Municipal fisheries in the Philippines
Local governments can implement more stringent regulations than the national baseline, as well as establish protected areas and closed seasons within their waters.
[6]: 8 Coastal waters include 184,600 square kilometres (71,300 sq mi) on continental shelf of 200 metres (660 ft) deep or less.
[4]: 63 Commonly fished demersal species are threadfin bream, slipmouths, blue crab, groupers, rabbitfish, spadefish, and catfish.
[16]: 16 The most fished small pelagic species is Bali sardinella, followed by roundscad, bigeye scad (and others of the Carangidae family), squid, and anchovies (of the Stolephorus genus).
[25] Snails were at one point harvested in large quantities through dredging in Laguna de Bay to feed local duck farms.
[28] Most inland fishing boats, which ply brackish waters, estuaries, lakes, reservoirs, and rivers, are smaller than 3 gross tonnes.
[14]: 45 The government has developed specific plans to try and address fisherfolk poverty, including programs aimed at providing alternative livelihoods and improving fisheries management.
[5] So long as it does not conflict with national regulations and the water is deeper than 7 fathoms, local governments may permit small commercial ships to fish 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the shore.
The primary goal of this act was food security, and its balance of ecosystem protection and fishing allowance was intended to achieve long-term sustainability.
[16]: 30–31 The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has responsibility for some aspects of coastal management, such as the use of mangrove forests and monitoring pollution.
[54]: 207 The protection of coral reefs and their associated ecosystem benefits, including supporting municipal fishing, is a critical aspect of Philippine food security.
Through these councils, fisherfolk and other stakeholders are involved in the development of local government management policies for marine resources and the issuance of fisheries licenses.
[58] Marine protected areas are often no-take, banning all forms of fishing completely, yet they can often be acceptable to local communities who might participate in setting their size and boundaries.
[16]: 30 In 2015, a closed season was implemented to product roundscad around the Calamian Islands from November 1 to January 31 through joint DA-DILG Administrative Order 1.
[67]: 178 This can fill gaps left when local governments are unable to carry out enforcement and national bodies cannot or will not assume responsibility, but actions such as citizen arrests do face the risk of countersuits.
This programs ensures inland fishery stocks remain stable by providing fingerlings for important species, most prominently tilapia.
[5] Red tides and fish kill events are an issue, and fisheries face significant risk from natural disasters such as typhoons, landslides, volcanos, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
Environmental damage from soil erosion, water pollution, and the degradation of habitats such as coasts, coral reefs, and mangroves threaten fish populations.
[17]: 7–10 Typhoons and other tropical storms cause direct damage to many fisherfolk, as well as to communal infrastructure such as ports,[7]: 51–52 while reducing the number of fishing days.
The presence of the invasive clown featherback in Laguna de Bay, possibly washed into the lake by Typhoon Ketsana in 2009, reduced the native populations of Leiopotherapon plumbeus, bighead carp, milkfish, and Nile tilapia, among other species.
This means increasing effort is needed to catch the same amount of fish, although exceptions exist around historically less-fished waters around parts of Palawan, Mindanao, and the East Coastcoast.
It is relatively understudied but is thought to have a highly localized impact on target species, such as the whitetail dascyllus, especially as the mortality rate of caught fishes may reach 80%.
Chinese immigration during this period introduced new fishing equipment such as Salambáw nets that allowed for larger catches to supply growing urban populations.
[54]: 207 The Fisheries Act of 1932 (Act 4003) restricted fishing access to American and Filipino companies and created the concept of municipal waters, which reached 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) from the shore,[67]: 175 [13]: 2 within which only municipal governments could create fish ponds and corrals, catch milkfish fry, and license ships smaller than 3 tons.
[95] By the 1940s there were already at least 55 different types of fishing gear in use, broadly divided into hand instruments, barriers and traps, lines, and nets.
[83]: 43 The technological development of the industry benefited existing capital holders, and commercial production soon began to outstrip the previously dominant municipal fisheries.
[26]: 63 This decree promoted the exploitation of fisheries, although environmental problems had begun to become apparent, and the government began to tentatively look into coastal management near the end of that decade.
[49]: 220 [50]: 67 Trawling decreased starting in the 1980s due to the overfishing of demersal fisheries combined with increasing cost, becoming replaced by the cheaper Danish seine.
[42]: 10 The 2000s saw an increase in integrated coastal management by local governments, with fisheries considered as part of a wider system alongside marine protected areas.
[69] In addition to creating more tailored sustainability plans, the FMAs are intended to improve governance and the enforcement of fishery laws and regulations.
