FISH harvest among small fishermen in the Philippines continues to shrink for decades now. Experts attributed this to overfishing, illegal and destructive fishing practices and poor enforcement of the fisheries code.
Illegal and destructive fishing—such as the use of dynamite, cyanide and inappropriate fishing gears—have and continue to cause the massive destruction of marine ecosystems, making the challenge of reversing the trend of diminishing fish catch even more daunting. While the country is one of the world’s top fish producers in the world, Filipino fishermen, ironically, remain among the poorest of the poor.
According to Rare, an international nature-conservation organization, with around 41 percent of coastal fishermen still living beyond the poverty line—way above the 26.5-percent poverty incidence in the Philippines—the need to address the problem besetting the fisheries sector through a different kind of approach becomes even more pressing.
Don Sucalit, senior director of Rare Philippines, said with positive behavioral change at the way people in fishing communities do fishing, there’s hope in reversing the trend of diminishing fish catch and make fishing as a way of life for the resource-poor fishermen sustainable.
Fish Forever
Rare is rolling out a five-year innovative program to reverse the trend of the dwindling fish catch and is targeting to implement it in 100 coastal municipalities.
At the launch of its Fish Forever Champions League on Boracay Island on June 25 and 26, Sucalit said they are in the process of identifying potential partners for the program that will replicate the success of previous campaigns to help communities sustainably manage fishing ground in their municipalities. The Fish Forever Champions League is composed of local chief executives of Rare’s local government unit (LGU) partners and conservation fellows who were part of the group’s previous campaign called Pride.
Launched in 2008 and implemented in over 20 coastal municipalities, the program was enhanced in 2012 and called Fish Forever. It aims to go beyond encouraging coastal communities to “adopt more sustainable fishing habits, end deforestation, preserve habitat and save species” to help improve lives of people in fishing communities.
Rare has engaged fishing communities in a total of 37 coastal municipalities, which saw a substantial increase in the daily fish catch of small fishermen over the years.
Rare works with local governments and communities to strengthen the science behind the establishment of existing marine-protected areas (MPAs) that are also key biodiversity areas.
In expanding the program in the next five years, Rare is eyeing to engage concerned national government agencies to boost the impact of various fisheries programs which they plan to implement in the next five years.
Managed Access
Besides identifying marine reserves or fish sanctuaries through Fish Forever, Rare aims to establish Managed Access areas near MPAs where fishermen in the communities can exclusively fish for sustenance and livelihood. Through the concept of “Managed Access,” the program seeks to forge partnerships with various stakeholders, including national and local governments, local nongovernmental organizations and communities to promote sustainable near-shore fishing.
Under the concept, areas around MPAs are declared as Managed Access areas where limited fishing is allowed only to those who help manage the area, while some areas in the municipal fishing grounds are declared “no-go zones” to allow juvenile fish to grow, breed and, eventually, help replenish the municipal waters with commercially viable fish. Only people in the community who manage the fishing ground are allowed access, but have to strictly observe rules, such as when and where to fish, and what type of fishing gear to use to prevent overfishing and protect the fish and its natural habitats.
Educating stakeholders
Rare’s information, education and communication campaign on sustainable fishing encourages positive behavioral change among stakeholders, from local governments,
civil society and the fishing communities, providing a clear direction in terms of policy and program or project implementation.
Sucalit said that in the past five years, Rare’s campaigns have helped coastal communities in over 20 coastal towns reverse the trend of diminishing fish catch.
“We have best practices which we can replicate in other areas. Our purpose here is to recognize local conservation champions and create a league of Fish Forever champions who will help sustain the gains of our previous campaigns,” he said.
In some municipalities where illegal and destructive fishing, such as use of dynamite and cyanide were rampant, fishermen have turned into protectors of fish sanctuaries and municipal fishing grounds, he said, resulting in increase in daily fish catch, increased income, among other benefits.
Positive behavioral change
Some of the local chief executives who compose Rare’s Fish Forever Champions League said the benefits of the program have helped improve the lives of fishermen in their respective localities.
They noted a change among small fishermen who have become more caring of the environment and their source of income and livelihood. Mayor Ruel Velarde of Tinambac, Camarines Sur, who grew up at a fishing village, said his town greatly benefitted from Rare’s Managed Access Program.
Velarde said with a greater sense of ownership, fishermen in Tinambac are now more involved in programs being implemented in coastal communities.
He said 250 out of the town’s 700 fishermen now volunteer to report their daily fish catch to the local government, part of a strategy to monitor the town’s fish production.
He noted that the increase in the income of fishermen, including those who operate big boats, translated to increased revenues generated by the LGU from the fishery sector.
Fishermen are now able to send their children to school, adding that the number of dropouts in both elementary and high schools in Tinambac have decreased. “Before, there are many fishermen who go to my office to ask for financial support every week. Now only a handful are seeking financial assistance,” he said. Mayor Valente Yap of Bindoy, Negros Oriental, said their fisheries-conservation efforts have started to pay off. Last year he received reports that average daily fish catch have consistently increased from 2 to 5 kilograms. This, he said, translated to better living condition among small fishermen.
He expects local revenues to increase this year, with the local fishery sector’s vibrancy.
Mayor William Angos of Cortes, Surigao del Sur, said in his town, fishermen engaged in small-scale commercial fishing have refrained from their illegal fishing practice, such as the use of baling, wherein fish nets with heavy ball-like metal tied at the bottom of the net are dragged by fishing boats to catch more fish, in the process destroying corals.
“When we declared the policy disallowing baling, some fishermen voluntarily surrendered their illegal fishing gear,” he said.
Like in Tinambac, he said the increase in the income of fishermen led to the decrease in the number of indigents seeking financial help from his office. According to Sucalit, Rare’s goal is to leave a legacy for future generation.
He expressed hopes to make community leaders become local fisheries champions to help secure sustainable national fish supply, predicting that current supply of fish will become more scarce in the future, unless changes are made today. Citing Food and Nutrition Institute data, Rare said fish constitutes 56 percent of the average animal protein intake of Filipinos.
He said Rare aims to work with all stakeholders to build a movement for sustainable municipal fisheries and shape an environment that makes healthy, resilient and vibrant communities for future generations. Rare is pushing for the passage of local ordinances among its partners to institutionalize the concept of having Managed Access areas through local chief executives who will champion the cause of sustainable fisheries management starting in their communities.
Image credits: Contributed photo