Managing Municipal Marine Capture Fisheries in the Philippines
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MANAGING MUNICIPAL MARINE CAPTURE FISHERIES IN THE PHILIPPINES Context, Framework, Concepts & Principles MANAGING MUNICIPAL MARINE CAPTURE FISHERIES IN THE PHILIPPINES Context, Framework, Concepts & Principles Managing Municipal Marine Capture Fisheries in the Philippines: Context, Framework, Concepts & Principles By Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) 2010 Printed in Cebu City, Philippines Citation: Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR). 2010. Managing Municipal Fisheries in the Philippines: Context, Framework, Concepts and Principles. Fisheries Improved for Sustainable Harvest (FISH) Project, Cebu City, Philippines. This publication was made possible through support provided by the Fisheries Improved for Sustainable Harvest (FISH) Project of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA- BFAR) and the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms and conditions of USAID Contract Nos. AID-492-C-00-96-00028-00 and AID-492-C-00-03- 00022-00. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USAID. This publication may be reproduced or quoted in other publications as long as proper reference is made to the source. Authors: Nygiel Armada; Regina Bacalso Editor: Asuncion Sia, Rebecca P. Smith Layout & Graphics: Leslie Tinapay, Asuncion Sia Illustrations & Cartoons: Amiel Roberto Jude Rufo, Asuncion Sia, Leslie Tinapay Administrative Support: Glocel Ortega, Ella Melendez, Rodrigo Pojas Cover Photo: Fisher and sons at Buenavista, Tandag, Surigao del Sur (Asuncion Sia, 2008) FIRST EDITION 2010 FISH Document No. xx-FISH/2010 Managing Municipal Marine Capture Fisheries in the Philippines: Context, Framework, Concepts & Principles United States Agency for International Development / Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Fisheries Improved for Sustainable Harvest (FISH) Project Cebu City, Philippines 2010 MANAGING MUNICIPAL MARINE CAPTURE FISHERIES IN THE PHILIPPINES: Context, Framework, Concepts and Principles iv PREFACE Preface Do you work with or in local government and communities to manage municipal fisheries? Are you concerned that in the not-so-distant future we may not have any fish left to eat? Would you like to help make fisheries sustainable? f you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, this Sourcebook was written especially for you. It was I produced as an offshoot of the implementation of the Fisheries Improved for Sustainable Harvest (FISH) Project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR). In the course of carrying out the FISH Project, we have worked with countless individuals in local government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the fishing communities toward establishing an ecosystem-based fisheries management system in each of the four areas where we operate — Calamianes Group of Islands, Palawan; Danajon Bank, Bohol; Lanuza Bay, Surigao del Sur; and Tawi-Tawi Bay, Tawi-Tawi. Deeply concerned about poor fish catches and high fish prices, these government and non-governmental organization (NGO) workers and community members have been keen students of fisheries management, eagerly absorbing the knowledge and skills that we have to share, and asking endless questions about the practical aspects of managing their fishery resources. Given Project limitations, it was not been possible for us to be present in all sites at all times to address all their concerns and questions. So we did the next best thing: We produced this Sourcebook to provide a readily available source of information to municipal fisheries managers and stakeholders everywhere, including those outside the FISH Project sites that we were unable to directly assist. This Sourcebook contains information drawn from past experience in coastal and fisheries resource management in the Philippines, particularly experiences and lessons from the FISH Project and another USAID-supported project, the Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Additional sources include documents from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO), San Miguel Bay Project (ICLARM [WorldFish Center]), Visayan Sea Project (Deutsche Gesselschaft für Technische Zussamenarbeit [GTZ]), Fishery Sector Program 1 and 2 (Asian Development Bank [ADB]), and Fisheries Resources Management Project (ADB). Fisheries trainers, law enforcers, policymakers, researchers and students can also benefit from this Sourcebook. Indeed, if you are involved or have any interest at all in supporting sustainable fisheries in the Philippines and want to know how it can be done, the Sourcebook is for you. Through the Sourcebook, we hope to provide you with the knowledge that will help you in your work as a manager or steward of your community’s coastal and fishery resources, or as an advocate of sustainable fisheries. Only a small number of print copies of this Sourcebook have been produced, mostly for our national and local government partners. But anyone interested can get a copy, as we will make Sourcebook available in electronic (pdf) format, freely downloadable from our web site at http://oneocean.org/download/. v MANAGING MUNICIPAL MARINE CAPTURE FISHERIES IN THE PHILIPPINES: Context, Framework, Concepts and Principles vi 4 FOREWORD Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Foreword Since the enactment of the 1998 Philippine Fisheries Code, our local governments have taken on more and more of the responsibility of caring for our coastal and fishery resources mandated on them by law. Having embraced the goal of sustainable development, many of our coastal cities and municipalities have slowly built their capacity to manage local resources, some to a point where direct stakeholders are beginning to reap the rewards of resource protection and management. But even as they continue to grow their capacity, confidence and commitment for coastal and fisheries management, our local governments have only really skimmed the surface of the complex problems facing our municipal fisheries. The capacity-building and institutionalization effort must continue to fully equip our cities and municipalities to manage these problems in the most effective, most strategic way. As an institution that shares the responsibility for sustainable fisheries, we in the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources have so much at stake in such capacity-building and institutionalization effort. We know that there are many of you, committed individuals in the local government who have made sustainable fisheries their life’s goal. We must – and intend to — equip you with the knowledge, expertise and resources necessary to effectively manage our municipal fisheries and, in particular, address the crucial problem of overfishing. This Handbook Series on Managing Municipal Marine Capture Fisheries in the Philippines contains valuable information, knowledge, strategies and tools that will help you in your job as municipal fisheries manager. We hope that you will use it well as you help map out the future of our vital municipal fisheries, on which so much of our national well-being depends. We in the Bureau will continue to work with you to pave the way to sustainable fisheries. MALCOLM I. SARMIENTO, JR. Director, DA-BFAR 2009 vii MANAGING MUNICIPAL MARINE CAPTURE FISHERIES IN THE PHILIPPINES: Context, Framework, Concepts and Principles viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents Preface .......................................................................................................................................... v Foreword ...................................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures & Tables Figures & Pictures .......................................................................................................... xv Tables................................................................................................................................ xvii Chapter 1 – Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 What This Sourcebook Is About.................................................................................... 1 What You Can (And Cannot) Find In This Sourcebook............................................. 2 How To Use This Sourcebook ........................................................................................ 2 Just Learning, Essentially ............................................................................................. 3 Follow These Road Signs .............................................................................................. 4 Chapter 2 – Background & Rationale .................................................................................. 5 Are We The Generation To Fish The Last Fish?........................................................ 6 More Hard Facts ............................................................................................................. 7 Wisdom In Hindsight .................................................................................................... 7 Facts Of (Fish) Life ........................................................................................................