Influence of fishing gears on excessive use of fishing grounds in Batan Estuary, Aklan, central Philippines

Abstract

The excessive fishing activities have led to the depletion of many coastal fisheries resources in most of the countries in Southeast Asia. It is therefore necessary to find out the causal factors of excessive fishing in order to build up effective fisheries management system. This paper highlights the results of the study that investigated the overfishing or excessive fishing in Batan Estuary, Aklan, Central Philippines.

The data were gathered through an interview of selected households in Barangay Pinamuk-an, Aklan from March 2-26 2010. Of the 93 respondent-households, 67 or 72% is engaged in fishing. The most popular fishing gear was the small set net with synthetic fiber, which was introduced to the community in the latter part of 1970s. The relatively lower cost of this small fishing gear, and a few labor force requirement, including its availability in nearby market made it easier for the fisherfolks to acquire this fishing gear. The small set net with synthetic fiber has been widely used by the fishers, which led to the overuse of the fishing grounds in the Batan Estuary. Thus, this paper argues that the introduction of new fishing gear and method triggered the excessive fishing in coastal areas in Philippines.