Saving our seas to save our future

The Philippines is located in one of the world’s richest biogeographic areas, and is one of the richest in diversity of marine life. With its 7,107 islands, 150 million hectares of marine waters and an extensive coastline of 17,640 kilometers which is five times larger than its land area, the country is a natural fishing ground.

This rich fishing ground is normally associated with high fish yield, but more and more fishermen catch less and less fish. Various factors have caused this depletion.

Overfishing of marine resource has long been observed in many areas of the country. This refers not only to the harvesting of excessive volumes of fish but also to the harvesting of juveniles (young fishes) and non-target species. These practices deplete the sea of its resources. Unabated illegal fishing, such as the use of dynamite and cyanide, coupled with natural imbalances like the dry spell during the El Niño in 1997 have almost wiped out the coral reefs in many bays and gulfs.

Other coastal resources have also deteriorated, together with water quality and volume of fisheries. Mangroves have been heavily logged over to make way for coastal subdivisions, fishponds, and recreation centers. Siltation has been observed in many bodies of water, largely due to sediments from the river sources, and improper land use which may be due to heavy logging in the upland areas. Fish pens and fish corrals have destroyed the natural flushing action of river and estuarine waters, causing flooding in coastal communities which aggravate siltation. Unregulated mariculture in coastal waters also worsens the state of fisheries, encouraging algal blooms that cause fishkills. Most estuaries, bays and gulfs are also polluted caused by various sources.

These are problems faced by the Fisheries Resource Management Project (FRMP) when the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) started implementing it in 1999. FRMP aims to promote conservation and sustainable management of coastal fisheries by reversing the trend of resource depletion in municipal waters; and alleviate the extensive poverty of fisherfolk by promoting income diversification to reduce their reliance on fishing and increase their income and living standards. The six-year project covers 18 bays/gulfs in 23 provinces and 100 municipalities.

BFAR-FRMP assists local government units and community-based groups implement coastal resource management (CRM) initiatives that, among others, call for the establishment of fish sanctuaries, mangrove reforestation projects, river rehabilitation projects, and other resource enhancement projects to revitalize dying and depleted marine and coastal resources.

CRM planning and implementation done by the local government units with BFAR-FRMP assistance, based on scientifically gathered data and which affirms the commitment of the LGUs is a salient feature of the fisheries resource management component.

In line with the CRM, BFAR through FRMP has helped establish 189 resource enhancement projects (REP). These projects are being maintained and sustained by various partners from LGUs, community-based fisher groups, non-government organizations and other concerned sectors. So far, the results have been very encouraging.

Based on a preliminary survey, REP benefits include increase in fish catch per trip from 1-2 kg prior to the establishment of the fish sanctuaries to 2-5 kg; increase in fish size; reappearance of commercially important fish species e.g. grouper (lapu-lapu); improvement in fish biodiversity; improvement in live coral cover; and variety in the population of nearshore stocks. With the spillover effect, the increase in catch outside the protected areas has also translated to an increase in income. The estimated income of fishers after the establishment of the REP (at 15 fishing days at 5 kg/trip and P50/kg) is now at P3,750/month from previous estimate of P1,500. The results are notable given that the sanctuaries are relatively new. They also provide concrete evidence that protected areas, if managed properly can indeed restore fish productivity of nearshore waters.

FRMP is implementing the Integrated Coastal Resource Management (ICRM) project in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Land and water use plans upstream has been made compatible with coastal land and water use downstream, to control land-based pollution and siltation that impact on nearshore fish habitats is being pilot-tested in Puerto Princesa City.

FRMP is helping fisheries law enforcement in the country through the 89 fisheries law enforcement teams (FLET) established under the project. To improve prosecution of cases and increase conviction rate, FLET members numbering 1,123 have been trained in procedures for apprehension, preservation of evidence of illegal fishing and reporting and coordinating with government agencies. The project has also commenced the establishment of the Coast Watch (Bantay Baybay) System, a land-based surveillance program designed to complement FLETs at the barangay level. These teams now number 161 manned by 186 trained volunteers. FRMP has also procured patrol boats and distributed them to LGUs.

FRMP has pledged to help control cyanide fishing and other obnoxious substances to pave the way for the rehabilitation of damaged habitats. Hence, it supports the operation and maintenance of Cyanide Detection Test (CDT) laboratories in selected sites.

FRMP is also conducting other projects such as conducting an information, education and communication (IEC) campaign to elicit active participation of various stakeholder groups, especially municipal fisherfolk, in CRM planning and implementation.

FRMP is also building a state-of-the-art information and learning structure though its Philippine Fisheries Information System. PhilFIS is a network of a distributed information system designed to facilitate the collection, processing and timely delivery of relevant, accurate and reliable fisheries data and information, and involving the uploading of information from various contributors.

To help fishers develop alternative income to lessen their dependence on the sea, FRMP promotes microenterprise development, or the generation of savings and microcredit mechanisms, for the small fishers. FRMP has sponsored trainings to transfer microenterprise management and technical skills to the fisher cooperatives and associations formed under the project.

FRMP is also supporting 106 community-based livelihood projects, amounting to P27.5 million, and with 2,700 beneficiaries. These projects are in the form of hands-on training on culture of seaweed, milkfish and grouper in cages and the aquasilviculture. Seaweed projects number 23 with 640 beneficiaries; cage culture of milkfish benefit 347 beneficiaries; cage culture of grouper is a blessing to 256 beneficiaries; and 10 aquasilviculture projects benefit 57 fishers. Other important projects include six fish processing projects with 447 beneficiaries, and five mudcrab fattening projects with 114 beneficiaries. These livelihood training projects are being undertaken in partnership with the LGUs and NGOs). To date, nine NGOs are operating in the FRMP areas, while others have already finished or just about to start their respective contracts.

FRMP is also sponsoring formal and informal trainings to enhance the capability of implementors in sustainable regenerative and rehabilitative management of fishery resources and strengthen the participating institutions. Participants to the training include staff from the regional and provincial Project Implementing Units (PIUs) and local government units.