ARE THERE BIGGER FISH TO FRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

摘要

Declining fish stocks is a major environmental problem all around the world - one that is jeopardizing the livelihoods of many coastal communities. For policy-makers dealing with this problem, the most pressing challenge is to design regulations that balance the needs of conservation with those of the fishing communities. This study shows that in the Philippines, current regulations to deal with overfishing are neither cost-effective nor address the underlying problems of overexploitation of fish stocks and open access to fishing area. It was revealed that many policies were not supported by the fishing communities because people could not appreciate their relevance to the problems of everyday life. Local institutions involved in fisheries were constrained by lack of funds, political will and technical know-how. This in turn led to poor policing and enforcement. The significance of poor policy implementation was backed up by further analysis, which showed that some policies would have some effect if the regulations were fully enforced. The study then looked at whether regulation would make economic sense. A substantial amount would be required to ensure compliance, however, the benefits of achieving high levels of compliance would exceed costs by only a tiny margin. The analysis showed that full policy implementation would not necessarily conserve fish stocks.Instead, it would create a situation in which increasing numbers of people would continue to fish. These people would be forced to spend larger amounts of effort and money to comply with various fishing restrictions. However, they would, in all likelihood, harvest no fewer fish.Given the failure of current policies and the economic inefficiency of full regulatory implementation, the study then investigated other approaches to conserving fish stocks. It was found out that a potentially more effective policy is one that deals with the key problems of open access and overfishing. At the same time, the study point out that many fishermen will have to find other means of employment and should be given help to do this. Alternative livelihood projects to wean fishermen and their families off of fishing should be implemented. Most fishermen are poor and have no other source of income. Their household members are usually unemployed but employable. In the light of this, an integrated coastal management plan is imperative. Such a plan should seek to develop alternative sources of income that will reduce fishing pressure, making both fishing and the wider local economy sustainable.