Sustainable Fisheries Management Plan for the Sarangani Bay and Sulawesi Sea REGION 12, PHILIPPINES SUBMITTED BY THE USAID OCEANS AND FISHERIES PARTNERSHIP Ins e rt About the USAID Oceans and Fisheries Partnership The USAID Oceans and Fisheries Partnership (USAID Oceans) is a five-year activity that works to strengthen regional cooperation to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and conserve marine biodiversity in the Asia-Pacific region. USAID Oceans is a partnership between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), and the Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) that works with public and private sector partners across Southeast Asia to develop and implement electronic catch documentation and traceability systems, improve sustainable fisheries management using an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management, address human welfare and gender equity concerns, and develop public-private partnerships in support of these efforts. For more information, visit www.seafdec-oceanspartnership.org or contact info@oceans- partnership.org. About this Document The Sustainable Fisheries Management Plan for the Sarangani Bay and Sulawesi Sea is an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) Plan for the the Sarangani Bay and parts of the Sulawesi Sea that comprise the provinces of South Cotabato, Sarangani, and Sultan Kudarat, including Cotabato City and General Santos City (SOCCSKARGEN)—also known as Region 12 in the Philippines’ 16 administrative regions. This document is intended to provide a framework for fisheries management within the Sarangani Bay-Sulawesi corridor for adoption and implementation by relevant governmental agencies, local government units, non-governmental partners, academic and research institutions, and the fishing industry sector that altogether will benefit from effective fisheries management and biodiversity conservation in SOCCSKSARGEN and other regions of the Philippines. This document has been developed through a collaborative and participatory multi-stakeholder process, including USAID Oceans, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Office 12 Technical Working Group for Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (BFAR-EAFM TWG), the technical staff of local government units (LGUs) within the SOCCSKSARGEN, and other stakeholders who attended a series of workshops held to craft and refine the plan into its current form. Date: March 2019 Submitted by: John Parks, Chief of Party, USAID Oceans Contract Number: AID-486-C-15-00001 Contract Period: May 14, 2015 to May 13, 2020 COR Name: Cristina Vélez Srinivasan This document was produced for review and approval by the United States Agency for International Development/Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA). The views expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. Cover photo: Coastal area of the Sarangani Bay. Philippines Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Region 12. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables and Figures ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................... 6 Glossary of Terms ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 11 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 12 1.1 Objectives and Vision for the Sustainable Fisheries Management Plan ..................................... 12 1.2 Rationale for Crafting the Sustainable Fisheries Management Plan ............................................ 12 1.3 Development of the Sustainable Fisheries Management Plan ...................................................... 13 CHAPTER 2: SITE BACKGROUND AND FISHERIES PROFILE OF REGION 12 .................................. 16 2.1 The Sarangani Bay - Sulawesi Sea Fisheries Management Area ................................................... 16 2.2 Area and Coastal Ecosystems of SOCCSKSARGEN Region ...................................................... 17 2.3 Socio-Economics ..................................................................................................................................... 23 2.4 Fisheries Profile ....................................................................................................................................... 28 2.5 Institutional Context and Policy/Legal Framework ........................................................................ 37 CHAPTER 3: MAJOR THREATS AND ISSUES ................................................................................................. 39 3.1 Ecological Issues/Problems ................................................................................................................... 40 3.2 Human Well-Being Issues/Problems .................................................................................................. 42 3.3 Governance Issues/Problems............................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER 4: MANAGEMENT GOALS .............................................................................................................. 44 CHAPTER 5: OBJECTIVES, INDICATORS, AND BENCHMARKS ............................................................ 46 CHAPTER 6: MANAGEMENT ACTIONS ......................................................................................................... 49 6.1 Ecological Well-Being Management Actions .................................................................................... 49 6.2 Human Well-Being Management Actions ......................................................................................... 51 6.3 Governance Well-Being Management Actions................................................................................ 53 CHAPTER 7: INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT, COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT, AND CAPACITY BUILDING ........................................................................................................................................... 55 CHAPTER 8: SUSTAINABLE FINANCING....................................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER 9: IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGY ............................... 57 CHAPTER 10: MONITORING AND EVALUATION .................................................................................... 58 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................................. 61 Annexes I-III: List of Workshop Participants ..................................................................................................... 68 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1. Key dates in crafting the SFMP for Sarangani Bay and Sulawesi Sea............................................. 14 Table 2. Poverty statistics of SOCCSKSARGEN (Region 12) in 2015 ........................................................ 24 Table 3. Comparative value-added/distribution of benefits among key players from municipal tuna fishing (per kg) ........................................................................................................................................................... 26 Table 4. Number of registered fishing boats in Region 12 ............................................................................. 29 Table 5. Number of registered fishing boats in Region 12, by type ............................................................. 29 Table 6. Most common fishing gears used in Region 12 ................................................................................. 29 Table 7. Volume and Value of Regional Fishery Production, 2005-2015 (Source: BFAR 12 2015b). ... 33 Table 8. Top ten Commercial Species of Region 12 (Volume), 2005-2015 ............................................... 35 Table 9. Top ten species caught by municipal fishing gears in Region 12 (volume), 2005-2015 ............ 35 Table 10. Priority Ecological Well-Being Problems and Issues ...................................................................... 41 Table 11. Priority human well-being problems and issues .............................................................................. 42 Table 12. Priority governance issues .................................................................................................................... 44 Table 13. Goal statements to address the priority issues and problems .................................................... 45 Table 14. Objectives, indicators, and benchmarks for the ecological well-being goal ............................. 47 Table 15. Objectives, indicators, and benchmarks for the human well-being goal ................................... 47 Table 16. Objectives, indicators, and benchmarks for good governance goal ........................................... 48 Table 17. Ecological