The focus of this project is the management of a 150-hectare Special Fisheries Demarcated Area located on the Northern shores of Baliangao. The project is a pilot area for community-based fisheries resources management. It is felt to be the right answer to the overexploitation of resources due to open access. The result remains a heavily (over-)exploited municipal and national waters. The lack of involvement of both users and local government, which is not prepared to invest in rehabilitating fish stocks. Given the geographical location of the Philippines, the Philippines should be a fish-exporter, sadly that is not the case.
Objectives:
1. Transparency in resource use: On the first pillar, Great progress has been made on the first principle with a team of catch enumerators that meet the resource users at the beach when they return from fishing and picture and encode the catches. A stable group of 7 enumerators has been formed. In general, the cooperation of the resource users is improving, and a wealth of data is generated. At the same time resource users get used to being transparent in their resource use. The digital registration system was further improved by including the upload of pictures of the catch to the database.
2. Development of a legal basis for community-based management including access regulation: On the second pillar, a legal basis for management, the project achieved a lot in 2021. The needed municipal ordinance was further improved with the Sanggunian Bayan and approved after two public hearings. Also, the Mayor of Baliangao approved the ordinance.
3. Capacity building of the fishers and the fisher leaders: Capacity building of the fishers focused on the 9 elected representatives of the resource users and 12 law enforcers. Meeting and reporting skills were improved. The legal basis of the management and the role of the enforcers were taught in a seminar. With actual role-playing of encounters with violators.
The project was built on the long-term experience of the fishers, fisher organizers, NGO personnel, and the consultant/advisor. The collective efforts date back to 1990 when the PIPULI Foundation together with a group of local fishers established the Baliangao Wetland Park, a no-take zone on the reefs and mangroves part of Danao Bay.
Updates & stories from the field
Baliangao Fisheries Management project
Project updates on the “Establishment of a Sustainable Fisheries Management System” (CBFRM) project in Baliangao Misamis, Philippines
by Tarek Toubale 9.3.2023
Overview of Baliangao, Misamis Occidental PhilippinesPARTS is a local NGO in Baliangao, Misamis Occidental in northern Mindanao that manages coastal marine resources. The area is very rich with sea cucumbers and big shells but as in many areas of the Philippines, overfishing and non-sustainable fishing and gleaning practices have damaged the ecosystems. I visited the area from the 24th to the 26th of January 2023 and met with the director Nonoy Panorel, the consultant Arjan, and the staff.
The project funded by WEGA and MAEE and with a budget of budget 119,958.45 Euros equivalent to 3.8 million pesos has several components: The creation of a small marine sanctuary, the Creation of a Special Fisheries Demarcated Area( SFDA) of 150 hectares with specific rules for fishing and regular bans at key reproduction periods -Construction of a small office building in front of SFDA are – the creation of a PO ( People organization registered with Department of Labor and Employment in the Philippines) with 51 fisherfolks as members – Team of 2 marine biologists and 13 part-time coast guards to record fish catches, manage, patrol and enforce restrictions for fishing Assessment.
