Community-based shrimp stock enhancement for coastal socio-ecological restoration in the Philippines

The reality of declining quality of coastal areas has been evident for many developing countries, especially in Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, rural coastal zones and estuaries are now being characterized by declining wild fisheries resources and degrading environment. This paper presents, as an example, the typical rural coastal towns of New Washington and Batan in Aklan province, Philippines and showcases how the concept of shrimp stock enhancement can provide incentives to restore the environment and provide sustainable fishing livelihood in the area. The New Washington-Batan Estuary in northeast Panay Island, Philippines was a productive fishing ground that has been in a state of degenerating brackishwater fisheries and estuarine environment. Average daily catch composed of various species decreased from 24 kg in 1970s to 0.7 kg at present. Shrimp fisheries, the most important livelihood, declined in quality and quantity. The highly-priced and once very abundant tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon was replaced with smaller-sized and lower-priced species like the Metapenaeus ensis. These can be attributed to the conversion of 76% of mangroves to culture ponds in the past 50 years and more than 400% increase in fishing gears since the 1990s. The need to reduce fishing structures and rehabilitate mangroves is evident. However, these drastic changes directly affect fishers livelihood. This paper explores the prospects of P. monodon stock enhancement as positive reinforcement for the estuary s rehabilitation. Number of gears per fisher may have to be reduced but shrimp catches will be relatively high-priced. Simulations with additional tiger shrimp caught due to stock enhancement show that fishers can increase income by more than 4 times from their current PhP 34 gear-1 day-1. Campaigns on the importance of mangrove especially as shrimp habitat can encourage local communities to reforest the estuary especially in abandoned ponds. With effective management, law enforcement, and sustained support from different sectors, shrimp stock enhancement can be a positive strategy in estuarine rehabilitation and livelihood sustainability in the New Washington-Batan Estuary

Reducing and managing disaster risk through coastal resource management: A Philippine case

Recently, disaster risk reduction and management was adopted by the national and local governments in the Philippines to prevent or mitigate the impacts of hazards. As a consequence, the Local Government Units of the coastal municipalities of Guimbal and Tigbauan, Iloilo Province, initiated disaster risk reduction and management activities. It is contended in this article that the condition of coastal and marine resources is fundamental in fostering community resilience to hazards, as exemplified by activities in Guimbal and Tigbauan. However, five major issues that remain to be addressed by the Local Government Units were identified through Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions. These include the overlapping roles of personnel, poor data management, weak coordination between Local Government Units and communities, lack of comprehensive plans, and a failure to understand the connection between disasters and the management of coastal and marine resources. Policy recommendations are made for amending the disaster risk reduction and management and coastal and marine resources programmes of municipalities

Establishment of a community-based sandfish sea ranch in Barangay Polopiña, Concepcion, Iloilo (Western Visayas node case study)

This study was primarily funded by ACIAR through the project ‘Expansion and Diversification of Production and Management Systems for Sea Cucumbers in the Philippines, Vietnam and Northern Australia’ (FIS/2010/042) with counterpart funding support by SEAFDEC/AQD through study codes FS-10-Y2010T and FS-03-Y2014T

Do adaptation and coping mechanisms to extreme climate events differ by gender? The case of flood-affected households in Dumangas, Iloilo, Philippines

This study was conducted to identify and analyse gender-differentiated adaptation measures and coping mechanisms formulated and implemented by households during Typhoon Frank (international name Fengshen), in barangays Cayos and Bantud Fabrica, Municipality of Dumangas, in the Province of Iloilo, Philippines. The survey was conducted among 120 respondents who were randomly selected from the barangay local government unit. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions and secondary sources were also used to supplement information obtained from the household surveys. Results show that although women and men worked in complementary ways to secure their family assets, gender differences were observed in their preferred adaptation and coping responses. However, statistical analysis shows no significant difference in the responses of women and men relative to the flooding

Navigating risks and uncertainties: Risk perceptions and risk management strategies in the Philippine seaweed industry

The Philippine seaweed industry is affected by multiple but interrelated risks. Farmers mainly encountered environment-related risks (e.g. disease, pest infestations) which, if unmanaged, could result to production failure. Traders and processors considered volatility of seaweed supply and poor quality of raw materials as precursors of other risks such as increased competition among local traders and processing companies. Gender differences in awareness and knowledge of risks were more prominent among seaweed farmers but not among traders and processors as roles become more homogenous up the value chain. Poor governance resulted in the adoption of informal and market-driven strategies to prevent or minimise losses. However, this restricted farmers to participating in higher-income trading and processing activities and contributed to increased market inefficiency. The lack of government support has also curtailed the capacity of traders and processors to engage in product development and diversification. Gender and community experiences influence and shape people’s understanding of their situations and environment including their coping and adaptive strategies in sustaining livelihoods amidst recurring risk events. Embedding informal structures and the differential needs of the stakeholders in the national institutional framework is therefore essential for the promotion of resilient and sustainable seaweed industry.This study forms part of a larger study under the GlobalSeaweedSTAR – Safeguarding the future of seaweed aquaculture in developing countries programme which is being funded by the UK Research and Innovation – Global Challenges Research Fund, United Kingdom (Grant Ref: BB/P027806/1)

A social network analysis of the Philippine seaweed farming industry: Unravelling the web

Seaweed farming is a major economic endeavor among the households in the key seaweed-production areas in the Philippines because of its high profitability potential relative to farming effort. This study used Social Network Analysis (SNA) to explore the social structure and the nature of support mechanism at the production segment of the seaweed value chain to understand the differential access of women and men to information, resources, and services. The data was obtained from Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with 115 seaweed farmers in Zamboanga City, Bohol, and Tawi-Tawi. The resulting social support maps show a strong reliance on internal support sources (e.g. family) across the selected parameters (training, farm preparations, product flow) and a gender difference on the extent of access to external sources. This study highlighted the relevance of using SNA in value chain analysis (VCA) to understand the relationship patterns among the actors and their implications on policy making and overall governance of the seaweed industry.This study forms part of a larger study under the GlobalSeaweed* - Safeguarding the future of seaweed aquaculture in developing countries program which is being funded by the UK Research and Innovation – Global Challenges Research Fund, United Kingdom (Grant Ref: BB/P027806/1)

Towards a robust and resilient seaweed aquaculture in the Philippines

The aim of this national policy brief is to highlight the current challenges facing the seaweed industry of the Philippines based on robust, scientifically proven results from the UK Research and Innovation funded GlobalSeaweedSTAR project. The brief provides policy recommendations to support sustainable growth of the national industry and ensure its long-term resilience. The synthesis also highlights the role of seaweed aquaculture in the country as a potential nature-based solution within the ‘Blue’ or Sustainable Ocean Economy agenda.This Policy Brief was produced as part of the GlobalSeaweedSTAR Programme which was funded by the UK Research and Innovation – Global Challenges Research Fund (BB/P027806/1) (2017-2021)

Farm management and biosecurity measures of Eucheumatoids: Cultivars, pest and disease, risks and risk managements

In buwk-buwk pahati ini nahinang iban kiyasulat paglabay upat tahun ha pagsaliksik ha pag’usaha agal agal ha Pilipinas hinang sin tumpukan sin GlobalSeaweedSTAR Philippine ha bitsara kahatihan sin kamatauran. Makatagama isab ini ha manga dugaing dugaing simasangdul ha pag’usaha agal agal hasupaya makahati sila iban mahinang nila in kaagi’ sin pagtanum agal agal ha pamandui sin parsugpat-sugpati sin piyaawun buhi’ iban sin pasal baran sin agal agal ha pag ipat ha tubig, sambil na in pamahati ha bang biyah diin in parsugpati sin manga parhimpunan lapay na in anib atawa piligru ha pagtanum iban biyah diin in pagpahilunnah sin anib atawa piligru ha pagtanum. Dugaing dayin didtu in buwk-buwk pahati ini mag atas pasulyan ha manga maghihinang pamandu’ agaran pasunurun nila bang mang hinangi kasarah saraan labi awla na ha pag’ayad ha pag’ urulan sin kabuhi ha supaya makasagang atawa mapakuuh atawa mapababa in pangdatung sin panglamiyasayi sin sakit, hipababa in anib atawa piligru ha pagtanum, pagtinda iban pagdagang sin agal agal iban ha kahulihan bang byah diin in pagpahilunnah sin anib atawa piligru ha pagtanum. In manga pamandu’ agaran ini bang nahinang in titindugan nila dayin ha pangaji’ alam, in guwa niya mahambug, bayngbutawiin, dih siya makamula ha kakulilingan iban mataptap in usaha pag ipat agal di ha Pilipinas.Tausu

Farm management and biosecurity measures of Eucheumatoids: Cultivars, pest and disease, risks and risk managements

Gisulat kining brosyur matapos ang upat ka tuig nga panukiduki sa ‘GlobalSeaweedSTAR Philippine Team’ sa industriya sa guso sa Pilipinas gamit ang simple nga sinultian nga daling masabtan sa mga layko. Kini magahatag ug higayon sa lain-laing mga hingtungdan sa industriya sa guso aron masabtan ug mapatuman ang mga lakang sa pagpanguma sa guso sa puntong biyolohikal, ekolohikal ug pisyolohikal ug sa aquakultura; ug sa punto sa pagtuki sa mga 'social network' a industriya sa guso, lakip ang mga risgo ug mga estratehiya sa pagdumala sa mga risgo sa pagpanguma sa guso. Kining brosyur nagalakip usab ug mga rekomendasyon alang sa paghimo sa mga balaod ilabi na sa mga lakang sa bayo-sekuridad aron mapunggan, malikayan o maminusan ang mga insidente sa pagdagsang sa sakit, maminusan ang mga risgo o peligro sa produksyon ug pagpamaligya, ug sa pagmugna ug mga estratehiya sa pagdumala sa mga risgo o peligro nga giatubang sa industriya. Kining mga palisiya nga ipatuman nga naka-base sa kahibalo sa syensya makatabang aron makab-ot ang mas malig-on, dili makadaot sa kinaiyahan ug malungtaron nga industriya sa guso sa Pilipinas.Bisay

Farm management and biosecurity measures of Eucheumatoids: Cultivars, pest and disease, risks and risk managements

This brochure was prepared and written after four years of research of the seaweed industry of the Philippines by the GlobalSeaweedSTAR Philippine Team in a layman’s language. This provides the different stakeholders of the seaweed industry to understand and implement the mechanics of seaweed farming from the bio-ecophysiology and aquaculture point of views, to social network analysis to include risks and risk management strategies. Further, this brochure recommends policy makers to adapt in the formulation of legislatures especially on biosecurity measures to prevent or reduce the incidence of disease outbreaks, minimize risks in the production, trading and marketing levels and ultimately formulate risk management strategies. Such policies to be formulated based from science will redound to a more robust, resilient, ecologically friendly and sustainable seaweed aquaculture industry of the Philippines.Englis