There was a time when the main livelihood of the people of Apo Island was fishing. The island, after all, was surrounded by fish of all sizes. Fishermen from other provinces would travel far just to fish in this island’s waters.
Then came the introduction of destructive fishing methods. Dynamite fishing, muro-ami, and the use of other hazardous substances also found some practitioners in the island, until the fish catch started to dwindle.
Then came the efforts of Silliman University to introduce the concept of a protected area, a sanctuary for the fish so they could breed and grow to supply the needs of the community.
Apo Island became the first example of a community-managed coastal resource throughout the world.
Then the tourists started coming. They came to scuba dive, snorkel, take underwater photographs, and swim with the sea turtles. The island became so popular that tourism started to take away more and more Island residents from fishing, and turned their attention to the lucrative tourism potential of the island.
But when tourist arrivals fell due to fears of CoViD-19, the people of Apo Island feared the worst. Chinese tourists make up the biggest group of revenue-earners in this island-barangay. The island was, in fact, expecting hundreds of Chinese tourists every day for the entire month of February.
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Liberty Pascobello, former barangay captain and an operator of a hotel, dive shop and restaurant in the Island, said she fears that with the tourism potential greatly diminished, the people could once again focus their attention on fishing.
This could, she explained, recreate the same problems they had back then. Apo Island, she said, has been heavily-overfished, and needs more time to renew its natural resources.
This is a big challenge for proponents of sustainable fishing in southern Negros. With assistance from the US Agency for International Development, the Bureau of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources and Silliman University, the program, called Fish Right, was born.
“Our goal for resilient and sustainable fishery is very difficult because there is an increase of population but (there is) less fish production, that’s why we have to improve the management of our marine and coastal resources. This, while at the same time, develop a network of local institutions to somehow collaborate among themselves to generate rules and regulations appropriate for our own fishery industry in the island,” Calumpong said.
This will definitely entail a lot of scientific data, case studies, and experiences from our fisherfolks, local government units, national government agencies, and civic society organizations in Southern Negros, said Calumpong.
In the end, the issue of coastal resource management has to be tackled by the community, where they are given the capacity to make the rules, and enforce the rules themselves.