Retracing Sustainable Fishing Practices of Marine Resources in the Coastal Communities of Antique, Philippines

Abstract

The European Union (EU) recognized that there is rampant illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Philippines, resulting to a noticeable decline in fish population. To retrace sustainable fishing practices, this research sought to illustrate the fishing methods that fisher folks employ and narrate their experiences during their fishing activities. This research employed a multiple case study approach. To fully understand the experiences of the fisher folks in their fishing activities, one-on-one in depth semi-structured interviews have been conducted as well as scheduled visits in order to gather data. The collected data underwent a narrative analysis. The study was conducted in three fishing communities of Antique, specifically; Hamtic, Tibiao, and San Jose. In order to identify participants of the study, purposive sampling was used as the participants must meet certain criteria. The participants were registered fisher folks and members of a fisher folk organization registered in the barangays. Furthermore, they have been in the fishing industry for ten (10) years or more. Result of the study revealed that 1. Fisher folks indeed observe regulated and legal fishing methods; 2. Despite the observance of sustainable fishing methods there is still a noticeable decline in fish population; 3. The presence of kubkuban near municipal territories has been cited as a potential cause for overfishing, and 4. Weak law enforcement in the Philippine seas allow rampant illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing to persist. The findings suggest that fisher folks show resiliency in their choice of fishing methods as they are more conservative in managing marine resources. However, government must review and monitor the effects of kubkuban on the sustainable development of marine resources and review the Philippine fisheries code. Furthermore, there is a need to strengthen law enforcement in the Philippine seas.