Is Davao Gulf running out of fish?

If Dabawenyos don’t watch out, soon there may be no more fish to catch in the waters of Davao Gulf. The warning comes from Jose Villanueva, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Division chief of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Davao. In his study, “Assessment of the pelagic fisheries in Davao Gulf,” Villanueva found that 45 to 50 percent of the total fish caught daily by most of the fishermen in the gulf are juvenile—too young, not marketable and, therefore, wasted. “If this will continue, there will come a time that we can no longer catch fish here,” Villanueva said. Villanueva’s findings confirmed the results of a 10-year study done by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Region 11 on the 3,080-square kilometer gulf, which is enclosed on three sides by Davao City and the provinces of the Davao Region. The volume and quality of the fish in the Davao Gulf have been in constant decline at least since the year 2000, the DOST study showed. The study looked at the volume and quality of the harvests of 10 commonly fished species in the gulf: matambaka, tamban, moro-moro, caraballas, bilong-bilong, lapu-lapu, danggit, molmol, talakitok, and maya-maya. Except for maya-maya, the harvest numbers for the species have been falling. At the current rate of decline, the caraballa, bilong-bilong, molmol, and danggit may all disappear completely from Davao Gulf within a decade. The matambaka, tamban and moro-moro are more resilient, but even they may disappear within a generation. According to DOST 11 regional director Dr. Anthony Sales, the dwindling fish numbers can be attributed to factors such as water pollution, poor fishing practices and the destruction of fishing habitats including the conversion of mangrove planting areas into recreational resorts. At last week’s Kapihan sa PIA (Philippine Information Agency), Villanueva suggested a close season for fishing in the gulf, or a period during which no fishing is allowed. Usually lasting for three months, the close season would allow juvenile species of fish (particularly galunggong and common tuna-like species) to grow to a marketable size, said Villanueva. Increasing the size of the catch will also bring down prices. Fish may be “the last wild meal in the human diet,” as some have called it, but the dwindling number is also making it less affordable to many. “Before, we managed to buy one kilogram of fish every other day. Today, we have managed to have fish at least twice a week,” says Jean Arriaga, 33, a mother of two children from Davao del Sur. Villanueva admitted that his proposed measure still has to be approved by the Davao Gulf Management Council (DGMC), composed of all the local government units surrounding the gulf, including Davao City. Roy C. Alimoane, the director of Davao-based Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center, mourned "the almost unabated plunder" of the commons—unoccupied land and waters that are shared resources for  people to use—that has caused the fish depletion. “Like the other vital resources such as forests, Philippine fisheries are about to collapse,” he said. — BM, GMA News