On television on Oct. 2 and 3, 2011, after two destructive typhoons hit the country, our President Noynoy Aquino was heard to express his concern for small-scale fishers who risk their lives by fishing at sea even during storms and typhoons. He suggested that concerned government agencies find ways to improve fishery resources in coastal areas so that these fishers do not have to go far out to sea in search of fish.
The President’s suggestion makes sense. It is known that the bancas, whether motorized or not, used by these fishers are small and are not capable of withstanding strong winds and waves. They easily capsize under inclement weather endangering the lives of fishers. Whenever typhoons visit the country, there are almost always reports of small bancas capsizing at sea often resulting in fatalities among the fishermen.
Although small-scale fishers can fish up to 15 kilometers from shore, many of them cannot afford to own bigger boats and rarely venture that far. They fish only as far as a couple of kilometers away from shore on coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves using simple fishing gears such as hook and line, traps, and gill nets.
Many of these fishermen go alone in small, hand-paddled boats designed for near-shore fishing. When inclement weather sets in, they quickly head for the nearest land.
Given the conditions under which small-scale fishers operate, we suggest the adoption by coastal communities of a well known strategy that has been proven to improve fish density and biomass after a couple of years and many years thereafter — the establishment of no-take marine reserves.
Marine reserves allow fish to spill over to the fished area of fishermen, thus increasing their fish catch. These reserves also result in the spillover of fish larvae produced in reserves to colonize far-away fishing areas, and therefore, promoting sustainable fisheries. There is an abundant documentation of marine reserves in the scientific literature for anyone to read.
Marine reserves already form part of fishery policy, being included in the Fishery Code and are being practiced by some local government units, NGOs, and POs.
What is being suggested is to vigorously promote the establishment of more no-take marine reserves to encompass not only 15 percent of our coastal areas as stated under present policy, but up to 20 to 30 percent of the shallow coastal areas to include coral reefs, seagrass beds, estuarine areas, and mangroves, all of which are very productive areas.
The local communities and the local government agencies are expected to set up and fully protect these reserves, but so far, many local government units either do not manage these reserves well after establishment or oppose their establishment in the first place. The result is depleted fisheries in most coastal areas of the country.
It is known that once these reserve areas are fully protected by local communities, fishery abundance and biomass will increase in the shallow coastal areas, and more fish becomes available to small-scale fishers.
In marine areas with networks of marine reserves, small-scale fishers do not need to go far from shore to fish and therefore will be spared from the risks due to typhoons and storm surges.
The death toll for small-scale fishers will be minimized, if not eliminated, with the adoption of marine reserves as a tool for improving fishery resources.