An Overview ofPhilippineFisheries

PORFIRIO M. ALIÑOThe Marine Science InstituteUniversity of the PhilippinesDiliman 1101 Quezon City

PHILIPPINES

The Philippines is the 11th top fishing nation in theworld (Fig. 1, Table 1). This annual fisheries yield isestimated to be worth around US$2.5 billion (estimatedat around 4.3% of gross domestic product) (Barut etal. 1997). Annual harvest is around 1.67 million tonsfrom capture fisheries, the estimated value of whichwas around US$578 million in 1994 (US$1 =PhP23.75). This contributed to around 62% of annual

total fisheries catch, with the rest covered byaquaculture and inland fisheries. Towards the early1990’s, a decline has been observed in the municipalfisheries (i.e., small-scale capture fisheries from lessthan 3 gross ton boats). The decline has been offsetby commercial fisheries (i.e., capture fisheries frommore than 3 gross ton boats). Around 47% of thiscapture fisheries (~787,000 tons) came from municipal

Figure 1. Marine production by countries, 1991. (Source: De Silva 1996)

fisheries and the rest (~885,000 tons) was fromcommercial fisheries (Barut et al. 1997) (Table 2;Figs. 2, 3). In the medium term development plan ofthe Philippines (including the next 5 years), it isprojected that no further increases from municipal

fisheries are expected. Thus, it was emphasized inthe Philippine’s National Fisheries Agenda to arrestthe decline in municipal fisheries and sustain thepresent levels. Commercial capture fisheriesproduction was expected to increase by around 10%

Figure 2. Philippine marine fisheries production, 1950-1994. (Source: BFAR and BAS Statistics 1994, in Barutet al. 1997)

Table 1. Asian countries’ artisanal fishing sectors. (Source: De Silva 1996)

to compensate for the deficits from increased demanddue to population growth. Aquaculture was alsoexpected to account for over 35% of the totalharvests, and hence, complement overall fisheriesproduction (Aguilar 2001). By the year 2010, if theannual population growth of the Philippines continuesat 2.4%, then a considerable deficit in fisheries yieldrelative to per capita consumption is expected.

As an archipelagic state composed of around 2,100islands, the Philippines extends around 2,000 km northto south from 4o05’ to 4o30’. The total territorialwaters cover around 2.2 million km2 and the shelfarea is around 184,600 km2 (Barut et al. 1997) (Fig.4). Silvestre (1989) cites an initial delphi analyses ofthe various fishing areas in the Philippines and showsthat most of these areas are already fully- to over-exploited (Fig. 5). Based on some general estimates

Table 2. Marine fisheries production (top) and annual economic benefits from fisheries (bottom) in the Philippines,1996. (Source: White and Cruz-Trinidad 1998)

from surplus production models by Silvestre and Pauly(1986) of pelagic catch and of the demersal catch(Dalzell 1996), the Philippines has well exceeded theestimated MSY. The calculated annual rentdissipation from overfishing was estimated at aroundUS$130 million for demersal fisheries and aroundUS$290 million for small pelagics (Trinidad et al. 1993)(Figs. 6 and 7).

One may note that since the Philippines is found inthe most diverse region in the marine world, itsmultispecies and multigear fisheries (Fig. 8) manifeststhe varied range of problems in the resources and itsdeveloping economy. Thus, the country’s fisheriesexperience indications of shifts in species compositiontogether with a decline in fisheries yield (see Dalzellet al. 1987).

The issues and concerns mentioned earlier can bestbe exemplified by some of the following caseexamples:

1. Lingayen Gulf and Manila Bay: too manyfishers and environmental stress

One of the common features in many fishing areas ishow the varying degrees of environmental stressinduced by human impacts interact with fisheries

Figure 3. Philippine marine fisheries production, 1991-2000. (Source: DA-BFAR Statistics 2000)

110.00 115.00 120.00 125.00 130.00 135.000.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

East Longitude (degrees)

Nor

th L

atitu

de (d

egre

es)

-10000.0

-9000.0

-8000.0

-7000.0

-6000.0

-5000.0

-4000.0

-3000.0

-2000.0

-1000.0

-200.0

0.0

Depth (meters)

Straight BaselinesTreaty Limits200 n.mi. E.E.Z.Kalayaan Claim

- Republic Act No. 3046 amended by R.A. 5446- Treaty of Paris (1898)- Presidential Decree No. 1593; 1978- Presidential Decree No. 1595; 1979

Figure 4. Schematic territorial boundaries and bathymetry map of the Philippines. (Source: Aliño, 1998)

overexploitation (e.g., siltation together with pollutionin Lingayen Gulf and Manila Bay; Padilla andMorales 1997, Pauly and Chua 1988). The mostprevalent fisheries concern is the condition that isreferred to as ‘malthusian overfishing’. This conditionoften related to an increasing density of fishers’population and leads to using more efficient butdestructive fishing practices such as blastfishing(Pauly et al. 1989). In addition, the competitionbetween commercial and municipal fishing activitieswithin municipal waters has been consistently seenas one of the major concerns (Table 3; Figs. 9 and10).

2. Municipal fisheries vs commercial fisheries

Due to the overexploited state in the coastal areasand the need to regulate fishing effort (i.e., municipalwaters within 10 to 15 km from the shore), illegalaccess by the commercial fleets has been seen as amajor problem in the fisheries sector. Smith et al.

(1983) has highlighted this quite well for San MiguelBay (Table 4). Note that the 89 trawlers belongedonly to 40 households (with 42% of its total value)whereas the 2,300 small-scale fishing gears belongedto 3,500 fishers (Silvestre and Pauly 1997). This socialequity and uneven competition have been consideredcharacteristic not only in the Philippines, but also inmany other coastal fisheries of developing countries.Thus, solutions require greater empowermentmechanisms (e.g., community-based efforts forimproved enforcement), which, to some extent, havebeen initiated through some of the decentralizationdevolution mechanisms of the Philippine localgovernment code of 1992.

Unfortunately, the small-scale municipal fisheriessector also requires considerable effort reductions inorder to have any significant change to mitigate forthe decline of the fisheries resources (Hilomen et al.,unpubl. rep.). As mentioned earlier, malthusianoverexploitation, together with the marginalization of

Figure 5. Heavily exploited areas in the Philippines. (Source: Tandog-Edralin et al. 1987, in White and Cruz-Trinidad 1998)

the municipal fishers, have led them further todesperate measures for more effective anddestructive fishing practices (e.g., blast fishing, poisonfishing) (Pauly et al. 1989).

3. Capture fisheries and mariculture

Due to the expected stagnation of capture fisheriesin the coastal areas and, on the other hand, with a

projected continuous increase in population, cheapfish protein food may be less available in future(Bernacsek 1987). Hence, mariculture has been seenas the logical panacea to augment the fisheriesdeficit. This suggestion, however, has been wroughtwith problems such as the issue of degradation ofimportant fisheries habitats. In the Philippines,fishpond conversion of mangrove areas has beenidentified as one of the major cause of mangrove

Figure 6. Surplus production models of the Philippines’ small pelagic and demersal fisheries. (Sources: Silvestreand Pauly 1986; Dalzell et al.1986, in Silvestre and Pauly 1997)

Figure 7. Trend of catch per unit effort since 1948. (Source: Dalzell et al. 1987, in White and Cruz-Trinidad 1998)

destruction (Aliño et al. 1998) (Figs. 11and 12). Recently in the Lingayen Gulf,the introduction of fish pens and fishcages brought about serious problems.Aside from the problems of water qualityand fish kills due to unrequlatedaquaculture activities (Fig. 13), furtherdisplacement of fishers has occurred inaddition to the unfair accessarrangements in the commons (Verceleset al. 2001).

4. Transboundary issues: pelagicstocks and disputed areas

Morgan and Valencia (1983) shows theimportance of the Philippines in themigration route of yellow fin tuna andillustrates some important concerns inshared stocks (e.g., round scads betweenthe Philippines and Malaysia in the SouthChina Sea and, in addition, Indonesia, inthe Sulu-Sulawesi Sea region) (Figs. 14and 15). Ganaden and Stequert (1987)reported on the innovation by theFilipinos’ introduction of the payao (afish aggregating device; Fig. 16) andsuggested that catch rates in thePhilippines may be beyond their potentialsand may also have signs of growthoverfishing.

- bottom set gillnet - tabang - fishtrap - bira-bira - hook and line - surface/floating gillnet - baby trawl - sagap - lamp - fish corral

Figure 9. Spatial patterns of exploitation of various municipalfisheries in the Lingayen Gulf, Aug-May 2001. (Source: Hilomenand Jimenez 2002)

Figure 8. Some fishing gears used in the Philippines. (Source: SEAFDEC 1995)

5o square), in the East Pacific (24,500 Mtons per 5o

square), and in the Indian Ocean (17,600 Mtons per5o square). Aliño et al. (1998) have provided someinitial evidence of the possible decline of tuna stocksespecially in the South China Sea area.

An extrapolation by Ganaden and Stequert (1987)for a 5-degree grid fishing area shows that comparedto other areas in the world, the Philippines has around2 to 4 times more yield than the most productivefishing area in the Atlantic (yield ~28,400 Mtons per

Fishery 1985 2000-2001d % decrease

A. MunicipalGillnet 15.25a 11.04 38.16

H/L 7.08a 3.15 124.51

Fish corral 4.35a 0.90 384.63

Fish trap 2.1a 1.75 23.15

Baby trawl 31.3b 14.68 113.17

B. CommercialDanish seine 26.8a 14.17 89.18

Trawl 31.8c 15.37 106.90aCalud et al. 1989bMines 1986cValue estimated in 1987 in Ochavillo et al. 1989dThis study. CPUE in kg mn-hr-1 were translated to kg per trip by multiplying CPUE with average number of actual hours spent fishing each day.

Table 3. Comparison of the estimates of catch rates (in kg per trip) obtained for selected municipal fisheries inLingayen Gulf between 1985 and 2001. (Source: Hilomen & Jimenez, unpubl. rep.)

-

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

20,000

- 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 90,000

Fishing effort (HP)

Yiel

d (m

t)

2000

1995

Figure 10. Sustainable yield and status (with years indicated) of combined commercial and municipal fisheries inthe Lingayen Gulf. (Source: Hilomen & Jimenez, unpubl. rep.)

Summary and conclusions

Silvestre (1989) provided somerecommendations on tackling thevarious issues and concerns onPhilippine Fisheries:

1. Enhance capabilities ofFisheries Management councils atall levels specially through theestablishment of National andRegional Fisheries Councils. Todate, with Republic Act 8550 (thePhilippine Fisheries Code of 1998),the Fisheries and AquaticResources Management Councils(FARMCs) have been

Table 4. Summary of data on the duality of the fisheries in San Miguel Bay, Philippines. (Source: Smith et al. 1983)

Figure 11. Mangrove resource decline in the Philippines. (Source: World Bank 1989, in White and Cruz-Trinidad1998)

Figure 12. Proliferation of fishpens in the Lingayen Gulf. (Photos by Dr. GilS. Jacinto)

Figure 13. News of the recent fish kill in Bolinao, Pangasinan, downloaded from www. inq7.net on Feb 2, 2002.(Photos were from www.upmsi.ph)

this story was taken from www.inq7.netURL: http://www.inq7.net/brk/2002/feb/02/text/brkoth_4-1-p.htm

Fish kill hits coastal town of PangasinanPosted:2:40 PM (Manila Time) | Feb. 02, 2002By Inquirer News Service

BOLINAO, Pangasinan – A massive fish kill hit this coastaltown as millions of pesos worth of cultured bangus (milkfish)died suddenly.

Mayor Jesus Celeste said there was no estimated damageyet although one operator with 10 fish cages was said tohave lost about P4-million worth of bangus, while anotherlost about P1-million worth.

Many operators of fish cages, as a result, have beenhastily harvesting their remaining stocks.

There are about 400 fish cages and 200 fish pens inBolinao, but the most affected were those in BarangaysGuiguiwanen and Luciente II.

Celeste said somebody could have poured a chemicalthat poisoned the bangus. White fluid was found in the fishcages, he said.

"Why was only one area affected if the cause waspollution? Why not the entire Bolinao?" he asked.

He sought the help of the University of the PhilippinesMarine Science Institute, which maintains a laboratory inthe town, to examine the chemical that caused the fish kill.

The incident occurred amid protests from residents aboutthe proliferation of fish cages and pens in Bolinao.

In a letter to the municipal council, Margaret Celeste,elder sister of the mayor, said fish cages have been pollutingthe waters off Barangays Lambes, Zaragoza, Catungi,Tara, Culang, Luna and Luciente II, and parts of BarangaysLuciente I and Lucero.

"The areas occupied by fish cages and pens havebecome polluted due to excessive concentration of fishfeeds, and the water quality (there) has deteriorated,"Margaret Celeste said.

She warned that the presence of these fish cages "mightThe fish cages and pens have already affected thenavigational route of the residents of Santiago Island,especially at night, the mayor's sister said. Yolanda Fuertes,PDI Northern Luzon Bureau©2002 www.inq7.net all rights reserved

institutionalized by law. Unfortunately, they are mainlya consultative body and would require improved waysof making them more effective in actual managementinterventions in the ground.

2. There is a need to clarify the management goalsthat fisheries management programs often confusethe management concerns that deal with intermediate

causes (e.g., overexploitation of fisheries and habitatdestruction) and those that deal with the root causes(e.g., poverty, population growth, social equity, politicaleconomy). Aside from the clarification of these goalsand objectives, it is crucial that appropriatestakeholders’ roles and responsibilities be identifiedto contribute to coordinated, integrated andcomplementary outcomes.

3. Pursue innovative ways of reducing fishing effortand more effective ways of enforcement andcompliance. Considering the dire depauperatecondition of the Philippines and widespread hungerand deprivation in its social development, controllingfishing effort requires more than the usual commandand control monitoring, control and surveillancemechanisms of developed states. Much of thesuccesful initiatives tended to provide social pressuresfrom the community through a changed social viewof community stewardship. A broader complianceto local and national ordinances can be improved ifpolitical-will is demnstrated by the local government.On the other hand, many broad based organizedcommunity (e.g., through militant peoplesorganizations) or through citizens watch programsknown as Bantay Dagat (sea watchers or localcommunity coast guards) have also been succesful.Though only documented in fewer cases in thePhilippines, some communities still assert some oftheir local beliefs (akin to traditional ecologicalknowledge and wisdom) as a guide for their fishingpractices (Mangahas 1993).

4. Explore incentives for livelihood-linked programsto sustain resource management and disincentives forsustainable practices. Due to the broaderdevelopment concerns prevalent in developingcountries, regulating fishing as a crucial livelihood forthe sustenance of fishers requires effective incentivesto shift towards sustainable practices. Some successhas been shown for areas where some fishers haveshifted towards some ecotourism related activitiesinvolving marine sanctuaries where resourceextraction has been minimized (Vogt 1997). Inaddition, it has been suggested that resourceenhancement activities involving communitystakeholders has shown some promise. Suchexperiences in learning by doing as part their livelihoodand as stewardship responsibility creates a greatersocial pressure for unsustainable practices. Reducingproduct acceptance derived from unsustainablelivelihood practices (e.g., blast fishing and poisonfishing) and as compared to more acceptableecolabelled goods and services also offercomplementary value-added incentives.

Figure 14. Inferred migratory route of some tuna species passing through the Philippines. (Source: Morgan andValencia 1983)

5. Encourage joint ventures in international watersand consider incentives in lightly exploited internationalareas. The broad Philippine fisheries experience inthe region may offer the problems of its local fisheriesresource depletion to explore lightly exploited areasin the Pacific international waters areas with otherregional partners (e.g., Indonesia and Papua NewGuinea). Improvement of the private sector and stateinteraction needs to be explored further especially infacilitating goodwill and clarifying mutually beneficialtrade agreements.

6. Improve effectiveness of enhancement andrehabilitation through an ecosystem and integratedcoastal management approach. Some reseedingefforts and mangrove enhancement initiatives havemet with less success due to the inappropriate contextthat they have been undertaken. Thus sea ranchingwithout sufficient efforts to regulate access and areacontrol (e.g., with a complementary marine sanctuaryarea) or proper grow out educated cooperators wouldnot be sustainable. In addition, enhancement areassituated in areas where conflicts in general usage ofthe zones (e.g., international ports and industrial

Figure 15. Some shared pelagic stocks around the Philippines especially in the South China Sea. (Source: Morganand Valencia 1983)

Figure 16. A ‘payao’ made of bamboo (based on deJesus 1982). (Source: Aprieto 1995)

discharges or possible pollution sources) wouldjeopardize enhancement and rehabilitation. As shownin the example for mariculture, more and morefisheries management concerns of municipalities’ arenow being approached as part of its’ integrated coastaldevelopment plans.

References

Aguilar GD (2001) The national integrated researchdevelopment extension agenda and program forcapture fisheries. In Int Sem Responsible capturefisheries in coastal waters of Asia: case studiesand researches for sustainable development andmanagement of tropical fisheries, 24-27 Sept 2001,College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences,University of the Philippines in the Visayas, Miag-ao, Iloilo, Philippines, p 3 (Abstracts). Japan Societyfor the Promotion of Science

Aliño PM (1998) Transboundary diagnostic analysisfor the South China Sea - Philippine country report

Aliño PM, Nañola CL, Ochavillo DG, Rañola MC(1998) The fisheries potential of the KalayaanIsland Group, South China Sea. In Morton B (ed)Proc 3rd Int Conf Marine Biology of the SouthChina Sea, Hong Kong, 28 Oct - 1 Nov 1996, pp219-226. Hong Kong University Press, HongKong

Aprieto VL (1995) Philippine tuna fisheries: yellowfinand skipjack. University of the Philippines Press,Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines, 251 p

Barut NC, Santos MD, Garces LR (1997) Overviewof Philippine marine fisheries. In Silvestre G, PaulyD (eds) Status and management of tropical coastalfisheries in Asia, ICLARM Conf Proc 53: 62-71

Bernacsek G Principal fisheries development policyissues for the five-year development plan of thePhilippines. Paper presented at the NationalFisheries Policy Workshop, 16-20 Mar 1987,Baguio City

Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries andAquatic Resources, DA-BFAR (2000) Fisheriesprofile 2000. Manila, Philippines

Dalzell P (1996) Catch rates, selectivity and yieldsof reef fishing. In Polunin NVC, Roberts CM (eds)Reef fisheries, pp 161- 192. Chapman and Hall,London

Dalzell P, Corpuz P, Ganaden R, Pauly D (1987)Estimation of maximum sustainable yield andmaximum economic rent from the Philippine smallpelagic fisheries. Bureau of Fisheries and AquaticResources Tech Pap Ser 10(3), 23 p

De Silva SS (1996) A review of the major trends inAsian fisheries. In De Silva SS (ed) Perspectivesin Asian fisheries - a volume to commemorate the10th anniversary of the Asian Fisheries Society,pp 85-104. Asian Fisheries Society, Makati City,Philippines

Ganaden R, Stequert B (1987) Tuna fisheries in thePhilippines. Paper presented at the IPTP TunaWorking Group, Aug 1987, Manila, Philippines

Hilomen VV, Nañola CL, Dantis AL (2000) Statusof Philippine reef fish communities. ProcWorkshop Status of PhilippineRreefs, p 14(Abstract)

Hilomen VV, Jimenez L (2001) Resource and socialassessment of Lingayen Gulf: Capture fisheries(unpublished report)

Manprasit A, Siriraksophon S, Masthawee P,Chokesanguan B, Sae-Ung S, Soodhom S, DicksonJO, Matsunaga Y (1995). Fishing gear and methodsin Southeast Asia: III. The Philippines. TrainingDepartment Southeast Asia FisheriesDevelopment Center (SEAFDEC)

Mangahas M (1993) Indigenous coastal resourcesmanagement: the case of the hataw fishing inBatanes. Center for Development Studies,University of the Philippines, Quezon City (MAThesis)

Morgan JR, Velencia MJ (1983) Atlas for marinepolicy in Southeast Asian Seas. University ofCalifornia Press, Berkeley

Padilla JE, Morales AC (1997) Evaluation offisheries management alternatives for LingayenGulf: an options paper. In Studies on LingayenGulf, Final report of The Philippine Environmentaland Natural Resources Accounting Project(ENRAP-Phase IV), 32 p, 20 tables, 6 figures

Pauly D, Chua T-E (1988) The overfishing of marineresources: socioeconomic background in SoutheastAsia AMBIO 17: 200-206

Pauly D, Silvestre GT, Smith IR (1989) Ondevelopment, fisheries and dynamite: a brief reviewof tropical fisheries management. Nat ResourModelling 3(3): 307-329

Silvestre GT (1989) Philippine marine capturefisheries: exploitation, potential and options forsustainable development. Working Paper No 48,Fisheries Stock Assessment, CRSP. InternationalCenter for Marine Resource Development, TheUniversity of Rhode Island, Kingston, RhodeIsland, 87 p

Silvestre GT, Pauly D (1986) Estimate of yield andeconomic rent from Philippine demersal stocks(1946-1984). Paper presented at the IOC/WESTPAC Symp on Marine Science in theWestern Pacific: the Indo-Pacific Convergence,1-6 Dec 1986, Townsville, Australia

Silvestre GT, Pauly D (1997) Management of tropicalfisheries in Asia: an overview of key challengesand opportunities. In Silvestre G, Pauly D (eds)Status and management of tropical coastal fisheriesin Asia, ICLARM Conf Proc 53: 8-25

Smith IR, Pauly D, Mines AN (1983) Small-scalefishing of San Miguel Bay, Philippines: options formanagement and research. ICLARM Tech Rep11, 80 p

Trinidad AC, Pomeroy RS, Corpuz PV, Aguero M(1993) Bioeconomics of the Philippine smallpelagic fishery. ICLARM Tech Rep 38, 78 p

VercelesLF, McManus LT, Aliño PM ( 2001)Participatory monitoring and feedback system: animportant entry towards sustainable aquaculturein Bolinao, northern Philippines. Sci Diliman, pp78-87

Vogt PH (1997) The economic benefits of tourismin the marine reserve of Apo Island, Philippines.Paper presented at the 8th Int Coral Reef Symp,June 1997, Panama, 7p

White AT, Cruz-Trinidad A (1998) The values ofPhilippine coastal resources: why protection andmanagement are critical. Coastal ResourcesManagement Project, Cebu City, Philippines, 96 p