GONZAGA, CAGAYAN – As stakeholders in most parts of the country grapple with multitude of issues besetting the marine environment, a group of fishermen here had took it upon themselves to tackle problems directly affecting their livelihood.
Vivencio Agcaoili, 60, says that Gonzaga, like most coastal towns, used to be very productive, “but over the years we have seen steady decline in fish catch due to indiscriminate and illegal fishing practices.”
“The sea had become an almost lifeless place, we can hardly see any fish during our fishing ventures,” Agcaoili, president of the fisherfolk association of Brgy. San Jose, recalls.
That is why his group together with another association from Brgy. Casitan readily agreed when officials of the Provincial Agriculture Office approached them as early as 2006 for the establishment of marine protected areas (MPA) adjacent their respective barangays.
Starting March last year, both groups were trained on MPA management, including artificial reef construction and fishery law enforcement. One hundred one members out of a total of 139 were deputized by the fisheries bureau in the region as Fish Wardens.
Also, government agencies had provided them with alternative livelihood such as mushroom production and oyster and sea urchin culture.
“Provision of supplemental livelihood shall help ensure that our fishermen will have a source of income aside from fishing, which shall redound to reduction of fishing pressure,” Melvin Mangawil, OPA project leader, said.
Sec. 81 of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, RA 8550, provides for the declaration of fish sanctuaries at each municipality of ‘at least 15% where applicable of total area.’
But, Venchito Villarao, Coastal Resource Management specialist of the fisheries bureau in region 02, observes that implementation has been slow due to inadequate resources and the apparent lack of political will from local executives in implementing unpopular initiatives.
Since the launching of the MPAs October last year, there have been close to 60 illegal fishing violators apprehended on 14 incidents. The beneficiaries, who spearheaded the apprehensions, were also able to collect 21,500 pesos as fine from the violators. A dynamite fishing case is also pending before the Regional Trial Court at Aparri town.
“Even our former president was dismissed because he was caught catching fish at the sanctuary area,” Joel Iranga, president of CAMPADA, the fisherfolk association at Brgy. Casitan said. “Perhaps he was tempted with the big fishes he saw,” Iranga, a recent outstanding Deputy Fish Warden awardee, added.
Municipal Ordinance # 09 allocates 800 hectares as MPA area for each of the barangays, but for now, the beneficiaries at San Jose and Casitan manage only 75 hectares and 100 hectares, respectively.
Each MPA is subdivided into 3 parts – a core sanctuary area (no-take zone) where fishing of any kind is prohibited, a 20 meter buffer zone surrounding the sanctuary and outside is the reserve zone where fishing is permitted for the beneficiaries only.
Adjacent to the protected areas are artificial reefs (concrete module) and payao serving as additional habitat which also facilitates recruitment of fish.
Villarao said that the AR and payao are intended as aggregating area for ‘spill-over’ fish from the sanctuary.
Only environment friendly and low impact fishing gears such as hook and line, fish traps and spear guns are allowed.
Association members voluntarily agreed to prohibit the use of gill net, a legally allowed fishing gear. Its efficiency might become a source of conflict among members later, officers of both associations said.
“Fishes and other resources at the sanctuary are just like money in the bank,” Villarao said, “if we take only a part of the interest, then the principal will continue to grow.”
In just over a year after the declaration of marine protected areas, Agcaoili says that they can now see schools of fish as compared to a barren environment before. “It seems that the fishes had even become tame,” Agcaoili said in the dialect.
Iranga agreed with Agcaoili’s observations. “Before a type of fish locally known as nitu (marine catfish) grows to the size of a dilis only, now usually we catch it having size of 8 pieces to a kilo, I was also able to catch a talakitok weighing approximately 20 kilograms,” Iranga relates, adding that he was able to purchase a baby beach seine fishing gear mainly due to higher catch.
For now funds for operations are sourced from membership fees, monthly and other dues, and from penalties collected from violators. The beneficiaries plan to augment this through the imposition of users fees and the opening of the MPAs for recreational and eco-tourism purposes.
This should not be hard given the abundance or presence of marine flora and fauna in the area such as lobster, seaweeds, sea urchin, marine turtle, and dolphins.
Emy Bucaneg, said that the LGU will soon award a patrol boat for anti-illegal fishing operations in the MPAs. The municipal planning and development officer of Gonzaga also bared plans for the establishment of two more protected sites at barangays Tapel and Callao.
Dr. Mildred Abella, Provincial Agriculturist, has expressed OPA’s continued support to the MPA projects in the province.
BFAR RO2 Regional Director Jovita Ayson said that the establishment of MPAs along the coastal towns of Cagayan is one of the priorities under the DENR-led Integrated Coastal Resource Management Project.
The operation of the MPAs are not without its teething problems. But with the dedication shown by the fishermen – beneficiaries, their vision for the sustainable exploitation of marine resources in their area are not farfetched. As Iranga figuratively said, “only a blind man cannot see the benefits of an MPA.” Max Prudencio, BFAR RO2
Vivencio Agcaoili, 60, says that Gonzaga, like most coastal towns, used to be very productive, “but over the years we have seen steady decline in fish catch due to indiscriminate and illegal fishing practices.”
“The sea had become an almost lifeless place, we can hardly see any fish during our fishing ventures,” Agcaoili, president of the fisherfolk association of Brgy. San Jose, recalls.
That is why his group together with another association from Brgy. Casitan readily agreed when officials of the Provincial Agriculture Office approached them as early as 2006 for the establishment of marine protected areas (MPA) adjacent their respective barangays.
Starting March last year, both groups were trained on MPA management, including artificial reef construction and fishery law enforcement. One hundred one members out of a total of 139 were deputized by the fisheries bureau in the region as Fish Wardens.
Also, government agencies had provided them with alternative livelihood such as mushroom production and oyster and sea urchin culture.
“Provision of supplemental livelihood shall help ensure that our fishermen will have a source of income aside from fishing, which shall redound to reduction of fishing pressure,” Melvin Mangawil, OPA project leader, said.
Sec. 81 of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, RA 8550, provides for the declaration of fish sanctuaries at each municipality of ‘at least 15% where applicable of total area.’
But, Venchito Villarao, Coastal Resource Management specialist of the fisheries bureau in region 02, observes that implementation has been slow due to inadequate resources and the apparent lack of political will from local executives in implementing unpopular initiatives.
Since the launching of the MPAs October last year, there have been close to 60 illegal fishing violators apprehended on 14 incidents. The beneficiaries, who spearheaded the apprehensions, were also able to collect 21,500 pesos as fine from the violators. A dynamite fishing case is also pending before the Regional Trial Court at Aparri town.
“Even our former president was dismissed because he was caught catching fish at the sanctuary area,” Joel Iranga, president of CAMPADA, the fisherfolk association at Brgy. Casitan said. “Perhaps he was tempted with the big fishes he saw,” Iranga, a recent outstanding Deputy Fish Warden awardee, added.
Municipal Ordinance # 09 allocates 800 hectares as MPA area for each of the barangays, but for now, the beneficiaries at San Jose and Casitan manage only 75 hectares and 100 hectares, respectively.
Each MPA is subdivided into 3 parts – a core sanctuary area (no-take zone) where fishing of any kind is prohibited, a 20 meter buffer zone surrounding the sanctuary and outside is the reserve zone where fishing is permitted for the beneficiaries only.
Adjacent to the protected areas are artificial reefs (concrete module) and payao serving as additional habitat which also facilitates recruitment of fish.
Villarao said that the AR and payao are intended as aggregating area for ‘spill-over’ fish from the sanctuary.
Only environment friendly and low impact fishing gears such as hook and line, fish traps and spear guns are allowed.
Association members voluntarily agreed to prohibit the use of gill net, a legally allowed fishing gear. Its efficiency might become a source of conflict among members later, officers of both associations said.
“Fishes and other resources at the sanctuary are just like money in the bank,” Villarao said, “if we take only a part of the interest, then the principal will continue to grow.”
In just over a year after the declaration of marine protected areas, Agcaoili says that they can now see schools of fish as compared to a barren environment before. “It seems that the fishes had even become tame,” Agcaoili said in the dialect.
Iranga agreed with Agcaoili’s observations. “Before a type of fish locally known as nitu (marine catfish) grows to the size of a dilis only, now usually we catch it having size of 8 pieces to a kilo, I was also able to catch a talakitok weighing approximately 20 kilograms,” Iranga relates, adding that he was able to purchase a baby beach seine fishing gear mainly due to higher catch.
For now funds for operations are sourced from membership fees, monthly and other dues, and from penalties collected from violators. The beneficiaries plan to augment this through the imposition of users fees and the opening of the MPAs for recreational and eco-tourism purposes.
This should not be hard given the abundance or presence of marine flora and fauna in the area such as lobster, seaweeds, sea urchin, marine turtle, and dolphins.
Emy Bucaneg, said that the LGU will soon award a patrol boat for anti-illegal fishing operations in the MPAs. The municipal planning and development officer of Gonzaga also bared plans for the establishment of two more protected sites at barangays Tapel and Callao.
Dr. Mildred Abella, Provincial Agriculturist, has expressed OPA’s continued support to the MPA projects in the province.
BFAR RO2 Regional Director Jovita Ayson said that the establishment of MPAs along the coastal towns of Cagayan is one of the priorities under the DENR-led Integrated Coastal Resource Management Project.
The operation of the MPAs are not without its teething problems. But with the dedication shown by the fishermen – beneficiaries, their vision for the sustainable exploitation of marine resources in their area are not farfetched. As Iranga figuratively said, “only a blind man cannot see the benefits of an MPA.” Max Prudencio, BFAR RO2
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