Strengthening Capacities for Climate Risk Management and Disaster Preparedness in Selected Provinces of the Philippines (Bicol Region) (TCP/PHI/3203)

Status of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Bicol Region

Bicol has 94 coastal municipalities with 1,067 coastal barangays and a coastline that measures 3,116.1 kilometers. It has four major fishing grounds the San Miguel Bay, Ragay Gulf, Lagonoy Gulf and Sorsogon Bay measuring a total of 1,666.28 square kilometers. For commercial fisheries, BFAR has recorded a total of 1,264 licensed fishermen; 139 licensed gears; 250 operators and 389 fishing vessels. Under the municipal fisheries it has recorded 102,058 fishermen; 20,678 motorized banca, 32,045 non- motorized banca. The fishing gears commonly used include: bagnets, purse seine, Danish seine trawl and ring net (Bicol Agricultural Profile 2010). Meanwhile the fisheries production of the region for 2009 BAS data totalled 273,563.45 metric tons or 3.98% change over that of 2008 ; 65,364.23 for commercial fisheries ; 139,165.3 for municipal fisheries and 69,033.88 for aquaculture(Bicol Agricultural Profile 2010).

Fish is a very important food item in the diet of Bicolano’s because it is surrounded by the fishes’ habitat and fisheries is of paramount importance to its economic due to its contribution to livelihood, employment and income of the people benefiting on it, but resource management and conservation is not well known among people particularly those under extreme poverty situation.

As in most areas in the Philippines, fishing in Bicol Region is characterized by declining fish catch and higher fishing efforts. This was confirmed by NSCB (2005) that reported a drop of 3.5% in fish production in 2004. In 1995, similar observation was reported (Soliman, et al., 1995 and 1999) that 12 out of 15 major commercially important species are heavily exploited (Soliman et al., 1999). Furthermore, the Lagonoy Gulf- Resource and Ecological Assessment report reveals that 4 out of 7 species cited was found highly exploited largely with the use of gill net (Soliman et al., 1995). Record of fish extraction showed a 20mt/km2 /yr level (Soliman, et al., 1997) in San Miguel Island and 9.3mt/km2 /yr in the entire gulf (Soliman, et al., 1995). In addition, the observed appearance of less preferred species and disappearance of large economically important species indicates symptoms of ecosystem overfishing. This situation might even be worst than expected as the population might double over the next 10 years without effective gulf-wide management in place. Despite this sad reality, agriculture, fishery and forestry sector absorbed 40.3% of the total employed persons in 2004 (NSCB, 2005).

Fishing operations is seasonal and affected by southwest monsoon (November to March) and northeast monsoon (June to October); and generally good from April to May. Fisheries in the areas is characteristically multi-species, hence fishing utilizes multi- gear predominantly gill-net (palutang, pangki, palundag, and largarete), bag nets, seine nets and hand lines for catching tunas, small pelagic, large demersal and coral reef fishes. Tuna and tuna-like fishes, grouper, round scads, coral fishes, siganids, rabbit fish, anchovy, snapper, parrot fish, mackerel, mullet, big eyed scads, cobia, and sardinella, are the most frequently caught fish. Other marine product harvested by gleaning during low tide includes sea cucumber, crabs, squids, cuttlefish, octopus and other economically important invertebrate species.

The major fishing ground includes Lagonoy Gulf in Albay, San Miguel Bay and Ragay Camarines in Camarines Sur, Sorsogon Bay, and Asid Gulf in Masbate.

In the aquaculture sector, the most important cultured species in the region are milkfish (Chanos chanos), tilapia (mainly Oreochromis niloticus and their hybrids), tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), mudcrab (Scylla serrata), green mussel (Perna viridis). Seaweed farming (Kappaphycus and Eucheuma) is also very popular in most coastal areas. Minor cultured species include catfish (Clarias gariepinus and C. batrachus) and carps (Cyprinus carpio and Aristhyctis nobilis).

Various types of farming systems are used, with the dominant culture system being brackishwater pond culture. In freshwater, tilapia fish cage farming is the most popular with Lakes Buhi and Bato in Camarines Sur as the main farming area. Recently, however, mariculture has been promoted t=by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

The generally recognized interrelated issues and constraint affecting the weak performance of the fisheries and aquaculture in the region include:

a) Poverty among fishers b) Resource depletion in coastal waters due to the overfishing and illegal fishing, resulting to the observed appearance of less preferred species and disappearance of large economically important species and the degradation of ecosystems; c) Habitat destruction as evidenced by degradation mangroves areas, sea grass and seaweed beds, and coral reefs and the pollution of major rivers and lakes; d) Pollution from various sources which include industrial, agricultural, commercial and domestic activities which discharge pollutants into marine waters, contributing to aquatic pollution and ecosystems failure resulting to red tides as in the case of Sorsogon Bay green mussel farming and mass fish kill in Lake Buhi tilapia fish cage industry; e) Low productivity in aquaculture due to high cost of production inputs, lack of stocking materials (fry or fingerlings), limited species for culture and diseases in prawn culture, ride tide problem in mussel and other reasons; f) Urbanization and sedimentation from upstream areas results to soil erosion and poor watershed integrity also affects water quality issue for the aquaculture industry. g) High postharvest losses,

REFERENCES

Bicol Agricultural Profile 2010. Regional Agriculture Information Division, Department of Agriculture, RFU 5 San Agustin, Pili, Camarines Sur, www.bicol.da.gov.ph

National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB). 2005. Poverty Statistics, www.nscb.gov.ph.

National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB). 2005. Regional Social and Economic Trends (Bicol Region). www.nscb.gov.ph/ru5.

Soliman, V.S. and Dioneda, R.R. 1999. Stock assessment of commercially important tunas, small pelagic and crustaceans in Lagonoy Gulf. Paper presented during the 5th National Symposium in Marine /science. October 17-19, 1999. UP MSI, Diliman, Q.C., 6p.

Soliman, V.S., de Jesus, S.C. Basmayor, L.O. Dioneda, N.W. 1997. Coastal Resource Management Issues in San Miguel Island, Tabaco Albay. R&D Journal Vo. X December 997, pp12-20.

Soliman, V.S., Nieves, P.M., Garces, L.R. and Sia, Q.P. 1995. Catch and Effort in the Lagonoy Gulf Fisheries. In G. Silvestre, C. Luna, V. Soliman and L. Garces (Eds). Resource and Ecological Assessment of Lagonoy Gulf. ICLARM Technical Report No. 000p.

Prepared By:

PLUTOMEO M. NIEVES, Ph.D. NATIONAL CONSULTANT, TCP/PHI/3203 FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE