Searanching in a Quezon island, Philippines: toward a sustainable livelihood for small fisherfolks
By AS Frio
The M andaragat F isherm en A ssociation of P erez tow n in A labat Island, Q uezon p rov
ince is sh ow ing the w ay in providing an alternative liv elih oo d for its fisherfolk.
A labat is a 54-km islan d stretch sep a
rated from the m a in lan d province by clear p la c id w aters. Its three to w n s o f Perez, A la b at a n d Q u e zo n face the m ainland 's c o a s ta l to w n s o f M a u b a n , A tim o n a n , P laridel and H ondagua. To its backside is the Pacific O cean. P erez tow n is a 45- m inute boat ride from the A tim onan port.
In cooperation w ith the Office of the P rovincial A gricultu rist o f Q uezon p rov
ince (OPA) an d the m unicipal governm ent of Perez, the asso ciatio n is m anaging a p i
lot searanching project. It aim s to provide a fish sanctuary and an aquaculture dem onstration to en co u rage local fishers to e n g a g e in a m o re en v iro n m e n t-frie n d ly fishing activity and to refrain from illegal fishing activities such as dynam ite and cyanide fishing.
Project beginnings
"The project star ted in 1997," relates Mr.
A ntonio D im aano, agriculture technologist o f OPA. "Earlier, the M and aragat Fisher
m en A ssociation ob tained a loan from the L iveliho od E n h an cem en t for A gricultural D evelopm ent (L E A D ) program o f the D e
partm ent of A griculture. T hey used this to m ake fish traps, lo cally called bobo, which is m ade of chicken w ire. T his is about 8 ft long, 4 ft w ide and 3 ft high. M ost of the 20 m em bers o f the association are diver- fishers and th ey u se d the b o b o to catch m o stly botto m -d w elling fish species such as groupers. W hile these fishtraps helped the fishers catch fish, they found out that they w ere m o stly gettin g large groupers w hich w ere m ainly breeders. They thought that if this catch continued , their w aters
w ould be further depleted sooner. It should be noted that previous illegal fishing m eth
ods like dynam ite and cyanide fishing have destroyed our corals, thus affecting fish supply in the coral areas. Today, one easily notes that w e practically have very little fish in our waters."
R ecognizing their plight, Mr. G licerio M anzano, association president and chair
m an of the Perez M unicipal Agriculture and Fisheries C ouncil (M AFC) brought this is
sue in one of the m eetings of the P rovin
cial A g ric u ltu re an d F ish e rie s C o u n cil (PAFC) w here he also serves as member.
N ot long after, in N ovem ber 1997, the office o f the provincial agriculturist ini
tiated a pilot searanching project funded and im plem ented by the provincial govern
m ent in collaboration w ith the M andaragat association and the local governm ent of Perez.
Mr. M anzano reports that in the N o
v e m b e r, 1997 in a u g u r a tio n o f th e searanching project, their association contribu ted tw elve gro up er breeders for sto ck in g the fish sa n c tu a ry area of th e project.
"In the 1950s," Mr. M anzano recalls,
"th is b o d y o f w a te r aro u n d o u r isla n d teem ed w ith groupers and senorita. E v e rybody w as happy then, but in the 1970s w e saw the d eclin e of fish prod u ctio n.
M any w ere engaged in dynam ite and cya
nide fishing. W hile everybody can see that our w aters are very clear and still u npo l
luted, w e don't have enough fish today. So, w e w ould like our m em bers and other resi
dents of our com m unity to have an alter
native to illegal fishing. We b elieve that this project w ill be able to convince them that protecting our fish resources w ould, in (he long run, be a m ore beneficial effort."
"In addition," Mr. M anzano stresses,
"our local governm ent can earn as m uch as
P200,000 annu ally from fees and perm its for p eop le w h o m ay w an t to en gage in aquaculture w hen this project finally dem onstrates the feasibility of searanching."
T h ird -te r m e r P e re z M a y o r A lic ia C aringal noted that, as a partner o f the co l
laborative project, the Perez local go v ern m ent w as responsible for h osting the area for the project and for encouraging the com m unity to support the project.
On hearing about the technical a ssist
ance activities of SEA FD E C A quaculture D epartm ent in coastal resou rce m a n ag e m ent in Tangalan and Ibajay tow ns in Aklan province, she said that they w ou ld like to e n g a g e in g r o u p e r c u ltu r e lik e th e SEA FD EC projects being im plem ented in the said tow ns. "The netcage culture of grouper is very m uch suited to our place.
We h ave enough bam boo m aterials for the cages and the trash fish available here for feeding the groupers is very cheap. We still la c k fu n d s th o u g h , to im p le m e n t such endeavor," M ayor C aringal revealed.
Project activities
T he searan ch in g project is in B aran g ay Sangirin, a five-m inute b oat ride from the Perez m unicipal port. S angirin h as a 12- h a cove area w ith m angroves. Initially, the searanch fish sanctuary covers 2 ha. A half hectare sh allow portion near the shoreline tow ard the m angrove area is enclosed by m an-m ade coral dikes. The rest is enclosed by a nylon net th at follow s the gradual slope of the sea bottom . The deepest portion of the net enclosure reaches 18 m.
The searanching concept is based on the fishers' perception that a protected fish sanctuary could very w ell lead to m ore su s
tainable liv elih o o d opp o rtunities for all.
The grouper breeders they ar e rearing in the searanch can sp aw n undisturbed. Their
12 SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture Vol. XXI No. 4 August 1999
se aranch ing p ro je c t in quezon
fry can easily go b ack to the sea as the holes in the net enclosures are big enough for them to pass through but sm all enough for the breeders to escape. T hus, the fishers believe that there w ill be m ore fry g ro w in g into adults in the wild.
D uring high tide, even if the n e t enclosures are subm erged by one or a few m eters, the fishers report that groupers do n o t sw im out as this fish species is bottom -dw elling.
Mr. D o m ingo M am asig, head o f the OPA, reports that just a few m e te rs a w a y from the searan ch and fish sanctuary, the M andaragat association h as put up 10 units of 1 x 1 x 1.2 m nylon cages attached to the ram p of a floating, sm all cottage-like struc
ture. T he a sso c ia tio n m em bers are cu rren tly ra isin g gro uper fingerlings cau g h t in the w ild as a show case for their m em bers and other lo cal fisherfolk. T he m em bers h ave also constructed a sm all hut near the sanctuary for housing their people w ho w ould guard ag a in st p o ssib le thieves and saboteurs.
Mr. M am asig further notes that in nearby Patnanungan Is
land o f the P olillo island group, fishers grow grouper for the live m arket in M an ila and that they are getting good prices. These fishers also h ave h olding p ens for groupers w hich they b uy from other fishers nearby. W hen the fish reach the desired size, they sell these to their norm al buyers. In addition, they raise groupers in net cages.
"This som ehow affects our grouper supply hereabouts. That's page 38 The se a ra n c h in g an d sa n ctu a ry p r o je c t c o v e rs a 2-ha a rea fen ced by co r a l d ik es a t th e sh a llo w p o r tio n n e a r th e sh o re lin e a n d n e t e n clo su re s to w a rd th e d e e p e r p o r tio n o f th e se a bottom . A t th e b a ck gro u n d is p a r t o f th e 12-ha m a n grove area th a t co n n e cts to the searanch. Twelve g ro u p er b re e d e rs a re s lo c k e d in th e e n clo su re and sp a w n in g h a s b e e n o b serv ed
N e a r the searanch, g r o u p e r f in g e r lin g s a re b e in g r a ise d in n ylon n e t ca g es by th e M a n d a ra ga t fish ers a sso c ia tio n
P e r e z to w n m a y o r A li c i a C a rin g a l: "We h o p e w e ca n in sta ll additiona l g r o u p e r ca g e s in t h i s p r o j e c t l i k e th o s e S E A F D E C h as d o n e in A k la n "
Mr. G lic e r io M a n za n o , p r e s id e n t o f th e M a n d a ra g a t F ish e rs A ss o c ia tio n (above, r ig h t) sh o w in g th e a rea co v e r e d b y th e se a ra n c h in g p r o je c t: "We n e e d m o re a d v o ca cy a n d d isse m in a tio n o f in f o rm a tio n a m o n g o u r co- f ish e r s: th a t th is p r o je c t is a m o re s u s
ta in a b le a n d b e tte r a lte rn a tiv e to il
le g a l f is h in g "
The p r o je c t a cto rs a n d o th e r lo ca l go v ern m en t staff in th e ir v i s i t to th e s e a r a n c h i n g p r o je c t s ite
SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture V ol. XXI No. 4 August 1999 13
Searanching/Q uezon ... from p 13
w h y w e re a lly h av e to m ak e this project w ork.
O u r o f f ic e c o n s t a n t l y m o n i to r s o u r o w n searanch ing activities," Mr. M am asig co n tin ues.
E arly benefits
W h a t h as h ap p en ed so far? W hat benefits have been o b tain ed from the project?
M essrs. M a m a sig and D im aan o o f OPA claim th at fishes like C a e s io, snapper, rabbitfish and p arrotfish h ave been o b served to be rapid ly g ro w in g and m u ltip ly in g in sid e the enclosed searanching area. A lso, som e lobsters, m udcrabs h ave been seen in sid e the site. T h ey also po in t o u t th at so m e c o rals in sid e the san ctu ary have regenerated.
T h e M a n d ara g at fish ers sa y th at they h ave had so m e go o d fish catch es in the sea bottom area im m ed iately arou nd the searanch san c tu ary. "T h is w as q u ite significant, com pared to the tim e th at w e did n o t h ave this project yet.
You w ill also n o te th at the gro u p er fingerlings w e h ave stocked in o ur netcages w ere previously caught by o ur m em bers," exclaim s Mr. M anzano o f the fishers asso ciatio n .
P ressing con cern s
S tirrin gs in the m o d e st searanch ing project are sen d in g sig n a ls for o u tsid e assistance. R e si
dents, officials and tech no lo gists in vo lved in the project feel they co uld n o t le t such a noble cause go into rem issio n . T h ey h ave in vested so m uch of th eir effort, tim e and reso urces to show lo cal fisherfolks th at an en v iro n m e n tally so u n d fish ing liv e lih o o d can be achieved.
"O ur m ain p ro b le m is the lack of funds to su stain the project" w a s c o n stan tly echoed by the project actors.
Dr. H en ry B u z a r, e x e c u tiv e a ssista n t of Q u ezo n go vern o r H on. W ilfredo E nverga, while lam enting the u su a l fin an cial pro blem th at b e sets m o st g o v ern m en t-sp o n so red projects, says:
"W hile this is the p re se n t c o nstraint, w e are try ing o u r b e st to in terest o u tsid e p arties to len d us a hand."
O n the o th er hand, w h ile aw are o f the fund
ing concern, the M a n d ara g at fishers also feel th at a d v o c a c y an d in fo rm atio n d issem in atio n am ong their fello w fish ers and o ther c o m m u n ity r e s id e n ts s h o u ld b e in te n s if ie d . M r.
M an zan o e m p h asizes: "T he m ore th e peo ple in o ur c o m m u n ity learn th at there is a better alter
n ative to ille g a l fish ing, the m o re fish w ill there be, and the b etter the ch an ces for a sustained liv e lih o o d for a ll o f u s." ###
Chitin from s h e ll ... from p 34
U S E S
E x a m p le s o f th e a p p lic a tio n s o f c h itin a n d its d e r iv a tiv e s a re g iv e n in T a b le 2. F o o d a n d n u tr itio n , a n d w a te r tr e a tm e n t in d u s tr ie s a b s o r b m u c h o f th e p r o d u c e y e a rly .
M A R K E T I N G
E s t im a t e d p r ic e o f c h itin in 1 9 9 4 is U S $ 1 1 p e r k g , w i t h s o m e g r a d e s p r i c e d m u c h h ig h e r (A n o n . 1 9 9 4 ). A r o u n d 8 y e a r s a g o , J a p a n a n d th e U S A a re th e m a j o r p r o d u c e r s o f c h itin a n d its d e r iv a tiv e s (S h o e m a k e r 1 9 9 1 ). M o s t m a te r ia ls p r o d u c e d a n n u a lly g o to J a p a n w h e r e th e re is a d v a n c e d te c h n o lo g y a n d c o m m e r c ia liz a tio n o f c h ito s a n . O th e r m a in m a r k e ts a re U S A , U K a n d G e r m a n y .
P R O S P E C T S
T e c h n o lo g ie s to p r o d u c e th e q u a litie s r e q u ir e d o f c h itin a n d its d e r iv a tiv e s fro m s h e llf is h w a s te a r e a v a ila b le (V a n O r n u m 1 9 9 4 ). In a d d itio n , n e w a p p lic a tio n s , e s p e c ia lly o f c h ito s a n , a re b e in g d is c o v e r e d a n d re fin e d . O n e d r a w b a c k t h o u g h is c o m p e titio n w ith b io c h e m ic a l in d u s tr ie s . S till, a s N ic o l (1 9 9 1 ) p u ts it, “ a ‘n a tu r a l’ m a t e r ia l th a t u s e s u p w a s te , is b io d e g r a d a b le a n d d o e s n o t d a m a g e th e e n v ir o n m e n t m a y h a v e a b r ig h t f u tu r e .”
R E F E R E N C E S
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A u stin PR, B rin e CJ, C a stle JE, Z ikakis JP. 1981.
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B enjakul S, S o p h a n o d o ra P. 1993. C h itosa n p ro d u c tio n from c a ra p a c e a n d sh e ll o f b la c k ti
g e r s h rim p (P e n a e u s m o n o d o n). A S E A N F o od J. 8:1 4 5-1 4 8
D as NG, K han PA, H o ssa in Z. 1996. C hitin from th e s h e ll o f tw o c o a s ta l p o rtu n id c ra b s o f B a n g la d e s h . In d ia n J. Fish. 4 3 :4 1 3 -4 1 5 E ls o n CM , P a rs o n s GJ, F o rg e ro n S (ed s). A g ri
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s e ttle m e n t o f th e g ia n t sc a llo p , P la c o p e c te n m a g e lla n ic u s (G m e lin , 1791), a n d o th e r b i
v a lv e s p e c ie s on a rtific ia l fila m e n to u s c o lle c t o r s c o a t e d w ith c h it in o u s m a t e r ia l.
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J o h n s o n JT, H o p k in s TL. 1978. B io c h e m ic a l c o m p o n e n ts o f th e m ysid sh rim p Taphrom ysis b o w m a n i B a c e s c u . J. E xp t. M ar. B iol. E col.
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AQD journal p u b l ... from p 8
tim e s h ig h e r th a n ro tife rs. H ig h p e rc e n ta g e s o f 2 2 :6 n -3 (D H A ) w e re d e te c te d in th e fa tty acid c o m p o s itio n o f P s e u d o d ia p to m u s (1 3 % ) an d A c a r tia (2 4 % ) w ith D H A /E P A (2 0 :5 n -3 ) v a l
u e s o f 1.4 an d 2.6 , r e sp e c tiv e ly . B y p ro v id in g n a u p lii o f c o p e p o d s at th e e a r ly fe e d in g sta g e , a n a v e ra g e s u r v iv a l o f 3 .4 % a t h a r v e s t (D a y 3 6 ) w a s o b ta in e d in a p ilo t s c a le g ro u p e r se e d p r o d u c tio n tria l in th ree 1 0 -to n s ta n k s. # # #
People / Pakingking ... from p 14
a s s e s s m e n t o f its p o te n tia l u s e u s in g th e c u rre n t p ra c tic e o f im m e rs io n o r b a th m e th o d a p p e a rs lim ite d d u e to s o m e fa c to rs in c lu d in g th e d iffi
c u lty in d is s o lv in g th e d ru g in w a te r, th e m o r p h o lo g ic a l d e fo rm itie s it c a u s e d to te s t an im a ls, an d th e p o s s ib le e m e rg e n c e o f d ru g r e s is ta n c e d u e to in a p p ro p ria te u se.
M r. P a k in g k in g h o ld s a B S M e d ic a l T e c h n o lo g y d e g re e fro m th e U n iv e r s ity o f N e g ro s O c c id e n ta l - R e c o le to s (1 9 9 0 ) an d an M S B io l
o g y from th e U n iv e r s ity o f th e P h ilip p in e s in th e V is a y a s (1 9 9 8 ). — EG
S u p p o r t r e sp o n sib le a q u a c u ltu r e
38 SE A FD E C A s ian Aquaculture Vol. XXI No. 4 August 1999