine in municipal waters, baysand fisheries management areas. Operation ofDanish seine and modified Danish seine,however, is allowed in waters beyond 15 kmfrom the shoreline of any municipality providedthat it does not use tom weights and anymethod/accessories that destroy fisherieshabitats. With not much fish left to catch, it isbecoming an unsustainable and unprofitableindustry to be in.

There is, however, considerable potentialfor the industry to better maximize and sustainfish stocks through management interventions.The Visayas Alliance of Fisherfolks and Operatorsfor Reform is now working with DA-BFAR toresearch the country’s first private sector-ledclosed season in Camotes Sea. The alliance willvoluntarily enforce a ban on the catching ofcertain species during their spawning season.This should be lauded as a first for BFAR 7 andthe commercial sector. Despite various coastalmanagement initiatives in the region, there areno projects, programs or institutions (except forDA-BFAR and the Philippine FisheriesDevelopment Authority) assisting thecommercial fishers with fisheries management.This is a huge gap in the region as well as anopportunity. More inclusion of commercialfishers is essential for the region’s fisheriesmanagement.

A possible win-win?

The Fisheries Code offers several optionson how the industry can improve management.For instance, municipal governments may passordinances to allow for commercial fishingwithin 10.1 - 15 km area, as long as the area isdelineated and the Municipal Fisheries andAquatic Resources Management Council,through consultation, allows this. With thepassing of such ordinances, LGUs could allow aregulated level of effort (a limited number of boatsbased only on sound data) to fish within this area,by giving preferential access to locally basedcommercial fishing boats and allowing some ofthe income generated from license fees to be usedfor enforcing the licensed operators. This couldthen be a win-win situation for all concerned. Italso recognizes that in reality the commercialfishers are fishing there anyway and perhaps it

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is time to legalize this common intrusion intomunicipal waters.

In this way, the commercial fishers wouldhave a stake and an incentive to better manageparts of the region’s fisheries ecosystem. Thatcould perhaps springboard them into othermanagement interventions, such as closedseasons and limitations on the technologies usedin the region. Such an improvement could leadto a more economically viable and sustainablecommercial fishing industry in the region. It willalso ensure the fish security in and supply ofprotein to Central Visayas for future generations.

As municipal governments have a“municipal first” policy, perhaps it is time toexplore a “provincial first” and “regional first”policy for commercial fishers, allowing access forthem to the 10.1-15 km waters within theprovince where they are based first and thenpossibly for the whole regional waters later on.But this means a total overhaul of the currentsystem. The industry should be the one to initiatecommunication with the national government,and for fisheries management to thrive, this stepwill be essential.

Other Private Sector Initiativesin Central Visayas

The role of the tourism sector

Another fast-growing economic sectordependent on the state of coastal resources in

the region is tourism. Many resorts and hotels inCentral Visayas depend on the income of visitorswho come to snorkel and dive on the coral reefsof the region. With Central Visayas having thesecond highest arrivals in the country, theregion’s dive operations and resorts are beginningto assist in enhancing the resources within theirresorts ultimately achieving customersatisfaction.

Municipal and city governments incoordination with fishers, barangay officials,resorts and divers are now beginning to co-finance and co-manage coastal managementinitiatives such as marine protected areas. Goodmodels of these in the region are the Nalusuanand Gilutongan marine sanctuaries in Cordova,Cebu.

After only three years of operation,Gilutongan’s income from their 12-ha marineprotected area, through snorkeling and diver fees,was in excess of almost PhP2 million (US$35,000)in 2003. This sets a good model for replication inthe region and ensures that the costs ofmanagement can easily be offset by the revenuesand that marine protected areas can attaineconomic sustainability if located near tourismcenters. In other provinces of the region, thediving industry is getting involved in coastalmanagement activities, and there is stillconsiderable room for more partnershipsbetween and among the private sector, LGUsand communities.

The Gilutongan Marine Sanctuary project director collectingdiver fees (tickets)in the marine sanctuary.

Signboard educating divers on the key rules of the marinesanctuary. Nalusuan Island, Cordova, Cebu.

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Marine aquarium trade

The Central Visayas was one of the world’sfirst exporters of marine aquarium fishes.Although identified as an unsustainable industryand associated with cyanide and destructivecollection techniques, there have been recentmoves to clean up the industry initially by theInternational Marinelife Alliance. More recently,the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) is workingon a system to establish certified marineaquarium collection organisms through certifiedgroups of collectors. The clear incentive for thecollection of the organisms is paid through apremium offered by suppliers of these organismsfor a cyanide-free and nondestructive collectionsystem which the group of fishers guarantee andenforce. The fishers in the meantime establish acollection area management plan that guides themanagement of key spots around the area. Thefirst certified collection area in the world wasestablished in Batasan Island, Tubigon, Bohol.This was quickly followed by sites in Tangaran,Clarin, Bohol and in several sites in Camotes,Cebu.

MAC’s third-party, independentcertification system satisfies the need for amechanism that helps identify best practices,verify collectors and companies that comply withthese practices, and label the resulting productsso that consumers can choose and rewardresponsible operators and sustainable products.Hence, this creates a private sector incentive thatencourages and requires collectors to shift tonondestructive practices. All sides get a favorabledeal with better collected organisms and happiercollectors, suppliers (less overheads formortalities in transit) and end-consumers.

The marine ornamental collection areasnow certified were verified to have sufficientlycomplied with all the requirements of MAC’secosystem and fishery management standards.These include the:� development and implementation of a

Collection Area Management Plan;� definition of collection area boundaries and

jurisdiction;� delineation and management of a marine

sanctuary or protected zone;

� strong commitment and demonstratedpolitical will to stop all forms of destructivefishing;

� application of adaptive management andmitigation approaches, such as thoserelated to no-take zones, unsuitable speciesand catch limits; and

� periodic assessment and monitoring of coralreef health and fish stocks.

There are 27 certified collectors in BatasanIsland, Tubigon, and 31 in Tangaran, Clarin,who are committed to a new business model thatprefers low-volume, high-value and healthy liveanimals over high-volume, low-quality and low-priced commodity. These certified collectors wereverified to be using best practices such as:� using only nondestructive methods;� showing proficiency and utilizing safe

diving techniques for collection;� keeping catch logbook and collecting only

what has been ordered;

Fishers collecting aquarium fishes. Olango Island, Cebu.

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� maintaining equipment in good condition;and

� employing post-harvest handlingtechniques that maintain the optimal healthof the organisms.

MAC’s pioneering work in Bohol hasproved that when done responsibly, harvestingmarine ornamentals can be sustainable and cansupport livelihoods in rural coastal villages thatotherwise have very few options for generatingincome. This valuable lesson has inspiredinternational funding institutions to commitfunds for the replication of the MAC programin several dozen sites all over the country. InCamotes Island, communities have showninterest in certification. Four other municipalitiesin Negros Oriental are also on the list of collectionareas with strong certification potential.

Summary

� Commercial fisheries are now the last keystakeholder which needs to adopt coastaland fisheries management in the region.The proposed closed season in Camotes Seais a huge step forward and DA-BFAR andthe sector should be encouraged toimplement it and expand further.

� There is a need to rethink the commercialfishing licensing system and with FAO 223,it is hoped that further reduction in effortprograms can be initiated.

� There is a need for further initiatives towork with the private sector in the regionand future programs and projects shouldconsider them as an essential stakeholder.

� Management of the region’s fish stocks isnot so much about conservation, but moreabout producing a level playing field forboth municipal and commercial fishers,while ensuring that both remain profitableand sustainable industries. Managementinterventions will have short-term politicaland economic implications for some sectors,but in the long-term the economic andsocial benefits will far outweigh the short-term costs.

� The chapter concludes with other privatesector initiatives – one in marine tourismand another, the MAC system, which istying in an economic incentive forsustainable marine aquarium collectiontechniques within the market. This may seta new trend for the industry as a whole,with the customer paying a premium forhigher-quality organisms which mayencourage other collectors to move towardssustainable techniques, offering greatpotential for quick replication within theindustry.

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Introduction

Each fisheries ecosystem of the region has different features, stakeholders and characteristics.These nuances should be understood before the best management system could be put in place.There are, however, general trends common to all of the region’s fisheries ecosystems, and theseare presented in this chapter. The chapter ends with a proposed framework for how the managementof coastal and fisheries resources can be improved in Central Visayas.

Key Trends Common to the Region’s Fisheries Ecosystems

Overfishing

The total catch of marine fish in the region’s waters peaked in 1991 and has steadily declinedsince then, clearly illustrating that the fish stocks have reached and gone beyond their sustainablefishing limits. Despite peaking in 1991, the municipal and commercial fishers have continued tointensify their “fishing effort” in the form of new and larger gears, boats and technologies. This hasled to the current situation wherein the region’s fisheries ecosystems all show signs of overfishing.

The contributors to overfishing are both municipal and commercial fishers, and gears rangingfrom passive (i.e., bunsod using fine-meshed nets and closely spaced together) to active (ringnets)are equally to blame. In recent years, there has been a trend in the region towards the constructionof larger, municipal-based fishing vessels (most registered as being below 3 GT, but are commonlyover 3 GT) using semi-commercial fishing gears. This fleet has adapted in response to the continuedoperation of commercial fishers in municipal waters and declining fish catch. Most of these gearsuse fine-meshed nets and have been claimed to target only the smaller growing fish, such asanchovies, but these fish are present only seasonally during the year. During the rest of the year,the fine-meshed nets are used to catch juveniles of all common commercial fish.

Some ways to make the fisheries more productive include reduction of fishing effort,enhancement of resources with the use of marine protected areas (MPAs), effective coastal lawenforcement and application of step-by-step management towards a larger fisheries ecosystemmanagement. Despite many coastal management interventions, they are on the whole only localizedand scattered around the region. Various types of overfishing have been occurring in the region.

Economic overfishing

There has been a significant increase in fishing effort (i.e., the amount and type of fishingvessels) in the region in both municipal and commercial fishing sectors which has increased thenumber and size of boats by over 250% since 1991 (BFAR 2003). Despite this significant investment,

Chapter 9Fisheries Trends

and Management Frameworkin Central Visayas

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their total fish catch has in fact decreased. Thismeans that more money is being spent andinvested to catch even less fish than historically.This is termed as economic overfishing.

The key question is who is paying for theextra investment and the overcapitalization ofthe industry? These costs are ultimately beingpassed onto the consumers explaining in partwhy the average price of fish in the region hasincreased by 1,400% since 1977 (BFAR 2003).

Ecological overfishing

There has been a clear change incomposition of the species caught in the region’sfisheries ecosystems. Higher level predatory fishhave been replaced by lower trophic fish (usuallycheaper and of less quality). For example, themain species caught in the Visayan Sea werefrigate/bullet tunas (trophic level 4.4) andmackerels until the 1980s. By the late 1980s, tunashad been replaced as the main species caughtby the round scads (budboron) (trophic level 3.4)which are much lower in the food chain and ofless value and quality, but due to their biologyand ecology are more resilient to overfishing. Thisis caused by overexploitation of the tunas,leaving the round scads as the major fish in theecosystem. This is a common indicator ofoverfishing and has been documented aroundthe world (Pauly et al. 1998).

The higher than historical levels of squidcaught around the region are also a telling sign

– that there is a lack of natural predators of squid.Therefore, this reinforces the fact that toppredator fish have been removed, thusoverfishing.

Growth overfishing

In the Visayan Sea, it was found that theaverage size of Indian mackerel caught has beenreduced in size by over 10 cm in only five years.In 1998, its average size was over 30 cm; in 2003,this was just over 20 cm (BFAR 2004).

These examples of overfishing have onlybeen recently documented. Looking back overthe last 40 years, it seems that different types ofoverfishing have been occurring for a long time,and the fisheries ecosystems of the regions havealready changed considerably. Fish stocksfluctuate and change from year to year, but thelong-term trends noted in this profile showclearly that the majority of the region’s demersaland pelagic fisheries have changed for the worstover the last few decades in both quantity andquality of catch.

Likewise in the municipal sector, thedouble-net and even mosquito nets for fishinghave become the norm. These are the only netsthat catch anything anymore, suggesting that fishsizes are much smaller. Twenty years ago, therewas no need to use fine-meshed nets.

Recruitment overfishing

As can be seen in any market in the region,the sizes and diversity of fish are getting smaller.Thus, the chances that these will breed andspawn are small because fish need to maturebefore they can breed. In fisheries biology,breeding is often associated with a certain lengthand weight of the fish. This situation is leavingthe region with fish of age and sizes that areimmature. Fish are a biologically renewableresource that needs to leave eggs and young forthe future. As more juveniles are caught, less fishwill be able to reach adulthood and in turn, thenext year’s generations are getting smaller andsmaller.

The high incidence of squid in the waters of Central Visayasis a clear sign of overfishing, Pasil fish market, Cebu.

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Chapter 9. Fisheries Trends and Management Framework in Central Visayas

“No political boundaries”

About 85% of the fish catch of the regionare pelagic species, and these move around theregion unaware of political and administrativeboundaries of the waters that they pass through.This means that the fish are moving in and outof municipal and national waters on a regularbasis during their life cycles. Even if fish are wellmanaged in the municipal waters, they willeventually move to other municipal or nationalwaters; if management is weak there, the benefitsof any previous management will be lost.

This means that any changes in themunicipal or commercial fishing sectors willultimately affect the majority of the region’sstocks. Despite many statements to the opposite,these sectors both impact on each other’s catch.Any increase in fishing effort by the commercialfishers directly affects the municipal fishers andvice-versa. Hence, there is an urgent need forboth groups of fishers to work together for themanagement of the region’s waters.

Illegal fishing in municipal waters

Commercial fishers have been banned fromoperating within municipal waters since 1991,despite municipal fishers being given preferentialaccess in the Constitution for as early as 1987.There have also been many national governmentprograms to encourage commercial fishers tomove beyond the municipal waters. In spite ofthese, commercial fishers of the region still fish

the majority of their time within municipalwaters. The BFAR is currently distributingmonitoring, control and surveillance patrol boatsto assist in enforcement.

Degraded habitats

Although some habitats are beginning torecover, they are still in a very poor statecompared with their historical condition.Mangroves, coral reefs and seagrasses are aglimmer of their former quality in the region. Thismeans that the economic and fisheries-relatedbenefits are severely reduced. There are largetracts of fishponds in the region that lieunderutilized and unproductive. These could bereverted to mangrove areas and could then helpincrease nearshore fisheries productionconsiderably.

Management Implications for the Region

Enforcement of coastal laws

A major problem facing the marine watersof the region is the lack of a good coastal lawenforcement system. There are many coastallaws in the country, but their enforcement ispoor. While municipal governments are tryingto initiate coastal law enforcement, the watersbeyond their areas have limited enforcement.

There is a need for management to beinitiated in the region’s national and municipalwaters. Alternative systems for coastal law

Typical round haul seine fish catch of juvenile fishes. Clarin,Bohol.

Typical small-scale, municipal fishers fishing off PescadorIsland, Moalboal, Cebu.

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enforcement need to be examined. Theinvolvement of commercial fishers is a hugeopportunity that also needs to be explored. Theirboats often have highly advanced equipment towhich law enforcers do not have access. Theirinvolvement through a “self-compliance”strategy or other mechanisms will onlymaterialize, however, when they have a desirefor and a clearer say in management of theregion’s fisheries.

Marine protected areas

There are over 220 documented MPAs inthe region. Although many of these are smalland focus mostly on the coral reef habitats, theycontribute significantly to coastal and fisheriesmanagement. Coral reefs are an importantecosystem that contribute about 10-15% of theregion’s fish production but in addition, theymake a larger economic contribution throughtourism. The deeper waters are less productiveper unit of area, but cover over 90% of theregion’s waters. These waters are the spawning,feeding and juvenile grounds of the pelagic fishwhich comprise 85% of the catch and thusrequire protection through MPAs as well.

At present, the well-managed andprotected MPAs in the region cover less than0.001% of the total area of each fisheriesecosystem. The Fisheries Code suggests that aminimum of 15% of a typical ecosystem bedeclared into an MPA, up to a maximum of 40%.The area covered by MPAs is therefore miniscule

compared with the total suggested area of theFisheries Code. There is a need to declare a muchlarger area of locally managed and protectedMPAs. MPAs that build up pelagic fish biomassneed to be considered. These will have to be largethough, covering many square kilometers. Thisstrategy may be one of the most equitable andeasiest ways to begin fisheries ecosystemmanagement. One large MPA per ecosystemwould have positive benefits for all stakeholders.

These larger MPAs will need to crossmunicipal boundaries and extend out into thenational waters of the region to cover the lifecycles of key species. The MPAs will facilitatefish biomass buildup and offer insurance for thepelagic stocks as well as indirectly reduce fishingeffort. Initially, management systems and lawenforcement for these areas will be difficult, butthis strategy could be a very effective steppingstone towards fisheries ecosystem management.It will also encourage agreements between localgovernments and national government agenciesto work together on a large scale, which is anessential first step towards management.

Overefficient and destructive fishing gears

The expansion of gears, such as lawag,basnig, baby licom, trawl, nets with scaringdevices and Danish seine (targeting demersalspecies) should be phased out quickly from theregion’s waters. They are too efficient, anddestroy the fisheries habitat.

Wall mural in Moalboal depicting the gravity of the problemof illegal fishing in Central Visayas.

A marine sanctuary signboard from Siquijor Province.

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Incentives

The national policy environment providesno incentive or mechanism for commercialfishers to initiate management of their resources.The current policy is a disincentive tomanagement. Commercial fishing operators whovoluntarily stop building new boats or whoinitiate management do so to their owndetriment. In the current open access situation,other commercial fishers or boats from otherregions will just expand and catch the fish orbuild new boats if the local fishers do not buildthem or do not fish first, in the race to catch allthe fish.

If the commercial fleet continues increasingin size and number, eventually it will replace themajority of municipal fishers. Commercial fishersmust move out of the nearshore fisheries and intothe Philippine EEZ. But for this to happen, acombination of disincentives and lawenforcement is needed.

This should create an environment moreconducive for management and ensure thesuccess of the industry in the region. Suchdisincentives include an increase in the licensefee payment (proportional to the amount of fishcaught), much stiffer penalties for illegal activities,a ban on the building of new boats and purchaseof new technologies, and the cancellation ofcommercial fishing vessel license for fishingwithin municipal waters (as stipulated in theFisheries Code).

Fisheries licensing and gear standardization

Fishers are very innovative. Adjusting andmodifying fishing gears is an art for most of them.Fishing gears are often evolving. If one gear has100 hooks or is 500 m in length, other fisherswill design fishing gears with 150 hooks and 600m in length. As fish stocks continue to decline,these adaptations will continue as fishers lookfor ways to catch more fish. Likewise, commercialfishers with fish finders upgrade to sonars, andthose with sonars upgrade from wooden-hulledto metal-hulled boats. This practice is called“technology creep.” As long as this persists,fishing effort increases and fish catch decreaseswhen stocks are already overexploited.

One possible remedy for technology creepis to standardize and systematize the fishinggears. A good tool for this could be the use of aclear municipal and commercial licensing systemfor the region, which keeps a gear at its currentlength, size and investment. Ideally, fishing gearsshould all be consistent, thereby giving an equalshare of fish catch to all fishers within amunicipality and/or region. During the processof standardization, inefficient gears whichcontribute to habitat degradation, overfishing,and unfair or inequitable catch can be identified.Action plans for their gradual phaseout can beinitiated.

Large purse seine fishing boats commonly ply the watersof Central Visayas but come from other regions.

Even passive municipal fishing gears can cause overfishing,Baclayon, Bohol.

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“Municipal/provincial/regional first”access policy

Given that the supplies of fish are alreadylimited in the region, the key question is whoshould now have access to the remaining stocks?There is a need to move towards a preferentialaccess system for fisheries entry. Although somegroups and agencies are completely opposed tothis system, it is a way for local fishers to getownership over the remaining stocks.

Municipal waters are already declared aspreferential access areas for municipal fishersthrough the Fisheries Code, but there may alsobe a need to enhance this system to includeprovincial fishers (i.e., commercial fishers basedin the province in question) in the 10.1-15 kmwaters and regional fishers gaining preferentialaccess to the national waters of the region forboth municipal and commercial fishers.

This would secure a limited tenure systemand give all the regular resource users a clearerownership/incentive for management, butwould require legislation. The Department ofAgriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and AquaticResources (DA-BFAR) has the legal mandate tomake new laws and policies and can have thesesuggestions laid out in a Fisheries AdministrativeOrder for Central Visayas. A boat color codingsystem could be used to facilitate this policy. Allboats in the region could be color-coded and havetheir barangay, municipality and province markthem, which is similar to registration of cars.

Ideally, only local fishers should have accessto the local resources for the sake of the region’sindustries. This would work by banning theentry of commercial fishing boats from otherregions. This would have to be initiated at thenational policy level, and would ensure moreincentives for commercial fishers from the regionto get involved in management activities. In thistype of situation, the commercial fishers shouldtake the initiative to dialogue with the DA-BFARon the feasibility of such schemes. The negativeside would be that in the long term thecommercial fishers may be banned from enteringother regions.

Regional Trends

A luxury item

Marine capture fisheries have long suppliedcheap protein to the region’s fast-growingpopulation. However, due to scarcity ofresources and high demand, fish is no longer ableto meet this purpose. Regional and provincialplans and planning bodies will have to identifybetter ways to supply protein. Fish is becominga luxury item and as price increases, it will bemore so.

Population

The population is growing at very fast rates,2.3-2.7% per annum (NSCB 2002). This addspressure on the remaining resources in the region.A clear and guided reproductive health programis needed for the region since current levels arenot sustainable and will totally undermine whatfisheries resources remain.

Government assistance

There is no group or organization that isassisting the municipal and commercial fishingsectors towards integration of their managementon the ecosystems approach. The nationalgovernment agencies can adopt the ecosystemsapproach to management and initiate it in acommon management framework. The DA-BFAR in coordination with local groups and theprovincial governments, are all in a perfectposition to integrate municipal and commercialfishers into a common ecosystem-basedframework for management.

Long-term management planning andtechnical assistance should be a priority of thenational government. What is needed areadditional funds for technical assistance tomunicipal and commercial fishers in themanagement of remaining stocks and in policinginterventions.

Alternative livelihood

In the Regional Agenda 21, the agricultureand fisheries sector is analyzed as being “plaguedby a myriad of problems, as reflected in the

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continued low quality of life of the typicalfarmer/fisher, access to technical and creditsupport programs are still wanting.” This reflectsfield experiences that the vast majority ofinvestments are unsuccessful. It may be a lotmore cost-effective to spend these quitesubstantial resources (hundreds of millions ofpesos per year in Central Visayas alone) oncoastal and fisheries management and lawenforcement. The improvement in livelihood offishers through fisheries management will faroutweigh the “benefits” of unsustainable andwasteful “livelihood” projects.

Ecosystems approach to management

As shown above, the management offisheries under the current system of municipaland national waters is not working well. Theecosystem approach to management that goesbeyond administrative boundaries and looks atthe larger level of management will be moreeffective.

Through a series of consultations duringthe planning process, key stakeholders helpedto delineate the region’s “natural bodies ofwater.” The delineation was based on severalkey criteria and forms a compromise of ecosystemboundaries with the geopolitical andadministrative boundaries of the region. One ofthe key outputs of the planning process was toindicatively delineate the key ecosystemboundaries of the marine waters. Thisdelineation led to adoption of seven key fisheriesecosystems for the region (Figure 80).

Although all marine ecosystems linktogether and are fluid, in an archipelago like thePhilippines, these can serve as a good basis forfisheries ecosystem management. Seven keycriteria were used for the delineation:

1. geopolitical aspects of the region(municipal boundaries, indicativejurisdiction of the region’s waters, etc.);

2. common municipal and commercial fishinggears in use;

3. common fish stocks and other marineorganisms;

4. dominant habitats;5. physical land-water interface;

6. dominant human activities; and7. “manageability” of the area, i.e., pragmatic

features which will make managementeasier in the long run.

Although fisheries ecosystem managementis a long-term goal, it can serve as a guide to thedifferent managers who are implementing localmanagement interventions. The key toimplementation of the framework will be towork locally, targeting ecosystem issues, whileprogressively moving up the managementhierarchy – from the local government unit(LGU), to cluster of LGUs, to the province, tothe region and to the inter-region.

The Fisheries Management Framework Planfor Central Visayas

Based on consultations during the planningprocess, a series of key steps were identified thatmanagers could use with correspondingbenchmarks for achieving fisheries ecosystemmanagement. The five steps and their objectivesfollow:

Step 1: Strategic objective:Institutionalize coastal and fisheriesmanagement in each municipality and city.Examples of management interventionsinclude: (see Chapter 7)

� adopt multi-year CRM plan;� conduct a participatory coastal resource

assessment;� form active CRM-related organizations;� initiate shoreline/foreshore management;� implement fisheries and coastal

management ordinances;� establish environment-friendly enterprises;� operate local enforcement units;� develop functioning marine sanctuaries;� implement mangrove management; and� delineate and enforce municipal water

boundaries.

Step 2: Strategic objective: Initiatefisheries management within the commercialfishing sector of the region. Examples ofmanagement interventions include:

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Figure 80. The delineated fishery ecosystems of Central Visayas for management as identifiedby participants in the regional planning.

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� organize and strengthen associations ofcommercial fishers (i.e., ringnetters, Danishseine operators, etc.);

� collect and consolidate key industryfisheries data;

� identify total catch and total fishing effortper fishing gear per fisheries ecosystem;

� initiate basic research exchange with BFARStock Assessment Project and withacademic institutions on key biological andecological characteristics of fisheries,building on the wealth of commercialfishers’ indigenous knowledge;

� identify basic fisheries issues by fishaggregation and migration routes for keyspecies in each fisheries ecosystem;

� initiate fishing gear management policies/plans as basis for fisheries management;

� identify areas for possible large MPAs and/or spawning closed seasons; and

� other interventions as may be identified bythe commercial sector.

Step 3: Strategic objective: Integratecommercial and municipal sectors in jointfisheries management activities. Examples ofmanagement interventions include:

� initiate, by the facilitating agency(provincial government/BFAR), jointconsultations and dialogues betweencommercial and municipal fishing sectorsto identify and address common issues andpossible solutions;

� conduct coordinated fisheries research onkey migration routes of small and largepelagic fish to identify key managementareas that cross municipal and commercialfishing waters;

� identify preferential fishing grounds for theregion and province-based commercialfishing units;

� municipal governments may decide toallow limited and well-managedcommercial fishing within their waters inreturn for a license fee that can be utilizedfor coastal management and lawenforcement activities; and

� identify effort limits among the differentsectors and arrive at agreements on fishingtechnologies and gears which should bephased out unilaterally.

Step 4: Strategic objective: Initiate, byadjacent LGUs with common fishing grounds,fisheries and issues of intermunicipalityfisheries management and agreements throughclustering in coordination with localcommercial fishers. Examples of managementinterventions include:

� facilitate meetings/planning activities bythe assisting organization/broker;

� coordinate fisheries research on fishspawning areas, migration routes andclosed seasons within each cluster of LGUs;

� draft unified ordinances that standardizepolicy within each of the fisheriesecosystems;

� conduct joint/inter-LGU coastal lawenforcement patrolling activities;

� standardize allowed and disallowed fishinggears within each area (not only based onlegality, but also on social, economic andequitable access principles) and of themaximum and minimum mesh size, lengthand width of gears;

� sign inter-LGU agreements on larger-sizeMPAs which may cut across geopoliticalboundaries;

� share preferential access rights betweenmunicipalities at the cluster level, withpreferential access shared between clustersof LGUs through licensing system; and

� initiate a ban on entry of new commercialand municipal fishing gears within eachof the ecosystems.

Step 5: Strategic objective: Beginecosystem fisheries management in each of theregion’s fisheries ecosystems. Examples ofmanagement interventions include:

� hold fisheries ecosystems summits toidentify key priority issues and to draw upa management structure for each fisheriesecosystem;

� identify a regional body/agency that willinitiate interprovince, inter-regional andinter-LGU meetings;

� delineate boundaries of fisheriesecosystems;

� agree among commercial and municipalfishers on resource access and levels offishing effort;

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� establish information management systemper ecosystem;

� prepare a draft ecosystem masterplan;� BFAR assists in effort reduction activities

within the commercial sector;� identify fisheries deemed as overfished, for

closure or to initiate an MPA;� identify areas that can be designated as

preferential access to regional, provincialand municipal fishers; and

� cooperate among clusters of LGUs andcommercial fishers in peer sharing, jointcoastal law enforcement and leveraging ofresources with national and internationalcounterparts.

Summary and Recommendations

� The development of Central Visayas isintricately tied to marine capture fisheries,which provide protein to and employ alarge portion of the population. Regionalplanning bodies, national governmentagencies and other organizations shouldintegrate the results of this profiling intotheir planning activities and focus on bettermanagement as their strategy for increasingproduction in the sector.

� The fisheries of the region are quitedegraded and production will continue todecrease unless a more integratedmanagement approach, which includesboth the municipal and commercialfisheries sectors, is applied. The region’sfisheries situation mirrors that of the restof the country, if not that of the world.

� Central Visayas can be divided into sevenkey fisheries management ecosystemswherein management can be betteradministered.

� A broker or lead facilitator must beidentified in Central Visayas to take thelead in the fisheries management activities.The DA-BFAR is in a unique position to bethis facilitator to coordinate with the DENRand provincial governments.

� Based on the results of the regionalplanning process, BFAR 7 could produce afirst for the country by developing amedium to long-term fisheries developmentplan which could set the direction for theregion over the next decade.

� There is still hope for fisheries in the region,but there is a need for immediatemanagement interventions, the costs ofwhich will be small in comparison to thesocial, economic and ecological costs in thefuture, if no management is adopted.

� A framework for management is presentedthat can guide the region’s fisheriestowards a more ecosystem-basedmanagement. The framework is merely aguide and can be adjusted to the nuancesof the different ecosystems as deemednecessary.

� The fisheries ecosystems identified in thisprofile spread out well beyond thegeopolitical boundaries of Central Visayas.In the long term, management will ideallyneed to cross the region’s boundaries towork with other regions of the country.

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Bagnet: A mobile impounding dragnet, locallycalled basnig. This is a conical or cubical netoperated with the aid of light on dark nights. Alifting motion effects the capture.

Bottom set gillnet: An entangling net which islocally called pamante-triple or pamante-abay orby the generic name for gillnet, pukot. This net isanchored, weighed down, or attached to thebottom so that it is not free to move with thewater current.

Coastline: Outline of the mainland shoretouching the sea at mean low tide.

Commercial fishing: Taking or catching offishery species for trade, business or profit usingfishing vessels of 3 GT or above.

Danish seine: This type of seine is basicallyoperated with a tom weight that is used to drawand haul the net, which is a typical extendedpanel with a cod-end at the center.

Drift gillnet: An entangling net commonlycalled pamo. It is also locally referred to aspamante, patuloy, pangtamban or by the genericgillnet name pukot.

Ecosystem overfishing: This occurs when thedecline of a once abundant fish stock due tofishing results in an ecological imbalance andleads to eventual changes in the whole fisheryecosystem due to the loss of the abundant fishstock.

Exclusive economic zone (EEZ): An area beyondand adjacent to the territorial sea which shallnot extend beyond 200 nautical miles from thebaselines as defined under existing laws.

Appendix 1Glossary

Fine-meshed net: Net with mesh size of less than3 cm measured between two opposite knots of afull mesh when stretched or as otherwisedetermined by the appropriate governmentagency.

Fish aggregating device (payao/payaw): Adevice consisting of a floating structure anchoredby a weighted line with suspended materials,such as palm fronds, to attract pelagic andschooling species of fish.

Fish corral: Locally known as bunsod, this is aguiding barrier constructed of bamboo and/ornets which are set by means of regularly spacedstakes or posts in tidal waters or along the naturalpaths of fish into a desired area.

Fish finder: A fishing accessory which detectsthe presence and aggregation of fish in closevicinity and below the fishing boat, as opposedto a sonar which can detect fish from largerdistances.

Fish pen: An artificial enclosure constructedwithin a body of water for the culture of fishand aquatic resources; made up of bamboo andother poles arranged in an enclosure with finebamboo materials, screen, or nylon netting toprevent escape of fish.

Fish trap: Locally called panggal, this is a set trapor enticing device made of bamboo or rattanwhich is a regular, usually rectangular,receptacle preventing escape of fish by means oftrap doors or tricky passageways. Trapped fishmay be collected at regular intervals, in terms ofdays or weeks.

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Fisher: People directly or personally andphysically engaged in taking and/or culturingand processing fishery and/or aquatic resources.

Fishery: Targeted effort to catch a species of fish,and the infrastructure that supports it; anyactivity relating to the act or business of fishing,culturing, preserving, processing, marketing,developing, conserving and managing aquaticresources and fishery areas, including theprivilege to fish or take aquatic resources.

Fishing boat/gear license: A permit to operatespecific types of fishing boat gear for specificduration in areas beyond municipal waters fordemersal or pelagic fishery species.

Gillnet: Variously sized net in which capture offish is effected by the fish gills becoming entangledby the actual meshes of the net. This is commonlyreferred to as pukot, palaran, pamalo, panglambay,panglampornas, pangtamban, pukot-doble, pukot-triple and pukot-paapong (with light).

Gleaning: Collection of organisms, usuallyduring low tide, through the use of hand orsimple collection devices; organisms includemollusks, juvenile fish and invertebrates.

Gross tonnage: Includes under deck tonnage,permanently enclosed spaces above the tonnagedeck, except for certain exemptions. In broadterms, all the vessel’s “closed-in” spacesexpressed in volume terms on the basis of 100 ft3

(= 1 GT).

Growth overfishing: Occurs when fish arecaught before they are given the chance to growto optimum size for harvest.

Jig: This gear is basically made of a molded leadartificial lure, which also serves as a weight andis moved up and down by hand movements ordragged behind moving boats.

Liftnet: Locally called basnig, this is a mobileimpounding net in which capture is effected bya vertical lifting motion of the gear. It is oftenused in tandem with lights at night.

Limited access: A fishery policy by which asystem of equitable resource use and allocation

is established by law through fishery rightsgranting and licensing procedures.

Longline: An extremely long line with a seriesof baited hooks, either set or drifting, andrequiring only periodic attention at more or lessfixed time intervals. Generic local name is pasol;other local names are palangre, katay, pasol-pambariles, panubid and undak.

Marine protected area: A marine area(s)(including marine and coastal) set aside by lawor any other effective means to conserve andprotect part or all of the enclosed environmentand where management guidelines areestablished. A generic term referring to alldeclared areas governed by specific rules orguidelines intended to protect and manageactivities within the enclosed area. Such areasinclude: marine sanctuary, marine reserve,marine park, fishery reserve, fish refuge or otherlocal names. Rules usually prevent any fishingoperation to take, catch or kill any marineorganism within the designated body of water.Usually declared through a MunicipalOrdinance or a Presidential Proclamation ornational law in the case of National IntegratedProtected Area System sites.

Maximum sustainable yield (MSY): The largestaverage quantity of harvest from a given fishstock within a period of time that can besustained under existing conditions.

Migratory species: Any fishery species, whichin the course of its life, travels over great distancesin waters of the ocean as part of its behavioraladaptation for survival and speciation.

Multiple hook and line: A collective nameapplied to all handlines with multiple hooksincluding set or drift longlines. Multiplehandlines are composed of a single vertical linewith a small series of barbed hooks attached toit by spreaders at regular intervals.

Municipal fishers: Persons directly or indirectlyengaged in municipal fishing and other relatedfishing activities.

Municipal fishing: Fishing vessels of 3 GT orless, or not requiring the use of fishing vessels.

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Appendix 1. Glossary

Municipal waters: Waters included betweentwo lines drawn perpendicular to the generalcoastline from points where the boundary linesof the municipality or city touch the sea at lowtide and a third line parallel with the generalcoastline and 15 km from it. It also includesstreams, lakes and tidal waters within themunicipality, not being the subject of privateownership and not comprised within thenational parks, public forests, timberlands andforest reserves. However, where twomunicipalities are so situated on the oppositeshores that there is less than 15 km of watersbetween them, the third line shall be equallydistant from the opposite shores of the respectivemunicipalities.

Overfishing: Occurs when the quantity of fishharvested causes a net reduction of itspopulation, thereby limiting production from thefish stock for the future.

Purse seine: A form of encircling net having aline at the bottom passing through rings attachedto the net, which can be drawn or pursed.

Recruitment overfishing: Occurs when theadult fish population is caught in large quantities,such that reproduction is impaired.

Resource rent: Difference between the value ofproducts produced from harvesting a publiclyowned resource less the cost of producing it,where the cost includes the normal return tocapital and normal return to labor.

Ringnet: Basic operation of a ringnet involveslaying out the net in a circular fashion and thenhauling it by closing the net below through apull rope. The entire net is typically composedof panels that measure 30-60 m vertically and atotal of 20 m horizontally up to the extendedwings.

Round haul seine: This gear generally consistsof a conical liftnet with a 5-7 m length cod-end.A fine-meshed net is usually adapted for the gear.

Scoop net: Also referred to as scoop seine whichis basically a small purse seine employed as anaccessory gear in hauling the catch direct fromthe large semicircular enclosure of deepwater

fish corrals which may be devoid of a collectingpond or crib. It also refers to a fishing methodwherein schools of fish lured towards surfacewaters by light are scooped out of the water witha circular net. Locally called sudsud (used intandem with gas-powered lights locally calledpetromax).

Single hook and line: Also called simplehandline or dropline. A single vertical linecarrying one or two barbed, baited hooks andworks simply by dropping it into the water andwaiting for fish to bite. Its generic local name ispasol or subid.

Sonar: A fishing accessory that operates like aradar underwater (sonar) to detect the presenceof fish schools. Very sophisticated and can beused to detect size of fish and water depth andto roughly identify the species within a large areaof a fishing ground.

Spear gun: Locally called pana or pamana,sometimes pana-suga. It constitutes a handinstrument provided with pointed, barbed orbarbless blades at the straight tip which are notdetachable from the handle or shaft. It can bethrown by hand although sometimes shot froma gun or bowlike device. It is used at night ordawn, with a light source. Fishers may come ingroups of two or three with one spear gun each.

Superlight: A fishing accessory which uses adynamo and very strong lights above and underthe water, which exploits the photosensitivity(i.e., being attracted to lights) of most fish.

Trawl: An active fishing gear consisting of a bag-shaped net with or without otter boards foropening, which is dragged or towed along thebottom or through the water column to takefishery species by straining them from the water.

Trophic level: A stage in a food chain thatreflects the number of times energy has beentransferred through feeding; for example, whenplants are eaten by animals that are in turn eatenby predators.

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Appendix 2Coastal Resource ManagementShowcases in Central Visayas*

“Sea to See”: Coastal Resource ManagementShowcase Tours

In 2003–2004, the Coastal ResourceManagement Project (CRMP) of the Departmentof Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)and the United States Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) embarked on aninformation, education and communication(IEC) strategy that would showcasemunicipalities and communities successfullyimplementing coastal resource management(CRM).

The strategy is anchored on the premisethat if planned and implemented well, cross visitsand study tours are tremendously cost-effectiveeducational tools. They not only increaseparticipants’ awareness of CRM issues andsolutions, but are often the fastest way toconvince others of the benefits of resourcemanagement. While, indeed, cross visits aregenerally popular training activities in CRM,these remain underrated due to the absence ofwell-packaged and planned CRM study tourprograms. The CRMP’s “Sea to See”: CRMShowcase Tours is an attempt to address thisconstraint.

The strategy envisions that showcasedmunicipalities and communities can serve asCRM models, and that through the sharing oftangible lessons and experiences as well asinteractive learning, targeted clientele – localgovernment, nongovernment organizations(NGOs), people’s organizations (POs), interestedindividuals and the private sector – will becomemotivated to adopt and implement CRM. They

also offer an opportunity to “affirm” successesof local government units (LGUs) in CRM, basedon affirmative feedback from local officials andcommunity members.

Each “CRM showcase” is a set of soundand replicable resource management and localgovernance models packaged in a study tourwhere relevant learning regarding CRM canoccur quickly and collaboratively. Participantsare exposed to modules of experiential,interactive and educative travel activities thatfeature varied coastal environments, best CRM

Directory of CRM Learning Destinations in thePhilippines handbook.

* Contributed by Rebecca Pestaño-Smith, Liberty Pinili-Aliño andRosario Evangeline Mariño-Farrarons.

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practices and challenges, as well as snapshots oflocal coastal culture and history.

The CRM showcases were developedcollaboratively with key stakeholders – inparticular, the LGUs involved who are expectedto operate, manage and market their respectivestudy tour products. Potential showcasedestinations were carefully chosen based onquality of CRM lessons they could offer, visitorappeal, and local commitment to operate andmanage the tours.

Local government officials, NGOs and POswho want to know the dos and don’ts in CRMcan learn from the provinces of Bohol, NegrosOriental and Cebu, where many pioneeringefforts in CRM have taken place. These earlyCRM projects provide valuable lessons by thelength of experience of communities and localgovernments that have tried various strategiesin managing coastal resources. Specifically,showcased municipalities and communities in:

� Bohol - demonstrate how localgovernments, led by the provincialgovernment, can be united in the fightagainst illegal fishing and how LGUleadership can truly make CRM happen;

� Cebu, the most urbanized province inCentral Visayas - provide not just lessonsbut proof that CRM can happen againstmany odds; and

� Negros Oriental, where one of the earliestmarine protected areas (MPAs) in thecountry was established - underscore notonly the vital role of the community inpromoting sustainable resource use, butalso the importance and viability ofcollaborative and integrated management.

Mainstreaming Coastal ResourceManagement: The Bohol Experience

Today, Bohol and the islands within itsjurisdiction are gaining a reputation as the placethat holds some of the proven successes and mostvaluable lessons in CRM. During the CRMshowcase tour, you will not only see for yourselfthe captivating sights that have made the islandprovince a favorite tourist destination, but alsobe exposed to the strong sense of pride and

cultural identity that Boholanos are nationallyand internationally known for.

The Bohol circuit features the BoholEnvironment Management Office (BEMO), thetowns of Inabanga, Buenavista, Getafe,Guindulman, Dimiao and Baclayon.

Upon arrival in Tagbilaran City, tourparticipants will be briefed on the provincialgovernment’s CRM programs, particularlyactivities undertaken by BEMO. The provincialgovernment has made it a priority to addressillegal fishing and has established Coastal LawEnforcement Councils (CLECs) in each of theprovince’s three congressional districts. It has alsoplayed a strong leadership role in catalyzingCRM at the municipal level through provisionof technical and financial support.

Inabanga: strong political willand local governance

Before the local government of Inabangamade CRM a basic service for its coastalconstituents, the municipality was faced withalmost overwhelming problems involving illegaland destructive fishing, siltation and soil erosionfrom upland deforestation, illegal cutting andconversion of mangroves, intrusion ofcommercial fishers in municipal waters, and anindifferent if not apathetic citizenry.

Things began to change in 1997. Withtechnical assistance from CRMP and financialsupport from the Community-based ResourceManagement Project (CBRMP) of the World Bankand the Department of Finance, LGU leadership

Inabanga Municipal Hall, Bohol. (M. Gasalatan)

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Appendix 2. Coastal Resource Management Showcases in Central Visayas

flexed its muscles to implement CRM and a no-nonsense coastal law enforcement program.Through sheer political will and a commitmentto sound ecological governance, the LGU hassucceeded in rallying its constituents to supportits vision and program for the sustainable useand management of its resources.

During the tour, you will be briefed on howthe municipality has been able to substantiallyreduce illegal fishing, establish marinesanctuaries, reforest more than 300 ha ofmangrove areas, provide alternative livelihood,organize functional and active fish wardens, andconduct capability training, among others.Today, Inabanga’s fisherfolks enjoy increasedfish catch (3-6 kg per fisher per day), consciouslyprotect their coastal habitats and nurture astrong partnership with their LGUs.

The Cambuhat River and Village Tour wasinitiated by the municipal government ofBuenavista, with assistance from CRMP andFCB Foundation, Inc. in 1998. CRMP providedtechnical assistance to residents in growingoysters and subsequently instilled upon them theimportance of maintaining the integrity of thisecosystem to ensure sustainability of theirlivelihood. The river and village tour was bornto combine the showcasing of the oyster farmsand the intrinsic educational value of traversingthrough the river. Operated and managed bymembers of the cooperative, the tour alsoincludes an orientation to quaint village life andthe role of women in a fishing community. Asvillagers treat you to a sumptuous lunch offreshly harvested oysters and seafood, you learnmore about their organization and the variouslivelihood initiatives they have undertaken. InApril 2000, the tour was recognized by theConservation International’s Excellence inEcotourism Awards, besting 67 entries fromdifferent parts of the world.

Buenavista: Cambuhat River and village tour

Cambuhat River is an unspoiled waterwaythat nurtures oysters, shrimps and fish. The tourtakes you to a very pleasant paddleboat ridethrough the river, and you begin to appreciatethe importance of river ecosystems within theoverall coastal and marine environments. Youalso hear the story of how the villagers ofCambuhat have been transformed from being“abusers” to “guardians” of the river. Villagersproudly show you their oyster farms thatproduce excellent quality oysters and share withyou their enthusiasm for the now thrivingecotourism enterprise they have ventured into.

Getafe’s Banacon Mangrove Park:A walk or paddleboat ride through“Paden’s highway”

The mangrove forest in Banacon Island inthe northern town of Getafe is the fruit of onehuman’s actions to make himself self-reliant.With barely 40 ha of dry and rocky land,Banacon Island was not hospitable toagricultural activities or for the planting of trees.Recognizing this, in 1959, Eugenio “NongDenciong” Paden began to plant mangroves ofthe Rhizophora species, locally called bakauan as

Cultured oysters, Cambuhat, Buenavista, Bohol.

Banacon Mangrove Park, Getafe, Bohol.

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alternative sources of wood for houseconstruction and cooking fuel. Nong Denciong’sinitiatives did not go unnoticed, and hismangrove planting activities and methods weresoon emulated by his family and fellow villagers.Over the years, through the initiative of theislanders and subsequent support from theCentral Visayas Regional Project (CVRP) and theDENR, the mangrove plantation expanded toover 450 ha. It is now recognized as the largesthuman-made mangrove plantation in thePhilippines, if not in the whole of Asia.

From Getafe, you take a short motorboatride to Banacon Island, where villagers andmembers of the fisherfolk cooperative thatmanages the tour greet you for a brief orientationand some refreshments. They tell you the storyof how the plantation came to be and sharethoughts and insights on some of the continuingchallenges of resource management. Dependingon tide conditions, you then take a scenicpaddleboat ride or walk through the “corridors”of the forest, amidst a cacophony of sounds andthe sighting of endemic as well as migratorybirds. A unique feature of the plantation is its“highway network,” wherein the sea resemblesthat of a highway, with crisscrossing streets andalleys, populated by mangrove “settlements.”The plantation’s major “thoroughfare” isappropriately named “Paden’s Highway” or“Paden’s Pass” in honor of its founder.

Guindulman: Basdio Marine Sanctuary

On day two, start your day early; youwould not want to miss the spectacle of schoolsof fish making the waters swirl. Take breakfastand interact with the members of the local POs.Then leisurely swim and snorkel in one of themost inviting coral gardens anywhere.

The town of Guindulman is 85 kmsoutheast of Tagbilaran City and the oldestmunicipality in Bohol. In Barangay Basdio (acontraction of bas diyo, a Boholano phrasemeaning “little sand”), residents consider the seaas a stable source of food and income. But yearsof illegal and destructive fishing practices havedwindled fish catch and degraded coastalhabitats. With technical assistance from CRMPand BEMO, in 1999, the municipal government

and the community began earnest efforts to planand implement CRM in their coastal barangays.A primary initiative of the LGU was to work withthe fisherfolks in establishing and managing an18.4 ha marine sanctuary. Initially resisted bysome members of the community, the marinesanctuary is now a source of pride for themunicipality. Today, even the most vocal criticsof the sanctuary take part in protecting the area.

The tour allows you to swim and snorkelin the sanctuary’s buffer zone, an underwaterparadise even to the most jaded diver. Even fromthe guardhouse on the cliff overlooking thesanctuary, one can see the wealth of aquatic life– live and colorful corals, and teems of fishbreaking into the surface of the crystal clearwater. You can also take a paddleboat ridearound the sanctuary that allows you not onlyto see this underwater marvel but also to viewthe burial caves on the face of the limestone cliffsoverlooking the sea.

Dimiao: An integrated approachto resource management

In 1996, alarmed at rampant illegal fishingactivities, indiscriminate throwing of wastes andcoastal erosion, the local government of Dimiaoestablished the Project Development ofResources, Education, Awareness andManagement (DREAM). This project sought toinvolve residents in natural resourcemanagement.

As a start, the municipal governmentconducted environmental awareness activities in

Basdio Marine Sanctuary, Guindulman, Bohol. (M.Gasalatan)

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both upland and coastal barangays andfacilitated the integration of environmentaleducation into the curriculum of themunicipality’s elementary and high schools. Soonafter, a CRM program was put in place with theestablishment of a marine reserve and fishsanctuary, reforestation of mangrove areas,establishment of an agroforestry demonstrationfarm and an improved garbage collection system.POs, including women’s groups and fishwardens’ associations, were likewise supportedwith capability and livelihood training.

The tour is an orientation on how strongpolitical will and local leadership combined withconcerted educational efforts can make citizensrally to the vision of improved resourcemanagement.

Pamilacan Island’s dolphin and whalewatching tour: A story of transformation

The sea off Pamilacan Island, part of thejurisdiction of Baclayon town was known as anatural habitat for whale sharks and marinemammals. Fishers talked of those times whenwhale sharks as well as pods of dolphins andwhales were readily observed from the beachesof the island. However, it was also a traditionallivelihood for the island fishers to hunt thesecreatures. In fact, the island got its name fromthe word pilak or harpoon, the device used byfishers in hunting sharks. Fishers themselvesagree that indiscriminate hunting has led to thedecimation of these creatures’ population.

Candijay: Mangrove adventure tour

Primarily a natural forest, the 596-hamangrove area located in Barangay Panadtaranis one of the most biodiverse mangroveecosystems in the Philippines. In 1996, 140individuals formed the Panadtaran MangroveAssociation (PAMAS). The mangrove forest ismanaged by PAMAS under a DENR-issuedCommunity-based Forest ManagementAgreement. In 2001, CRMP helped PAMASmembers develop the mangrove area into anecotourism site. Through the assistance of theGerman Development Service, Bohol ProvincialTourism Office and FCB Foundation, Inc.,boardwalks were built around the forest andsigns installed identifying the different mangrovespecies in the area.

The dolphin and whale watching tour wasdeveloped by the provincial government with thesupport of NGOs and concerned nationalagencies to promote awareness and appreciationof the role of these marine mammals and whalesharks to the overall marine ecosystem. It alsoserved to provide an alternative livelihood forfishers who were once engaged in their hunting.Serving as “spotters” or guides, thesetransformed fishers take you on a delightful andfun journey to the natural playgrounds of thesecreatures of the wild. The tour package coverslunch as well as a snorkeling or swimming visitto the island’s marine sanctuary, a favorite divingdestination for local and foreign divers.

Fraser’s dolphin, Pamilacan Island, Baclayon, Bohol. (W.Perrin)

Mangrove boardwalk, Panadtaran, Candijay, Bohol. (M.Gasalatan)

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A walk into the Panadtaran mangroveforest is both exciting and educating. Whilebalancing on the bamboo boardwalks, PAMASmembers brief you on how mangroves are a lifesupport system to all kinds of fish and marineanimals, and how, in Panadtaran, these are ahaven for growing shrimps, mud crabs andoysters. You see for yourself the wide range ofmangrove species that grow in the area, thewealth of marine life that the mangroveecosystem nurtures, and most of all, theindomitable spirit of the community membersthat ensures its continued protection andmanagement.

Cebu Communities Fight the Odds

Nowhere in Central Visayas has the battlefor CRM been more difficult than in Cebu. Anurbanized province, conflict among resourceusers is highly pronounced. It is no surprisetherefore that in many areas, people are wary ofprograms they fear would affect their livelihood.

The Cebu CRM showcase features fourprojects that became successes after long anddifficult struggles among stakeholders: theOlango Bird and Seascape Tour, the GilutonganMarine Sanctuary, the Kawasan Falls andMatutinao River in Badian, and the SaavedraMarine Sanctuary in Moalboal Town.

Olango birds and seascape tour

Every winter, many species of shorebirdsescape the cold in temperate regions and flytowards the tropics where they feed on marineinvertebrates and plants found on shores. TheEast Asian Migratory Flyway that includes thePhilippines is one of the most important shorebirdand waterbird migratory flyways in the world.About 77 species of migratory birds use thisflyway. The wetlands of Olango Island weredeclared a protected area in 1992, and are alsorecognized by the Ramsar Convention as awetland of international importance. At thattime, only a handful understood the significanceof these wetlands, and some residents evencomplained that the protected status gave thebirds more preferential treatment than theresidents of the island.

In 1997, CRMP led efforts to address theconcerns of the residents and also to determinehow to effectively manage the island’s resources.One of the activities initiated by CRMP was thecommunity-based Olango Birds and SeascapeTour (OBST) that was designed to protect thewetlands while at the same time allowcommunity members to earn from ecotourism.Despite a difficult start, the tour is nowsuccessfully operated and managed by thecommunity’s cooperative. It is an education notonly on the importance of the wetlandsecosystems that serve as habitats to thesemigratory birds, but also an introduction to acommunity’s resolve to protect and conservewhat nature has uniquely endowed its residentswith, and gain livelihood in the process. The tourwill also provide you with a firsthand glimpseof life in this fishing village and a betterappreciation of the island residents’ relationshipwith their environment.

The OBST earned awards of excellence asan ecotourism project from the ConservationInternational and the British Airways. It alsoreceived the Public Relations Society of thePhilippines’ Anvil Award of Merit in 1999.

Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Olango Island, Cebu.

Bird viewing with tour guide, Olango Island, Cebu.

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Gilutongan Marine Sanctuary: A communityReborn

Village elders say that the waters aroundGilutongan and nearby islands used to teem withfishes. But years of use of destructive fishingmethods and overfishing resulted indeteriorating habitats and fish decline. With theisland’s environmental degradation, fish yieldswent down and so did the islanders’ income andability to provide for even their most basic needs.With the specter of poverty beginning to hauntthem and guided by the passion and leadershipof a few of their fishers as well as by conservation-oriented organizations, the villagers ofGilutongan began to mend their ways. But itwasn’t easy.

In an effort to address the problem, a 10-ha marine sanctuary was established offGilutongan Island, in the Municipality ofCordova in 1991. But management of thesanctuary was an on-and-off affair until 1998,when CRMP worked with the municipalgovernment to plan and implement CRM. Sincethen, the LGU has made management of thesanctuary a priority program. The sanctuary wasexpanded to 14 ha and a budget was allocatedfor its regular operations and management. Asthe condition of the reef in the sanctuaryimproved, many divers and snorkelers becameinterested in Gilutongan. A users’ fee programwas subsequently implemented in 2001,generating substantial revenues for themunicipality and the barangay. The sanctuaryhas not only improved fish population in thearea. It also has revived the interest of divers in

the Gilutongan Channel. It was reported thatannual users’ fees amount to almost PhP2 million,with 70% going to the municipality and 30% tothe barangay.

The tour encourages you to swim or snorkelaround the sanctuary’s buffer zone. You will beamazed at the remarkable abundance of fishesas well as the presence of live coral cover in thearea. Now considered a “must” divingdestination in Cebu, divers consistently marvelat the diversity of fish species present, and how“tame” these sea creatures seem to be when theycome in contact with humans.

Matutinao River and Kawasan Falls, Badian

Day two of the showcase tour takes youto southwestern Cebu to visit Kawasan Falls andMatutinao River in Badian, and BarangaySaavedra in Moalboal. Despite its distance frommetropolitan Cebu, Matutinao River and themore popular Kawasan Falls are favoriteweekend destinations of urban residents andtourists. While many rivers in the metropoliswere drying up or have become contaminated,Kawasan Falls flows ceaselessly, feeding thecrystal-clear Matutinao River. It was no surpriseto anyone that the river has consistently wonawards as the one of the cleanest inland bodiesof water in the country.

But tourism has its downside. While itbrings economic gains, many visitors candesecrate the natural beauty of the place.Conflicts can also arise among privatelandowners and local government overdevelopments along the river and around the

Gilutongan Island, Cebu.

Kawasan Falls, Badian, Cebu. (M. Gasalatan)

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falls. To provide accommodations to increasingnumbers of tourists, some landowners builtcottages near the falls and on the riverbank,violating national laws on easement. There wasalso the increasing problem of pollution causedby the presence of garbage from the increasingnumber of visitors. It was not long before theseproblems and lack of planning and developmentguidelines (illustrated by the building of concretecottages and bridges) threatened to makeMatutinao and Kawasan unsightly. To addressthese brewing issues, the Matutinao RiverEcosystem Development Council was organizedto draft and implement an effective managementplan. Hopes are high for the plan to seeimplementation and for stakeholders to be unitedin their vision for the sustainable use andmanagement of their resources.

8.13 ha sanctuary is a testament of a communityassociation’s tremendous resolve andcommitment. When the CVRP ended in the early1990s, the fishers’ association took it upon itselfto continue pursuing the goals of the associationand the objectives of the fish sanctuary.

In interactions with members of theassociation, you will learn the dauntingchallenges they had to face to protect what theyhave started, sometimes risking their lives or thepolitical ire of some leaders in the process.However, these are now largely in the past, andthe association now works closely with themunicipal government in protecting thesanctuary and implementing a users’ feeprogram. Recent reef assessments conducted byCRMP and the Coastal Conservation andEducation Foundation show that live coral coverin the sanctuary is good, at 69%, and that reeffish show abundance and diversity.

Negros Oriental: Modeling the Way in CRM

The province is recognized as a pioneer inCRM, largely as a result of the work done bySilliman University’s Marine Laboratory. It isknown for the internationally acclaimed ApoIsland Marine Sanctuary of the municipality ofDauin, which is largely regarded as a model ofcommunity-based resource management.

The Negros Oriental CRM showcase touris a three-day educational journey to Apo Island,the dolphin-and-whale-watching project of theBais City government, Dumaguete City’sintegrated CRM program and SillimanUniversity’s marine and wildlife conservationprojects.

Apo Island Marine Sanctuary:Conservation does pay

Day one takes you to the town of Dauin,approximately 15 km from Dumaguete City.Dauin is the home municipality of Apo Island.Local officials brief you on the various CRMinitiatives the municipality has taken, includingthe establishment of four sanctuaries within thetown’s municipal waters. As a welcome activity,and with time permitting, you may get the chanceto see and listen to Dauin’s famous and

The courage of Saavedra fisherfolk

Moalboal, 87 km southwest of Cebu City,is a well-known diving destination to local andforeign divers. Endowed with fringing coral reefs,its Pescador Island has been described as a“microcosm of what is best in Philippine diving.”Three marine sanctuaries were established inMoalboal during the years of the CVRP.However, one stands out because of thefisherfolk’s group that has protected it since1987. This is the marine sanctuary in SitioBangag, Barangay Saavedra.

Pure tenacity and the belief that they aredoing things right for themselves and thecommunity are the reasons why the SaavedraFish Sanctuary continues to thrive today. The

Saavedra Marine Sanctuary, Moalboal, Cebu. (L. Aliño)

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enchanting children’s rondalla. Afterwards, itis a 30-minute boat ride to Apo Island.

Blessed with majestic limestone cliffs,fringing coral reefs and a spectacular diversityof marine life, Apo Island’s success story has beentold many times over, and its breathtakingunderwater scenery immortalized in manydocumentary videos and photographs. Thesanctuary was established in 1985 under theguidance of Silliman University. Initially, islandresidents resisted efforts of university scientiststo introduce the concept of marine resourceconservation. Gradually, the community learnedthe importance of the sanctuary to livelihood andwas soon involved in its protection. Due to thebiological diversity of Apo Island, it wasproclaimed a National Seascape in 1994.Consequently, a Protected Area andManagement Board (PAMB) was created toimplement and oversee management policies forthe sanctuary. For sometime now, a users’ feeprogram has been in place and has earned forPAMB and the community, substantial fees thatgo to the sanctuary’s management operationsand to various village projects.

Women members of the cooperative serveas your guides during your stay in the island andprovide a sumptuous lunch of fresh seafood.There is ample time for snorkeling, scuba divingor swimming. However, it is strongly advised tofollow the sanctuary’s rules and regulations onsafety.

Bais City: Encounters with the wild

On day two, you will drive out to Bais City,approximately 45 minutes from Dumaguete Cityfor a day in the sun, sand and sea, and a mostdelightful encounter with the dolphins andwhales of Tañon Strait. Tañon Strait, the narrowsea between Negros and Cebu Islands is a well-known natural habitat of many species ofdolphins and whales. A national law was passedprohibiting catching these in order to stopindiscriminate slaughtering.

The Bais City government enforced this ban,and recognizing a tourism potential, launchedan information campaign to help the publicunderstand the role of these marine animals tothe overall marine environment and theimportance of marine life conservation. Its marineecological appreciation tour includes thepioneering dolphin-and-whale-watching tour inTañon Strait. This tour is not to be missed. It isan education not only on the various species andbehavior of dolphins and whales, but also anexperience of sheer joy and pleasure atwitnessing the natural antics of these marineanimals in their natural playgrounds andhabitats.

Dumaguete City: Integrating coastal resourcemanagement and solid waste management

Day three is a tour around Dumaguete Citythat includes a stop at Silliman University.Primarily known as a “university town,”Dumaguete City officials and residents are justas proud of their reputation as one of the moreenvironmentally oriented cities in the country.

Apo Island, Dauin, Negros Oriental. Talabong Mangrove Forest, Bais City. (L. Aliño)

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The city seeks to strike a balance between theneeds of the people and that of the environmentthrough working partnerships with civil society,neighboring LGUs, provincial and nationalgovernment agencies as well as with foreigndonors and NGOs. Indications show that suchbalance is being achieved, with Dumaguete’spockets of urban forests, garbage-free streets andhomes, absence of noise and air pollution,mandatory waste segregation, and rehabilitatedcoastal and marine ecosystems.

The tour takes you to the City Dumpsiteand Ecological Park wherein you witness theeffectiveness of the use of vermiculture incomposting and the effectiveness of the city’smandatory waste segregation program. Throughwaste segregation at the household level, theamounts of nonbiodegradable garbage that findsits way into the dumpsite is reduced. In turn,through vermicomposting, biodegradablegarbage is converted into organic fertilizers andsold to farmers. The city government is thus ableto prolong the life span of the 1-ha dumpsite. Asproof that the dumpsite is indeed an ecologicalpark, check out the aviary within the compoundand the clean condition of the river that runsthrough the facility.

You will also make a stop at the city’s newand modern abattoir. Realizing that the oldabattoir was a major contributor to the seawater,Dumaguete City invested in the relocation andconstruction of a new and modern abattoir thatincludes a biological treatment facility forwastewater. This has resulted in a considerablereduction of wastewater pollution in the coastalareas.

Silliman University Marine Laboratory andCenter for Tropical Conservation Studies

Silliman University’s Marine Laboratoryhas poured efforts into enabling localcommunities to manage their coastal resources.Its assistance to local government andcommunities ranges from conducting baselineresearch on coastal ecosystems to educatingpeople on CRM. A visit to the laboratory exposesyou to the importance of scientific research inCRM. Likewise, the collection of bones andskeletal remains of whales and dolphins, corals,shells, seagrasses, fishes and invertebratespecimens indicate the vast underwater wealthof Tañon Strait from where these were largelycollected. There are also live specimens of variousmangrove species, giant clams, huge-sizedgrouper (lapulapu) as well as crocodiles.

The Center for Tropical ConservationStudies, A.Y. Reyes Zoological and BotanicalGarden, is a wooded area in the center of thecity that provides home to 16 animal species aswell as plants and trees that are indigenous tothe Philippines. It has contributed to raisingpublic awareness on wildlife conservation.

Dumaguete City Ecological Park. (L. Aliño) Philippine spotted deer, Silliman University Center forTropical Conservation Studies. (L. Aliño)

129

Appendix 3Inventory of Fishing Gears

in Central Visayas

Background

Primary and secondary data collected fromAugust 2003 to January 2004 provide a generalpicture of the state of the municipal fisheriessector in Central Visayas. The current realitiesof the commonly regarded sustenance fisheriessector are presented. Estimates are shown on thenumber of fishing craft and gears, number offishers, types of fishing activities, their catch ratesand the major species they are catching, andissues that weigh down on the sector. Toemphasize the magnitude of various keyinformation, figures were expressed as density,relative to the extent of coastline of each to thelocal government units (LGUs) or fishing ground.The information also allowed us to evaluate,though to a lesser extent, other relevant details,such as exploitation patterns of various gears,degrees of fishing pressure they exert on the fishresources and size selectivity of common fishinggears.

To characterize the municipal capturefisheries of Central Visayas, key informantinterviews were conducted in representativecoastal barangays of all municipalities of the fourprovinces of the region. Between 40 and 50% ofthe coastal barangays in the mainland and allisland barangays were covered by the interviews.The mainland coastal barangays were selectedin consultation with the Municipal AgricultureOfficer and the Agriculture Technician whohave fisheries functions. Coastal barangays wereclassified into sizes and common attributes.Characteristics considered were size of fisherpopulation, typical fishing gears used andcoastline topography. Between 40 and 50% fromeach category was taken as sample, and estimateswere based on the ratio of samples to the total in

each category. Coastal barangays with veryunique attributes were automatically includedand separately taken into account. This isespecially true for island barangays, barangayswithin the town proper, or barangays exclusivelyfishing for a specific commodity like tuna, giantsquid and manta ray. Key informants wereselected from knowledgeable people in thecommunity such as the barangay chair,president of people’s organizations, members ofBantay-Dagat, fish wardens and chair of theBarangay Fisheries and Aquatic ResourcesManagement Council.

In those selected barangays, the followinginformation was collected: number of motorizedand nonmotorized fishing craft; estimate numberof fishers; number of each fishing gear type;documentation of fishing gears (see Appendix 4for photo or drawing); design and specificationsof documented fishing gears; estimates of catchper unit effort for each fishing gear type reflectingseasonal variation; and indicative catchcomposition of each fishing gear type reflectingseasonal variation. Issues related to municipalcapture fisheries raised by the fishers were alsodocumented. Data gathered from representativebarangays were used to make estimates of keystatistics for each municipality that were laterconsolidated by province and by ecosystem.

Fishers and Fishing Craft

In the province of Siquijor (Table A3-1), themunicipality of Siquijor has the most number offishers and of fishing boats per kilometer ofcoastline. Maria and Lazi have the fewest. Interms of motorized boats per kilometer ofcoastline, Enrique Villanueva has the highest,followed by San Juan. This is brought about by

130


the significant number of fishers engaged incatching larger pelagic species in Bohol Sea andEast Sulu Sea, and this requires the use ofmotorized fishing craft. There is also significantlyhigher density of nonmotorized fishing craft inSiquijor (68 boats per kilometer of coastline) thanin the other municipalities of the island province.The fishers-to-fishing-boat ratios are relativelylower in Siquijor, Lazi and Maria (indicatingmore ownership of fishing vessels) than inEnrique Villanueva, San Juan and Larena.

In Negros Oriental (Table A3-2), Siaton,Manjuyod and Bais City have relatively highernumber of fishers and fishing craft than the restof the coastal municipalities while Jimalalud andBindoy have the lowest. The municipalities withrelatively higher number of fishers and fishingcraft per kilometer of coastline are Manjuyod,Dumaguete City and Zamboanguita. Perkilometer of coastline, there are more motorizedfishing boats in Manjuyod and Siaton and morenonmotorized boats in San Jose, Zamboanguita,La Libertad, Dumaguete City, Dauin, Sibulanand Bacong than in the other coastalmunicipalities of the province. Fishers-to-fishing-boat ratio is very low in Bindoy, San Jose andSibulan while it is quite high in Guihulngan andBais City.

In the province of Bohol (Table A3-3),coastal municipalities located along the DanajonBank have relatively higher number of fishersand fishing craft per kilometer of coastline thanthe rest, while those in the southeast portion of

the island have the lowest. Concentration ofmotorized fishing craft is highest in Talibon andBien Unido while it is lowest in Anda and GarciaHernandez. Bien Unido has also the highestconcentration of nonmotorized craft while Lilahas the lowest. There is generally a ratio of about1-2 fishers to 1 boat, except in Jagna and GarciaHernandez.

In the province of Cebu, the municipalitiesof Bantayan and Daanbantayan have the highestcounts of fishers and fishing craft whileCompostela, Consolacion, Minglanilla andAlcantara are among those which have thelowest (Table A3-4). The municipalities with thehighest number of fishers and fishing boats perkilometer of coastline are Talisay City,Madridejos and Cordova while those with thelowest are Catmon, Consolacion, Santander andMoalboal. Concentration of motorized boats ishighest in Talisay City and Madridejos while thatof nonmotorized boats is highest in Cordova. Ingeneral, there is a ratio of more or less 1-2 fishersfor every fishing boat, except in Bogo, Dumanjug,Pinamungahan, Toledo City and Lapu-lapu City.

Fishing Gears

Hook and lines (49%), gillnets (20%) andjigs (15%) are the dominant fishing gears inCentral Visayas. The estimated numbers of eachgeneric fishing gear type by province are givenin Tables A3-5 – A3-8. The frequently used gearsare the multiple hook and lines, simple hook andlines, squid jig, drift gillnet and bottom set gillnet.

Table A3-1. Estimated total number of fishers and boats in the 6 coastal municipalities ofSiquijor province, 2003 (Armada et al. 2003).

Boats

Enrique VillanuevaMariaLaziSan JuanSiquijorLarenaTotal/Average

Motorized

MunicipalityBoats

Motorized Nonmotorized

313

315

227

396

1,426

181

2,858

788

606

452

1,063

2,021

455

5,385

123

88

106

166

129

47

659

1.8

1.5

1.4

1.9

1.3

2.0

1.7

71.6

26.4

28.3

56.0

96.2

41.4

53.3

11.2

3.8

6.6

8.7

6.1

4.3

6.8

28.5

13.7

14.2

20.8

67.9

16.5

26.9

Fishers Fisher-to-boat ratio

Coastal density (per km coastline)

NonmotorizedFishers

131

Appendix 3. Inventory of Fishing Gears in Central Visayas

Table A3-2. Estimated total number of fishers and boats in the 21 coastal municipalities ofNegros Oriental province, 2003.

Boats

VallehermosoGuihulnganLa LibertadJimalaludTayasanAyungonBindoyManjuyodBais CityTanjay CityAmlanSan JoseSibulanDumaguete CityBacongDauinZamboanguitaSiatonSanta CatalinaBayawan CityBasayTotal/Average

Motorized

MunicipalityBoats


34122462410821018493

528520194222480455457305628763584470304232

7,926

6931,3241,050

209430397325

2,4342,514

607432714772

1,039521

1,0761,5083,1481,4761,108

50822,285

104268

9623

127121198949591216105102170206

7799

3171,302

292362118

5,843

1.62.71.51.61.31.31.11.72.31.51.31.21.21.61.41.51.41.71.91.71.51.6

53.349.0

116.723.253.822.125.0

152.183.832.061.7

119.085.8

148.474.4

107.6137.1101.6

26.879.142.3

75.9

8.09.9

10.72.6

15.96.7

15.259.319.711.415.017.018.929.411.0

9.928.842.0

5.325.9

9.817.7

26.28.3

69.312.026.310.2

7.233.017.310.231.780.050.665.343.662.869.418.8

8.521.719.3

32.9



Nonmotorized

Fishers

Table A3-3. Estimated total number of fishers and boats in the 29 coastal municipalities ofBohol province, 2003.

Boats

Tagbilaran City

Cortes

Maribojoc

Loon

Calape

Tubigon

Clarin

Inabanga

Buenavista

Getafe

TalibonBien Unido

Ubay

Pres. C.P. GarciaMabini

Candijay

Anda

Guindulman

DueroJagna

Garcia Hernandez

ValenciaDimiao

Lila

Loay

Alburquerque

BaclayonDauis

Panglao

Total/Average

Motorized

MunicipalityBoats


273

233

159

933

458

261

150

874

492

700

750840

406

610608

156

550

262

250268

145

122220

60

286

80

158502

880

11,686

719

363

362

1,544

1,006

1,670

3352,281

1,0002,170

3,476

3,1761,492

2,093

1,256

283

1,048596

466

1,187473

418

391

348

472402

637

1,634

1,65532,953

328

54

60

378

314

620

84629

159664

1,490

940380

591

156

91

70126

77

21973

171

59

162

80122

213

286

3568,952

1.2

1.3

1.7

1.2

1.3

1.9

1.4

1.51.5

1.6

1.6

1.8

1.91.7

1.6

1.21.7

1.5

1.4

2.4

2.21.4

1.4

1.61.3

2.0

1.7

2.1

1.31.6

57.8

139.6

36.2

64.3

67.1

128.5

47.9162.9

125.0127.7

165.5

264.738.3

36.7

43.3

28.3

55.237.3

68.5

84.829.6

63.6

65.2

40.1

42.980.4

57.2

66.6

66.279.0

26.3

20.8

6.0

15.8

20.9

47.7

12.0

44.919.9

39.1

71.0

78.3

9.710.4

5.4

9.13.7

7.9

11.3

15.6

4.626.0

9.8

18.77.3

24.4

19.1

11.7

14.221.0

21.9

89.6

15.9

38.9

30.5

20.1

21.462.4

61.541.2

35.7

70.010.4

10.7

21.0

15.6

28.916.4

36.7

19.19.1

18.6

36.7

6.9

26.016.0

14.2

20.5

35.229.3



Nonmotorized

Fishers

132


Table A3-4. Estimated total number of fishers and boats in the 53 coastal municipalities ofCebu province, 2003.

Boats

DaanbantayanMedellinBogoTabogonBorbonSogodCatmonCarmenDanao CityCompostelaLiloanConsolacionMandaue CityCebu CityTalisay CityMinglanillaNagaSan FernandoCarcarSibongaArgaoDalagueteAlcoyBoljoonOslobSantanderSamboanGinatilanMalabuyocAlegriaBadianMoalboalAlcantaraRondaDumanjugBariliAloguinsanPinamungahanToledo CityBalambanAsturiasTuburanTabuelanSan RemigioSanta FeBantayanMadridejosPilarTudelaPoroSan FranciscoLapu-lapu CityCordovaTotal/Average

Motorized

MunicipalityBoats


1,165201270314206263176314173

63358

45187148240

38176215266121570420192216930134368250335385385153

94376210302

75235386390798402423377497

4,020851770410592555

1,1421,498

23,680

5,7221,2083,978

722604517250466658152

1,004194387396

2,052156512552613334998

1,040257625

1,458210590455709947954230103516971754326

1,2072,3071,3721,4911,112

6951,4041,5127,7903,3311,610

9101,1491,7723,8252,641

65,748

2,189488

1,062137224122

58130138

49315

5967

1121,000

60112182

98152216432

30127272

36172

3285

222203

616

2668

258115297576530152328110489525

1,7101,271

192149120469545213

16,791

1.71.83.01.61.41.31.11.12.11.41.51.91.51.51.71.61.81.41.71.21.31.21.21.81.21.21.11.61.71.61.61.11.01.33.51.41.72.32.41.51.61.51.31.61.51.41.61.71.61.61.72.31.51.6

111.333.0

170.749.752.955.716.633.352.633.059.014.524.423.5

244.028.451.360.240.825.139.367.933.060.764.017.553.656.954.572.941.5

8.520.673.760.744.440.072.3

123.999.994.746.552.134.941.8

125.7212.8

51.154.744.134.679.7

203.262.2

42.613.345.6

9.419.613.1

3.89.3

11.010.618.5

4.44.26.6

118.910.911.219.8

6.511.4

8.528.2

3.812.311.9

3.015.6

4.06.5

17.18.82.31.23.74.3

15.214.117.830.938.6

9.713.7

8.312.114.527.681.2

6.19.04.69.1

11.416.4

16.3

22.75.5

11.621.618.028.311.722.413.813.721.0

3.411.8

8.828.5

6.917.623.417.7

9.122.427.424.621.040.811.233.531.325.829.616.7

5.718.853.713.117.8

9.214.120.728.450.716.831.7

9.413.764.954.424.424.622.710.823.8

115.223.5



Nonmotorized

Fishers

133

Appendix 3. Inventory of Fishing Gears in Central Visayas

Table A3-5. Inventory of fishing gears by province of Central Visayas: hand instruments,hook and lines, and jigs.

Hand instrumentsScoop netScoop net with lightsSpear fishingSpear fishing with

compressorSpear fishing with light

Hook and linesBottom set - surface

set longlineBottom set longlineHook and lineHook and line with

floatMultiple handlineSurface set longlineTroll line

JigsFish jigOctopus jigSquid jig

CebuFishing gear

Siquijor

Sapyaw, sibot, sikpawPanulo, paapong, salakabPamana, panungkit, gantaawPana-compressor, buso

Pana-panuga, panamal

Panalabay, pakatay, salabay

Kitang, palangre, palabayPasol, habyog, tontonPataw, palagdas, pahawin

Barangay, lasdak, undakBahan, tapsay, pakarasSubid, limbag, adis-adis

Kab-it, saranggat, helicopterPangatiAngkla, subid, saranggat

1591,5761,268

284

490

706

2,0757,335

269

6,652186

165

5,718

1012,3894,436

236

422

4,48114,4462,314

15,7982,2304,607

2,368

15,242

1,634886

2

20

1,480

2,9165,4084,056

8,418258759

2345

5,466

50

224

2334,170

2,700889

31

1,416

3105,5996,814

522

932

2,186

9,70531,359

6,639

33,5683,5635,397

2,7675

27,842

Common local names ProvinceBohol Negros Oriental

Total

Table A3-6. Inventory of fishing gears by province of Central Visayas: traps, pots and gillnets.

Traps and potsBamboo fish trapCrab liftnetCrab potEel potFish potNautilus potShrimp pot

Squid pot

GillnetsBottom set gillnet

Drift gillnetDrive-in gillnetEncircling gillnetGillnet (unspecified)Set gillnetSurface set - encircling

gillnetSurface set gillnetTrammel net

CebuFishing gear

Siquijor

Dupa-dupaSapyaw, bintol, skylabPanggal, gulo-gulo, ligidBantak, pangbakasiBubo, panggal, timingBubo panglagangBubo pangsapayan/

pasayanBubo/panggal pangnokos

Palugdang, pamahala,palubog

Kurantay, paanod, palaranBahan, sagiwsiw, tapsayLikos, panglihos, kayagkagPukotKayagkag, patulayPangnokos, pangsulid

Palutaw, patuloy, kurantayTriple-net, double-net,

padlas

1826664548

774

62

30

3,702

4,2771418312

48

1,2741,020

59965

992,886

14

1,122

7,636

8,092704

1,120

632815

6221,613

34205

82616

3

2

1,621

1,88985

4255

2564

1,468190

185485

340

49132

160

78296

18359

1,815332

4,9713065

1,154

13,299

14,749962

1,78817

892827

3,4423,119


Total

134


Table A3-7. Inventory of fishing gears by province of Central Visayas: impounding gears,dragnets and seines.

Impounding gearsMiracle hole (artificial

reef)BagnetBarrier netFilter netFish corralLiftnetsStationary liftnet

Dragnets andseines

Baby trawlBeach seineDanish seine

Fry dozerMechanized pushnetMidwater trawlOther seines, seine

netsPurse seinePushnets, scissor netsRingnetRound haul seine

CebuFishing gear

Siquijor

Gango, amatong, balirong

Basnig, tapay, iwag, sabinitPahubas, pang-aliTangab, lukob, sanggab,Bungsod, dumpil, punotSapyaw, sabinit, surambaoNew look, bintol

Parakaya, palakayaBaling, sahid, sarap, aghidHulbot-hulbot, liba-liba,

zipperTrawl, sapladBaling, baby trawl, sudsudPalupad, sapyawSabinit, pukot binulsahan

Kubkub, likum-likumSahid, sudsud, salibotLikum, hapa hapaLawag, sabinit, sapyaw

161

221322

1,201

69

151323208

240

10

5002624

1,029

1128

3691,055

17

2574138

1,4721552248

41,836

7140

221

15

613159

80

465

3,199

7

64664

2

47

5

35

110

1,413

14921

3912,916

159171

1761,564

246

4,911155

3255

683,110

33164


Total

Table A3-8. Inventory of fishing gears by province of Central Visayas: miscellaneous fishinggears.

OthersAbalone fishingBlast fishingCastnetCrab fishing, pickingDiving for ornamentalsGleaningLobster fishingOctopus lurePoison, rotenone

fishingSea cucumber

collectingSea urchin pickingShell dredging (rake)Shell/pearl divingSponge divingStarfish diving

CebuFishing gear

Siquijor

PangkapinanPaniroLayaPangkasag, panikopSawm pangsimilyaPanginhasPangmantabaPangtamaa, pangugitaPanuble, panghilo,

panguskusPangbat, panulo ug bat

Panuyom, pangswakiImbaw panginhasPanawm ug kinhason, sarapSponge diving, panawmStarfish diving, panawm

49701031

137

294

30

38

102309

1344

8028

20

16

84070

440

15

92

1,170

92151379

2375

1,9728

487

310

3840

1084

40


Total

135

Appendix 4Fishing Gears

in Central Visayas

There are various fishing gears in CentralVisayas. These can be divided into fourcategories:

1. hand instruments, hook and lines, and jigs;2. traps, pots and gillnets;3. impounding gears, dragnets and seines;

and4. miscellaneous gears.

A brief description of each gear is given below,with diagrams where appropriate.

Description of Gear

Type 1: Hand Instruments, Hook and Lines,and Jigs (see Table A4-1)

Hand instruments

Scoop net

A scoop net is atraditional fishingaccessory used to catch orcontain caught fish. Thegear is made commonly ofa meshed net formed intoa bag that sags to a desireddepth. Following thetradition of the anchovyfishing industry, scoopnets are modified intolarger outfits built with amouth diameter of 1 m ormore. The peak months ofoperation are betweenOctober and December.Gas lamps (petromax) areused to attract fish schoolson dark or moonlessnights.

Spear

There are two types of spear, one is theharpoon and the other is the spear gun. Theharpoon is basically made of a wooden pole withsharp steel tips at one end. It is normally used inshallow areas to kill inactive fish. The spear gunconsists of a homemade wooden gun with rubbersling. The gear is singularly pointed usually witha suspended twine long enough to keep thedevice retrievable. The gear is complementedwith diving implements like makeshift gogglesand flippers to assist the spear diver during deepfishing pursuit.

Another fishing accessory used in tandemwith spear gun fishing operations is locally made

Scoop net with light (sikpaw pamolinao)

Gear specifications:Netting: knotless multi PA

fine-meshed net (cod end)Length: 10.0 - 13.2 mDiameter: 1.0 - 3.3 m

Handle: bamboo poleAccessory: petromax light

136


air compressor which allow divers to stay forlong periods under water. Usually, a group offour to six fishers is formed to complete acompressor fishing outfit and compressor fishersusually dive very deep and stay for long periodsof time. Their unawareness on the safety aspectsof diving has led to many fatalities and paralysisof fishers around the region and the country asa whole, and this fishing accessory is verydangerous.

Hook and lines

Simple hook and line

A simple hook and line is basically madewith one or two hooks. This kind of gear is themost common and versatile type, which can beused both in shallow and offshore waters. Ashallow set or bottom set handline uses smallerhooks while offshore and pelagic-oriented gearsare complemented with larger hooks. A typicalhook and line is constructed with one hook,although with similar features, two hooks ormore are used along with the primary hook toadd attribute to the gear. A basic hook and lineis made of a hook suspended to an extendedmainline averaging 100 m in length, usuallyreeled to a homemade spool of bamboo orwooden cylinder. Operation may last throughoutthe day until supply of bait is consumed or untildesired catch is attained.

Hook and line with float

This type of single hook and line isaccessorized with a float used to set the gearadrift with the current. Customarily, the gearuses a live bait to attract large target fish. Thegear is customarily employed in numbers of 5 to50 units to augment the operative range. Gearoperation is typically offshore and in open waterto avoid engagement with other gears. Each unitis released at intervals, with several meters ofline set loose from the float. The released unit isallowed to move around with the live baitattached. Units are monitored from time to timeto avoid loss. In most cases, motorized boats arepreferred to better pursue fleeing individuals.

Multiple handline

This type of handline uses multiple hookssuspended equidistant to a mainline. Generally,artificial bait made of silk thread and/or chickenand other bird feathers are used. The basicoperation of the gear involves tugging of the linein a regular up and down motion. The time ofoperation typically falls within the few hoursduring dawn and dusk periods where a slightportion of the sun lights the sea surface. Duringthese periods, the artificial bait (silk thread) issaid to be most attractive to pelagic fish.Occasionally in some areas, a slice of fish or frog’smeat is used to complement the artificial bait.

Hook and line with float (pataw pataw, patlaw)

Gear specifications:Mainline: monofilament PA (# 120)Branchline: monofilament PA (# 80)Hook sizes: 01 - 18 or 560 - 572Units per setting: 3 - 50

Float: styrofoam or bamboo tubeSinker: noneBait: live fish (small pelagics)

137

Appendix 4. Fishing Gears in Central Visayas

Drag handline (tapsay, bahan, pakaras)

Float: synthetic or plastic tubingAnchor: iron bar (6 kg)Bait: silk thread, chicken feather, plastic

tubings (dextrose hose)

Gear specifications:Lead rope: multifilament PE (# 8 - 16)Mainline: monofilament PA (# 120)Branchline: monofilament PA (# 80)Hook sizes: 02 - 17 (large demersals)

557 - 576 (small demersals)Number of hooks: 10 -16 pieces

Multiple handline (undak, bira-bira)

Float: styrofoam or bamboo tubeSinker: lead or steel weightBait: silk thread, chicken feather, fish meat

Gear specifications:Mainline: monofilament PA (# 30 - 50)Branchline: monofilament PA (# 5 - 10)Number of hooks: 5 - 250 pieces

bamboo spool

mustad hook(#01 - 18 or 556 - 577)

02. - 1.65 m

mono PA (#10)

lead weight

0.4 - 2.5 m

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Operation of the gear is also often done near fishaggregating devices where available. Suchdevices are much preferred by fishers as theseenable them to fish throughout the day.

This type of multiple handline is used tocatch large pelagics. The gear is operated verticalto the surface, flanked by two motorized boatsthat move at high speed. Usually, the line isstretched to an utmost length but allowingadjustable sag to attain maximum speed. Theoutfit usually utilizes an average of 16 hooks at1-5 m intervals. Typically, the hooks are baitedartificially with luminous colored threadsprotected with transparent dextrose tubingenclosing the hook at its base.

Bottomset longline

A bottomset longline is a fishing line thatuses at least 40 up to 1,100 hooks suspendedalong the length of a mainline primarily to catchdemersal fish species. This gear is usually set indeep waters, but in some cases, fishers may optto set the line from shallow to deep area. Atypical outfit is usually installed and kept in abox, hooks placed individually in gaps along theframe of the box to ease the laying of baits. Hooksused range from small to large sizes, depending

on the available species by area and depth offishing ground. Soaking operation of gear istraditionally a 5 to 12-hour procedure andusually an overnight undertaking wherein thefishers leave the outfit until the next day forharvest. However, in most distant fishinggrounds, fishers may opt to wait until haulingto reduce operating cost and to avoid loss of geardue primarily to theft. In most cases, fishers alsoopt to carry out another gear operation duringthe period of soaking to maximize time and travel.

Surface-set longline

This is a fishing line that uses multiplehooks along a suspended mainline set at mid-section below the water surface. This targetspelagic fish species and is usually set eitheranchored or adrift during operation. Such gearmay consist of 60-1,000 hooks, affixed at equalintervals from each other along the mainline. Thegear is basically utilized with larger hooks andbaited with a sufficient amount of fish meat toendure a half-day soaking operation.

Troll line

A troll line is basically a multiple handlinetowed usually by a nonmotorized boat on normal

Bottomset longline (palangre, kitang)

Float: synthetic or plastic tubingAnchor: iron bar (6 kg)Bait: fish, squid and shrimp meat

Gear specifications:Lead rope: multifilament PE (# 8 - 16)Mainline: monofilament PA (# 120)Branchline: monofilament PA (# 80)Hook sizes: 02 - 17 (large demersals)

557 - 576 (small demersals)Number of hooks: 10 - 2,000 pieces

styrofoam/synthetic marker

multi PE(L = 100 - 200 m)

mono PA (Ø60 - 150)

mono PA(Ø10 - 30)

mustad hook 0.15 - 4. 0 m

0.10 - 2. 5 m

steel anchor

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paddling speed. Operation of the gear involvescasting the line into a depth and then draggingit along slowly. In most cases, such operation ismore effective when close to fish aggregatingdevices. Similar to other multiple handlines, atroll line is also artificially baited with silk thread.

Jigs

Fish jig

This type of jig is used specifically to catchSelar crumenophthalmus (tamarong). The gear isbasically made of a molded lead, which alsoserves as a weight. The lead is constructed withhomemade stainless hooks placed at the base toform a jig. The lead is suspended by a line withan average length of 10 m. The gear uses artificialbait made of colored plastic which is affixed tothe line a few cm above the jig. In addition tothe artificial bait, some fishers also cast mincedfish meat to the water surface to attract nearbyfish. When the fisher detects that fish havegathered around the artificial bait, he suddenlyyanks the gear in full to hook the fish.

Octopus jig

This jig is designed specifically to attractand catch octopus. The gear is made of leadwhich is shaped into a fish with addedappendages in the sides purposely to entanglean octopus. It is made without hooks since thegear may only serve to entangle the species.

Squid jig

The most common jig typically resembles alead weight with hooks. The outfit of this typeuses bait made of silver paper (usually taken fromcigarette boxes). Squids are said to be attractedto the white tint whenever the gear is in motion.Sometimes, the bait is supplemented with slicesof squid parts like tentacles to attract othersquids. Another type of squid jig is a fashionedfigurine of a shrimp. It is made of wood anddecorated with colorful paints and weights. Thegear is generally operated similar to a troll lineon a paddle-boat which moves at a slow speed.Normally in an operation, a single jig is draggedalong just below the surface. In some areas, aseries of from four to five jigs are used with 2 mintervals between the two jigs.

Troll line (subid sa isda)

Float: styrofoam or bamboo tubeSinker: lead or steel weightBait: silk thread, chicken feather, fish meat

Gear specifications:Mainline: monofilament PA (# 30 - 50)Branchline: monofilament PA (# 5 - 10)Number of hooks: 1 - 160 pieces

bamboo spool

mustad hook(#01 - 19 or 560 - 572)

0.10 - 0.13 m

mono PA (#10)

lead weight

0.5 - 2.6 m

140


Type 2: Traps, Pots and Gillnets(see Table A4-2)

Traps and pots

Bamboo fish trap

This is a unique trap that uses only abamboo shaft to house and entrap fish whichmove into the trap to hide. The gear is made withbamboo 1 m in length, hollowed through thenodes and usually set in groups of 30-50 unitsper setting. The gear has an opening at each end,

which fish can enter but may not leave. It isbaited with a fish or frog meat placed inside theshaft. Hauling is done on a daily basis, orsometimes for two days or more before retrieval.

Crab liftnet

This is a portable liftnet used in shallowwaters to catch crabs. The gear is commonlymade with square monofilament netting as baseand two intersecting bamboos that form an archfrom which hooked bait may be suspended. Thegear is attached to a line with a float marker. It

Squid jig (subid pangnokus)

Sinker: lead weightBait: white paper, squid parts

Gear specifications:Mainline: monofilament PA (# 120)Branchline: monofilament PA (# 80)Hook sizes: 560 - 570 (stainless)Number of hooks: 4 - 8 pieces

Squid jig (subid pangnokus)

Accessories: silk thread, nylon and beadsSinker: lead weight

Gear specifications:Mainline: monofilament PA (# 120)Branchline: monofilament PA (# 80)Hook sizes: 560 - 565 (home-made)Number of hooks: 1 - 5 pieces

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is operated in series of 2-50 units set in shallowcoastal waters, near mangroves and along rivers.The set gears are checked by the hour throughoutthe day. Nets with crabs are simply lifted out ofthe water to harvest.

Crab pot

A typical pot is fashioned with a simplesingle apical nonreturning valve to serve as theentrance for the crab. The gear is often baitedwith fish or frog meat placed at mid-section,usually contained in a receptacle to ensure theyare not consumed. Outfits are custom-madebamboo woven into a receptacle. Sometimes, thegear is outfitted with synthetic netting on abamboo frame. Crab pot designs may vary indifferent areas. The most common is the dome-shaped pot with an apical entry and measures0.2-0.5 m in diameter. In some areas, thespherical type is more common where a singlevalve is located at the side.

The gear is usually set at 6-10 m intervalsin depths of 5-20 m. One set may consist of 30-100 units. Gear soaking usually takes overnight.Baits may be reused, but ideally, they arereplaced daily to be more effective.

Eel pot

This is a simple homemade pot usedspecifically to catch eels. The gear is madetypically of rattan strings woven into a capsulebuilt with an opening that serves as entrance atone end, and another smaller opening that issecured shut with a stopper at the other end. Insome areas, the gear is made from used plasticreceptacles or bottles instead of woven rattan.Such alternative material is easily prepared byperforating the bottle surface and then installinga nonreturning valve at mouth opening.Operation is usually carried out in the morning,allowing regular time checks to inspect for anycatch.

Fish pot/trap

A fish pot/trap is usually made of bamboolattice net and wooden frame. It is constructedwith one to four nonreturning valves that areplaced structurally along the sides of the gear.When the gear is made into large outfits, amaximum of two units are deployed peroperation. Usually, however, an average of 5smaller units are installed and hauled in a day.Medium-sized outfits are harvested in 3-5 days

Table A4-1. Hand instruments, hook and lines, and jigs found in Central Visayas and theirgeneric English and local names.

Hand instrumentsScoop netScoop net with lightsSpear fishingSpear fishing with compressorSpear fishing with light

Hook and linesBottom set – surface set longlineBottom set longlineHook and lineHook and line with floatMultiple handline

Surface set longline

Troll line

JigsFish jigOctopus jigSquid jig

English name Local name

Sapyaw, sibot, sikpawIwag, panulo, panuga, paapong, salakabPamana, panungkit, panagi, panirip, sapang, sagangat, gantaawPana-compressor, busoPana-panuga, panamal

Panalabay, pakatay, salabayKitang, palangre, palabay, katay, palagnas, taktakonPasol, labyog, habyog, tonton, latak, bira-bira, pahawin, padlas, palagdasPataw-pataw, patlaw, palagdas, pahawin, palaktaw, palayawBarangay, bira-bira, birik-birik, bunso-bunso, cha-cha, kitang sa payao, lasdak, lago-

lo, panonton, bundak, undak, yugyugBahan-bahan, tapsay, pakaras, semi-tapsay, missile-missile, subid panulingan,

palabay, salabay, pamiritSubid, subid-subid, limbag, pambawo, rentex, adis-adis

Kab-it, sab-it, saranggat sa gutob/tamarong, saranggat sa danggit/kitong, helicopterPangatiAngkla, blinker, kati-kati, tina-tina, saranggat, kawil, aranyas, panglumayagan,

pangdalupapa, uwang-uwang, subid pangnokos

142


intervals. Large fish traps are well harvested ona monthly basis with regular dive checks toinspect for any harvestable items. With largetraps, baits are no longer required. Small fishcaught in the gear serve as bait for much largerprize catch.

Shrimp pot

This trap is specifically designed to catchshrimps either along rivers or in estuaries. Oneoutfit consists basically of a cylindrical frame thatis covered with fine-meshed netting. A smallentrance is constructed on one side, with aninward flap of netting that serves as a

Crab pot (panggal pangasag, gulo-gulo)

Gear specifications:Mainline: bamboo frame

bamboo lattice / multi PE netDimensions

Diameter: 0.18 - 0.53 mHeight: 0.15 - 0.23 mNRV ø: 0.08 - 0.13 m

RiggingsMainline: multifilament PEBranchline: multi PE (L=1.0 m)

Units per setting: 10 - 120 piecesInterval: 6 - 12 mBait: trash fish, frogs and chicken meat

19.0 cm

10.5 cm

35.5 cm

Fish trap (bubo pangisda, timing)

Gear specifications:Materials: bamboo and wooden frame

bamboo lattice netknotless synthetic netmultifilament PE netting

Units per setting: 3 - 50 piecesNumber of NRVs: 1 - 4Interval: 1.65 - 16.50 mBait: fish and frog meat

0.25 m

0.8 m

1.0 m

0.45 m

0.6 m

2.5 m

1.0 m

0.70 m

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nonreturning device with minced trash fish usedas bait. The gear may be suspended aboveground using a bamboo pole, which may alsoserve as a marker. Each marker bears a singleoutfit. Bamboo poles used to hang the gear areusually placed in depths of 5 m while the trapsare suspended 2 m below surface. Alternatively,the traps may be suspended close to the bottomalong a main rope. In an operation, 20-30 outfitsmay be set at 5-m distance from each other.

Squid pot

A squid pot is a simple box-frame trapoperated to catch squids using squid eggs as bait.The trap is essentially made of a frame, bambooslats and sometimes with meshed nettings. Anapical entrance is made with an open valve withbamboo slat teeth to prevent escape of caughtsquids. Multiple units with 2-3 m intervals areset individually, usually to a depth of 10 m. Inan operation, 20-50 units may be soaked forseveral days before harvest.

Gillnets

Bottomset gillnet

A bottomset gillnet is specifically designedto catch demersal species. It is generally

constructed at 1-5 m in depth. Built with at least1-10 panels, the gear may be set at depths of 2-100 m. Each panel is constructed with anaverage 130 m in length. The gear is normallyemployed on overnight soaking operation to amaximum of 24 hours. Sometimes it may beoperated by the hour before the net is hauledand relocated to another area for its nextoperation.

Drift gillnet

This is a type of surface gillnet designed todrift with the current to catch pelagic species. Itis generally built with deep-bodied panels,usually with an average height of 12 m. The gearcan only use a few number of panels, rangingfrom 1 to 20 since it may tend to run into otherfishing units and even boats during operation.Panels are built with an average length of 80 m,using a range of mesh sizes for particular speciesin season. This gillnet uses styrofoam buoys withadjustable lines to allow the panels to be loweredto the desired depths. Schools of fish are trackeddown according to their swimming depth. Buoysare adjusted one at a time until the desired depthis attained.

This gear is usually placed perpendicularto the projected water current. One type is

Bottomset gillnet (palundag, palugdang)

Gear specifications:Net: monofilament PA (f 10 - 30)

Total length: 300 - 1,000 mNo. of panels: 1 - 12 units

Mainline: multifilament PE (no. 5 -7)

RiggingsFloats: rubber (cylindrical)Sinker: leadBuoy marker: synthetic gallon or styrofoam (spherical)Anchor: iron rod (5 kg)

4.0 cm

2.0 cm

87 cm

MS Length Height

4 -10 130 -300 m

0.5 -10.0 m

rubberfloat

leadsinker

4.0 cm

1.5 cm

87 cm

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operated in a zigzag fashion purposely used forspecies of needlefish and flying fish. This gear isoccasionally maintained and adjusted to thefigure during operation. Operation requiresconstant adjustment and maintenance with thesetting formation of the gear.

Drive-in gillnet

This is a type of surface gillnet that usesscare lines to drive the school of fish towards thenet where they are gilled or entangled. This typerequires 1-3 panels which may be used to encirclethe fish school. Scare lines are enhanced withplastic straws or strips of synthetic sack to causecommotion once the line is set and heavedenclosing the school of fish. Scare lines can be aslong as 200 m.

In most cases, the operation requires twomotorized boats. Once a fish school is located,the boats pursue the target with the scare line.Flanked by the two boats, the scare line is set toa circular run, allowing it to partially enclose thetarget. Once the speed and direction of the fishare estimated, the boats will start to surroundthe moving target. Subsequently, the net israpidly released encircling the primary boat,while the scare line is continuously heaved to a

close by the second boat. As the perimeter of theenclosure becomes smaller, the fish are furtherdriven into the net, and the catch is then hauled.

This gear is sometimes operated at randomin search of fish schools. With this method, theoperation is carried out briefly and repeatedlyin different locations. Often, the gear utilizes asingle panel set to the surface in a straight linewith two scare lines tied at each end. Each scareline is drawn by a motorized boat, which willguide the line into a circular range, enclosing aprospected fishing area. As each boat reachesthe net, the accessory line is immediately heavedmanually to a close, driving the fish towards thenet.

Encircling gillnet

The mode of operation for this type ofsurface gillnet is to enclose and capture a detectedschool of pelagic fish. The gear design isgenerally similar with any surface gillnet,although a typical operation normally requiresa single panel. A panel is usually built with anaverage length of 100 m and with a depth of 3-25 m. Using a standard mesh size for certainspecies, each outfit is used only during the specificfishing season of that species. Common

Drift gillnet (palaran, kurantay)


monofilament pamo net (f 1.0 - 1.5 mm)Total length: 95 - 470 mNo. of panels:1 - 8 unitsMainline: multifilament PE (no. 5 - 10)

RiggingsFloats: rubber or synthetic (3 x 4 cm)Sinkers: lead (1.5 x 4 cm, 2 x 3 cm)Buoy: styrofoam (f 28 - 30 cm)

18 - 23 cmstyro float

rubber float0.5 - 16.0 m

125 cm

210 cm lead sinker18 - 23 m

steel ring (D = 7 cm)

MS Length Height

7 - 12 90 -115 m

1.07 -26.4 m

145


encircling gillnets use 10-12 knot mesh sizesdesigned to catch herring and sardine species.

Most of the time, an encircling mode isadapted once the pursued school of fish islocated. The fisher, numbering from 3 to 5 in aboat, may undertake up to 5 hauls per tripdepending on either the size of the school or boatcapacity.

Set gillnet

This type of gillnet is designed and setprimarily to a specified zone allowing the gearto suspend afloat while the net is dropped closeto the bottom. Its function is to operate in shallowareas to catch schools of fish. In most cases,gillnets are assisted by “plungers” used to redirectthe unsuspecting fish with sudden noise towardsthe net. Plungers are usually made of coconut

Encircling gillnet (likos, kayagkag)

Drive-in gillnet (sagiwsiw, bahan)

Gear specifications:Net: monofilament PA (f 10 - 20)Total length: 150 - 500 mNo. of panels: 1 - 6 unitsMainline: multifilament PE (no. 5 - 10)

RiggingsFloats: rubber or synthetic (3 x 4 cm)Sinkers: lead (1.5 x 4 cm, 2 x 3 cm)Scareline: multi PE (L = 320 m)

rubber float

29 cm

67 cm

lead sinker

MS Length Height

7 - 14 85 m 1.0 -8.3 m

Meshes

25 -1,000


monofilament pamo net (f 1.0 - 1.5 mm)Total length: 330 - 400 mNo. of panels: 1 - 4 unitsMainline: multifilament PE (no. 5 - 10)

RiggingsFloats: rubber or synthetic (3 x 4 cm)Sinkers: lead (1.5 x 4 cm, 2 x 3 cm)

rubber float

118 cm

173 cmlead sinker

MS Length Height

6 - 14 130 -400 m

1.5 -25.0 m

146


shell placed at one end of a pole. Sometimes,when plungers are not permitted in the area,stones or even up to 10 swimmers are used assubstitute. As the net is released in an open circle,the fishers jump into the water at intervals closeto the mouth of the gear. The fishers will thenproduce noise using their hands, swimmingtowards the center of the net forcing the enclosedfish to a commotion, and eventually to becomegilled or entangled in the net. Set gillnets arecommonly designed at 1.65 m in height utilizingmostly a single panel.

Surface-set gillnet

This gear is typically set to obstruct the pathof an incoming school of fish. An operationrequires a fast phase soaking to hauling schemeto prevent fish from escaping. These gillnets arebasically made with panels ranging from 90 to220 m in length and a standard height of from 8to 10 m. Mesh sizes usually range from 8 to 14knots per 6 inches of net stretched out (thestandard term used to describe mesh size in afishing gear).

Trammel net

This type of gillnet employs two or moreoverlapping meshed panels used to gill and

entangle target species. It is usually operated ina short period of soaking and hauling by a singleperson. It is set along shores and shallow areasto enable a regular checkup of the catch. It mayalso be operated in coordination with plungers,stone throwing and human scaring to aggregatethe fish and cause them to be gilled or entangled,similar to the operation of set gillnets.

Type 3: Impounding Gears, Dragnets andSeines (see Table A4-3)

Impounding gears

Miracle hole

A miracle hole functions as a makeshiftartificial reef and is usually made of rocks, palmfronds and other locally available items. Thestructure is fashioned into a coral habitat wheredifferent species of fish are likely to seek shelterand eventually establish territories after someperiod. It is initially formed by hollowing an areawith a diameter of between 1.5 and 5 m, with adepth of 0.25 m. The hole then traps fish afterthe waters have receded during low tide. Thehole is concealed with rocks, mangrove branchesand other available materials such as tires.Collection and harvest of fish is done on amonthly basis up to a maximum of 6 months.

Set gillnet with plunger (lamba, dumbol)

Gear specifications:Net: monofilament PA (f 10 - 20)Total length: 200 - 500 mNo. of panels: 1- 5 unitsMainline: multifilament PE (no. 5 - 10)

RiggingsFloats: rubber or synthetic (3 x 4 cm)Sinkers: lead (1.5 x 4 cm, 2 x 3 cm)

rubber float

64 cm

100 cm

lead sinker

MS Length Height

7 - 14 130 m 0.6 -3.3 m

Meshes

12 -100

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Before harvest, a net is used to enclose thestructure along with the fish that have soughtshelter in it. In areas where the tides recedealmost completely, the contained fish can bescooped easily out of the miracle hole duringharvest. In most cases, however, the containedfish are forced to swim to the surface by the noisemade by beating rocks just above the hole.Sometimes, to ease collection, dangerous poisonssuch as sodium cyanide, or even the root vineTobli (containing the active chemical rotenone)is used to stun and poison the fish.

Bagnet

This is a liftnet that is operated from a boat.It consists of a fine-meshed net that resemblesan inverted mosquito net. The net usually has adiameter of 20 m and a height of 10 m. Eachcorner of the quadrangular net is suspended bya rope that runs through a pulley. At times anadditional rope support is placed at mid-sectionof the net. Hauling operation commences onceschools of fish have gathered under the light.Lighting operations usually last for 3 hours; upto 3 hauls can be carried out a night whenconditions are right.

Barrier net

This is a typical gillnet or fine-meshed netset before the onset of the outgoing (ebb) tide tocatch schools of fish that move with the recedingwaters. A barrier net usually consists of a singlepanel with a length of 30-100 m and with aheight of 1 m. In certain areas, it is purportedlyas long as a kilometer. The gear is customarilyassembled with meshed netting (7 knots).

Filter net

This is a passive gear that is usuallyoperated between tides to capture target species.It is made of a conical net suspended in steadybamboo scaffolds. It can be set facing eithertowards or against the movement of the current.

Fish corral

This gear is generally constructed along theshallow area where the onset of low tide allowsits hauling operation. The gear is basically madeof bamboo poles as primary structures forsupport. Dividers and fences are made ofknotless mesh nettings. The outfit is typicallysupplemented with two wings and sometimes aguiding barrier or leader net of 50 m in length toredirect the schools of fish into the compartments.

Table A4-2. Traps, pots and gillnets found in Central Visayas and their generic English andlocal names.

Traps and potsBamboo fish trapCrab liftnetCrab potEel potFish potNautilus potShrimp potSquid pot

GillnetsBottom-set gillnet

Drift gillnetDrive-in gillnetEncircling gillnetGillnet (unspecified)Set gillnetSurface set – encircling gillnetSurface set gillnetTrammel net


Dupa-dupaSapyaw, bintol, skylabPanggal panglambay/alimango/kasag, gulo-gulo, ligidBantak, pangbakasiBubo pang-isda, panggal pang-isda, palan-an, timing pang-isdaBubo panglagangBubo pangsapayan/pasayanBubo/panggal pangnokos

Palundag, patugkad, palubog, palunod, pataan, palagdas, paunlod, pabatang,patayad, kayagkag, kurantay, pamahala, pabhas, lamba, padumog, panglambay

Paanod, palaran, barangayBahan, sagiwsiw, tapsay, taksay, tikab, dagoydoy (pangnokos), kural-kural (pangbalo)Likos, panglihos, kayagkag, tambaPukotBungkol, kayagkag, panggisaw, pamasayan, patulayPangnokos, panglumayagan, pangsulid, pang-uwan-uwanPalutaw, hanger, patuloy, patulay, kurantay, patayad, patuongTriple-net, double-net, padlas, paninsin

148


Most fish corrals are built with threecompartments, each with a distinctive diameterand access doors leading the fish into the finalcollecting chamber. In some areas, fish corralsare built offshore and are typically constructedwith a single compartment but with attachedminiature traps or chambers for collection. Theseminiature traps are commonly placed at oppositeends of the chamber. Such chambers (sigin) arebuilt like trapping devices where the fish areguided into their opening. Caught fish areusually guided into the device by using a fine-meshed net piloted by two fishers. The net ismade into a single panel large enough to coverthe entire compartment from one end to theother, which will funnel the contained fish tothe sigin during the harvest operation.

Stationary liftnet

A stationary liftnet is operated effectivelyduring the dark phase of the moon. It uses lightto attract schools of fish. The net is usually madeof fine-meshed netting fashioned into aninverted mosquito net. The liftnet is operated ona stationary bamboo structure with woodenplatforms in waters with depths of 3-5 m. Thegear is accessorized with lighting devices orpetromax (light using gas) to attract schools offish after dusk. An operation may require at leasttwo fishes when manual winches are availablefor an effortless hauling. Otherwise, up to 10fishers may assist in the hauling of the net.

Dragnets and seines

Baby trawl (otter trawl)

An otter trawl consists of a conical net thatis operated by dragging the gear to catch fish.The net is constructed with two wings eachguided by an otter board that glides in almostopposing direction during the draggingoperation. The gear is generally made with asizeable opening to augment the aperture rangeduring breaching. The net is typically built withan extended rear (cod) end usually customizedwith a fine-meshed net.

Beach seine

This is a seine net that is usuallyconstructed with an average of 100 m stretchpanel of monofilament netting. At the center, aconical end is fitted to a length of 10 m, usuallybearing fine-meshed netting. The seine isassembled to cover a depth of 1-7 m of water.The outfit is primarily supplemented withsynthetic floats with corresponding sinkers.Operation of the gear is traditionally done ondesired sandy beaches normally operating witha maximum of three hauls. Six to twelve personsmay be involved in an operation. A beach seineis typically released in a circular range alongshores guided by a fisher on a paddled vessel.As the setting of the net is completed, haulingoperation is immediately undertaken by drawing

Fish corral (bungsod, punot)

Gear specifications:Net: knotless net

multifilament PE / PVAMesh sizes: 16 - 20 knotsStructure: bamboo poles

mangrove branches

Hauling accessory: fine-meshed bagnetscoop netsbuilt-in traps

Bunuan

Mesh size Width(m)

Entrance(m)

12

10

8

8

1.0

2.5

4.5

30.0

0.21

0.21

3.30

Segunda

Paluyot

Pamako

149


the gear to the shore through pull ropes on eachwing. The entire hauling operation usually takesseveral hours to complete.

In some areas, a beach seine is set andhauled offshore, employing a nonmotorized boatas a platform, while a motorized boatmaneuvers and guides the nonmotorized vesselto the desired offshore area. Such outfits arefound mainly in Negros Oriental, operatingmostly within the Tañon Strait.

Ringnet

The basic operation of a ringnet involvespaying out the net in a circular fashion and thenhauling it by closing the net below through apull rope. The entire net is typically composedof panels that measure 30-60 m vertically and atotal of 20 m horizontally up to the extendedwings. The net is fitted with synthetic floats andsinkers, and is complemented with accessoryrings used to house the pull ropes.

Danish seine

This type of seine is basically operated witha tom weight used to draw and haul the net.The net is a typical extended panel with a codend at the center. Each panel or wing serves as

an enclosing barrier set in a circular range at theocean floor. Wings are each suspended with apull rope usually ornamented with plastic orsynthetic strips to scare and guide the enclosedfish into the cod end. Each of the pull ropes orscare lines is drawn through a tom weightpurposely to close the net while still at thebottom. The tom weight acts as a pulley throughwhich the pull ropes are fitted and drawn fromthe boat. The weight is suspended separately fromthe boat and is hauled in as soon as the haulingof the net is close to completion.

Mechanized pushnet

This is a type of scissor net suspended atthe front of a motorized vessel to catch targetspecies (i.e., shrimp and Acetes spp.) in deeperwaters. The operation of the gear is undertakenwith gradual speed, allowing the fish to funnelinto the cod end. Outfits are usually built withan opening of 1 m. The net may extend to a totallength of 11 m, from the opening to the cod end.The supporting bamboo poles measure 5-8 m inlength. Operation is carried out normally in themorning and may last up to 3 hours.

Stationary liftnet (ne w Look)

Gear specifications:Net

Material: knotless multifilament netting(f 1.5 mm)

Mesh size: 22 - 28 knotsfine-meshed cod end

PlatformMaterial: bamboo and woodDimension

Width: 10 -15 mTotal height: 8 - 15 m

Auxiliary outfits:petromax lampmanual winchespulleys (riggings)

150


Pushnet or scissor net

A scissor net is a collapsible fishing outfitbasically made of screen netting with a cod end,used primarily to catch shrimps and other relatedspecies. The net is supported by intersectingbamboo poles bolted at offset center. Each poleis fitted with a wooden shoe at the front end toenable the gear to glide over muddy bottoms.Scissor nets or pushnets are generally assembledwith 1-5 m stretch width at the opening. Aminiature type of this gear is also in use. It onlyhas a width of 0.6 m and is typically used forsmall fish targets in shallow shores. A singlefisher usually operates the gear by thrusting theoutfit forward towards the catch allowing thewaters to filter through the net.

Round haul seine

This is locally known as lawag in DanajonReef and sabinit in Tañon Strait areas. The geargenerally consists of a conical liftnet with a 5-7m length cod end. A fine-meshed net is usuallyadapted for the gear, which catches primarilysmall species, e.g., anchovies (Stolephorus sp.).The conical net is typically constructed with asingle floatline with styrofoam floats. At thebottom of the net are corresponding weights

called ungka. The net is suspended with ropesupport at each side leading to the vessel.Operation of the gear usually involves two boatscalled bandong, where usually the first vesselbears the net for transport. Headed by a masterfisher (arais) and a first mate (segunda), eachvessel is complemented with a regular crew of10 (mangabays). Most often, the fleet welcomesadditional hands (singalong) as reinforcement.Each bandong comes with a special crew calleddonger, whose specific goal is to keep the vesselstable during the operation.

Each vessel is mounted with a small redlamp to function as a distance indicator betweenvessels during operation. An operation is usuallyundertaken with three light boats (dapitan). Eachleaves ahead of the main boats for the fishinggrounds to secure a place for the operation. Lightboats require at least 2 hours for accumulatingschools before a harvest is initiated. They areoperated by a single person called lamparista,who directs where and when the net must belaid out.

Usually, the net is positioned against thewater current facing the incoming school of fish.The net is deployed between the two boatsallowing the second boat to hold one end of the

Scissor net (sud sud)

Gear specifications:Netting: knotless mono PA

multifilament kuralonMesh size

Body: 13 - 22 knotsCod end: fine-meshed net

Frame: bamboo poles (L = 2.5 - 3.0 m)Shoe: wood

30 - 35 cm

7 - 9 cm

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net while the first boat pays out the net. Eachvessel must be secured with an anchor to keep itstable against the current. A sole donger for eachvessel is assigned to maintain the position of theboat all throughout the operation. When the netis finally in place, the light boat will graduallymaneuver forward, guiding the school of fishunder the light to the center of the net. As thelight boat nears the center, the net is immediatelyhauled in, first lifting the bottom part with theweights to secure the catch, and then the rest ofthe net.

Type 4: Miscellaneous Gears(see Table A4-4)

Castnet

A castnet is a circular outfit that usesmeshed netting to catch fish in shallow areas.The gear is complemented with weights at therim to allow the net to sink instantly to the bottom,thus, containing the fish in range. Basic operationinvolves casting the net out to a distance coveringa maximum portion to enclose fish schools.

Octopus lure

A simple octopus lure may consist of a stonetied at the end of a fishing line. It may be either

bare or wrapped with strips of white cloth.Another design makes use of a mollusk shell inlieu of the stone, and it is fitted with hooks at thesides, and sometimes other attractiveparaphernalia like colored silk thread. Both thestone and the shell serve primarily to lure theoctopus close to shore where the fisher may graspthe octopus bare-hand. Attaching hooks to a shellis an innovative method to secure the octopusthat may mistake the mollusk for a meal.

Table A4-4. Miscellaneous fishing gears foundin Central Visayas and their generic Englishand local names.

Abalone fishingBlast fishingCastnetCrab fishing, pickingDiving for ornamentalsGleaningLobster fishingOctopus lurePoison, rotenone fishingSea cucumber collectingSea urchin pickingShell dredging (rake)Shell/pearl divingSponge divingStarfish diving


PangkapinanPaniroLayaPangkasag, panikop, mano-manoSawm pangsimilyaPanginhasPangmantabaPangtamaa, pangugitaPanuble, panghilo, panguskusPangbat, panulo ug batPanuyom, pangswakiImbaw panginhasPanawm ug kinhason, sarapPanawmPanawm

Table A4-3. Impounding gears, dragnets and seines found in Central Visayas and theirgeneric English and local names.

Impounding gearsMiracle hole (artificial reef)BagnetBarrier netFilter netFish corralLiftnetStationary liftnet

Dragnets and seinesBaby trawlBeach seineDanish seineFry dozerMechanized pushnetMidwater trawlOther seines, seine netsPurse seinePushnets, scissor netsRingnetRound haul seine


Gango, tapal, amatong, atob, bangag, balirongBasnig, tapay, iwag, sabinitPahubas, pang-aliTangab, lukob, sanggab, pang-uyapBungsod, pahubas, dumpil, punot, hampas, tower, paugmad, parilPataan, paatang, sapyaw, sabinit, surambaoNew look, bintol

Parakaya, palakayaBaling, sahid, sarap, sabay, dalahis, aghid, agidHulbot-hulbot, liba-liba, zipper, sipongTrol, sapladBaling, baby trawl, sudsud, sudsud pamasayan, sudsud pang-uyabangPalupad, sapyawSabinit, pukot binulsahanKubkub, likum-likum, semi-kubkubSahid, sudsud, habal-habal, salibot, trawlLikumLawag

153

Appendix 5Directory of Participants

Involved in the Profiling Process

Bohol

Bolasco,M.E. Municipal Agriculture Officer,Local Government Unit-Maribojoc

Boligao, V.R. Agriculture Technologist, TubigonGalabo, R.T. Municipal Planning and

Development Coordinator, JagnaMendez Jr., M.B. Provincial Police Environment

Desk Officer (PEDO), Tagbilaran CityPiquero, D.D. Area Coordinator, Environmental

Legal Assistance Center (ELAC)Regacho, R. CRM Section Head, BEMO,

Tagbilaran CitySalgados Jr., A.S. CRM Program Officer, Bohol

Environment Management Office (BEMO),Tagbilaran City

Tuyugon, T.C. Assistant Professor, CentralVisayas State College of Agriculture,Forestry and Technology, Cogtong,Candijay

Cebu

Alcaria, J.A. Sr. Science Research Specialist,Department of Environment and NaturalResources, Banilad, Mandaue City

Amadar, L.B. Municipal Agriculture Officer,Dumanjug

Camacho, C.D. Provincial Police Office, LahugCamongay, Ma. V.L. Agriculture Technologist,

CarmenCielo, A.T. Aquaculturist, PAODelfierro Sr., A.M. Operation Officer, Mandaue

City Police OfficeDelos Santos, Ma. E.B. Operations Officer, Police

Office, PNPJayson, E.P. Vice Chair, Municipal Fisheries and

Aquatic Resource Management Council(MFARMC), Carmen

Jusay, A.Y. Secretary General, Bisayas Alliance ofFishers and Operators for Reform

Ochea, D.A. Municipal Agriculture Officer,Liloan

Rendon, R.R. Regional PEDO, Police RegionalOffice – 7

Villaganas, R.E. Municipal Agriculture Officer,San Remegio

Negros Oriental

Aro, L.Y. Provincial Fishery Officer, BFARBalauro, R.B. Aquaculture Technologist, Bindoy,

Provincial Agriculturist Office (PAO)Barillo, M.M. Coastal Resource Management

(CRM) Coordinator, Environment andNatural Resources Division (ENRD), Officeof the Governor

Baugbog, C.A. Kakasaka Foundation, Inc.Dela Peña, J.E. Project Development Officer,

ENRD, Office of the GovernorEpifras, P.E. Provincial PEDO, Philippine

National Police (PNP)Francisco, J.V. Sr. Aquaculturist, Provincial

Agriculturist OfficeJusay, L.M. President, Bisayas Alliance of Fishers

and Operators for ReformMajam, R.R. Sr. Aquaculturist, PAO, Dumaguete

CityMepaña, F.T. Provincial Fishery Officer, Bureau

of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)Merced Jr., A.V. Executive Director, RTN,

Martin “Ting” Matiao Foundation, Inc.Stockwell, B.L. Fisheries Researcher, Silliman

University Marine Laboratory

154


Siquijor

Arcaya, J.A. Municipal Agriculture Officer,Larena

Boca, M.S. LGOOV, Department of the Interiorand Local Government (DILG) ProvincialOffice

Estrellada, G.F. Provincial Planning andDevelopment Coordinator, SiquijorProvincial Government

Larrobis, C.A. Deputy Chief, Siquijor ProvincialPolice Office

Mamhot, L.Y. Municipal Planning andDevelopment Coordinator, San Juan

Miquiabas, V.B. Director, Research,Development, Planning and Evaluation andExtension, Siquijor State College, Larena

Tejano, A.M. Sangguniang Bayan, EnriqueVillanueva

Panel of Reviewers

Abines, L.B. Regional Planning Officer, DILG-Region 7, Lahug, Cebu City

Barbarona, R.P. Executive Director (incoming)ELAC

Blanco, A.P. National Director, Project SeahorseFoundation for Marine Conservation

Canivel, J.A. Executive Director, ELACCorrales, C.M. Regional Director, BFAR - Region

7Cruz, R.P. Chief, Economic Development

Division, National Economic andDevelopment Authority-Region 7, Cebu City

Elpusan, B.E. Administrative Officer, PNPCIDG, Cebu City

Jatulan, W.P. Deputy Chief of Party, CoastalResource Management Project (CRMP)

Juario, J.V. Professor, University of thePhilippines-Cebu

Sayson, P. Chief, Fisheries Resource ManagementDivision, BFAR–Region 7

White, A.T. Chief of Party, CRMP

Others

Arcamo, S. Chief, Fisheries and ResourceManagement Division, BFAR Central Office,Quezon City

Bautista, A.S. Project Manager, World WideFund for Nature-Philippines

Dasilao Jr., J. Chief, Marine Research Division,Philippine Council for Aquatic and MarineResearch and Development, Laguna

Commercial Fishing Operators

Banggay, A. (ringnet, Dumaguete City)Capundag, J. (licom, San Juan)Chavez, E. and Chavez, C. (ringnet, Tagbilaran

City)Chavez, V. and Chavez, V. (Danish seine,

Bantayan)Ducay, A. (Danish seine, Bantayan)Ducay, S. (Danish seine, Bantayan)Guillena, S. (ringnet, Dauis)Ipon, V. (hook and line, Bayawan City)Kaquilala, F. (Danish seine, Bantayan)Kaquilala, T. (Danish seine, Bantayan)Santillan, C. (Danish seine, Bantayan)

155

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the fisheries of central visayas, philippines: status and trends

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