Achieving Sustainable Fisheries

Community-Based Certification (CBC) of the Blue Crab Fishery of the Northeastern Guimaras Strait,

Negros Occidental, Philippines:Testing the Waters

Katrina Jayme, Filemon Romero, Jose InglesWWF-Philippines

Talisay City

BACOLOD CITY

Silay City

E.B. Magalona

Victorias City

Negros Occidental

Iloilo

Introduction

Certification

An incentive scheme using market forces to promote sustainable resource use.

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certification

A certification scheme based on the MSC Principles & Criteria, using the Fish Forever eco-label to distinguish certified products.

MSC Principles & Criteria (MSC P&C)

1: Status of target stock

2: Status of ecosystem

3: Management system, operational activities

Community-Based Certification

Community-Based Certification (CBC) Approach

Step 1: Site selection

Step 2: Establishment of community relations

Step 3: Biological assessment and market analysis

Step 4: MSC Certification and marketing

Results & Accomplishments

Enforcing Factors:

Blue crab is country’s 6th most important export; Negros Occidental is in highest blue crab producing region

Market sensitive to certification

Existing transaction records

Existing POs & FARMCs

Sympathetic LGUs

Concerns:

Gaps in knowledge base

Ecosystem links unexplored

No management system

Step 1: Blue crab fishery selected as pilot site for CBC

Results & Accomplishments

Communities actively participating in resource management

FARMCs politically empowered

Provincial-wide blue crab fishery ordinance initiated

Gear conversion from gillnets to crab pots

Community-based enforcement

Certification introduced

Step 2: Community readied for MSC certification using CBCRM

Results & Accomplishments

Biological and fishery stock assessment indicates overfishing

Factors affecting the fishery: e.g., fishing pressure, exploitation of juvenile crabs, wasteful fishing practices, ghost fishing

Recommended management strategies: e.g., regulate fishing efforts, minimum size, gear conversion

Population and genetic study initiated

Market analysis not completed

PCRA in 10 barangays

Step 3: Biological study conducted; market analysis attempted; more studies needed

Results & Accomplishments

MSC Certification not pursued; assessment could not proceed due to data gaps and lack of management regime

Community-Based Certification Community-Based Coastal Resource Management to prepare the fishery for assessment against certification

Step 4: MSC Certification delayed

Lessons Learned

MSC Certification may have better potential as a reward vs. motivator for sustainable fishery management

Insufficient data made it difficult to choose one site over the other in terms of potential for certification

Main challenge in CBC is community mobilization, integration

Clamor for enforcement overshadowed certification

Direct economic benefits from certification uncertain

Recommendations

CBCRM as main strategy to prepare fishery for assessment

Define role of the community

Determine management body

Collaborate with trade related institutions

Investigate other consumer-oriented programs

Investigate other assessment models

Develop community-based MCS

Thank You

Community-Based Certification (CBC) of the Blue Crab Fishery of the Northeastern Guimaras Strait,

Negros Occidental, Philippines:Testing the Waters

Katrina Jayme, Filemon Romero, Jose InglesWWF-Philippines