Fishing is almost effortless
for Carleo D. Arquillano, Purok Leader of St. John in Bucana and his
fellow fishrfolk who, with the help of non-government organization Mindanao
Land (MinLand) and the Bureau of Fish and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), erected early this month a 14-feet deep
fish coral known locally as “bungsod”, a few meters away from the
shoreline. Made of bamboo, net and nylon, the bungsod traps the fish that
dare to venture near the municipal waters.
“Our first harvest
yielded around 50 kilos of herring (tamban), slipmouth fish and bigeye
trevally,” Arquillano said. For the past two days’ harvest, they were
able to raise P3,000 which will go to the coffers of the DAPSA Fisherfolk
Association. The wives of their members sell the fish to the nearby areas and
if there is a surplus, it is sold to the traders who bring it to the market.
Bgy. Bucana has gained
notoriety in the city because of its reputation as a lair of illegal drug
peddlers. However, Arquillano said they are trying to change this by
organizing volunteers to monitor and dissuade drug users and dealers in the
area.
The effort seems to be
paying off, he said, but they are still faced with the problem of poverty which
they hope to remedy through the establishment of various livelihood programs in
the barangays such as fishing.
The area is considered
one of the success stories of MinLand which identified the Badjaos in the area
for their community governance and disaster resiliency project. Of the almost
2,837 purok population with 900 households, there is an estimated 70 Badjao households.
“A study by the city
show that the number one hazard faced by the city is flooding and the Davao
River facing Bucana is one of the coastal communities usually affected by
flooding,” Miraflor Austria, MinLand Urban-Project Team Leader said. Out of the
seven watersheds in the city, the Davao River has been identified as the most
critical.
Austria said the
Badjaos immediately asked for a banga so they can fish but MinLand encouraged
them to shift to other methods of fishing and to adopt new fishing technologies
since “they have been used to the pana-pana method which may no longer be
feasible now given climate change and the reduced marine resources.”
“We always experience
flooding here not only when there are typhoons but even during monsoons,” said
Francesso Bantayan, a trisikad driver who has lived in the area for most of his
life.
While the seasonal
reverses of the wind can be scary and inconvenient for the community, he said
they have become accustomed to this way of life. He said he would grab any
offer of relocation but said it has to be where they can continue with their
livelihood.
The community tried to
plant mangroves along the shoreline to protect them from monsoons and typhoons
but almost all the trees they planted were wiped out by strong winds and the
waves which came with sand due to the siltation in the area.
“MidLand formed a
group of Badjaos and gave them an incentive to plant the mangroves which we
provided,” said Milagros Nakahara, Environmental Management Specialist of the City
Environment and Natural Resources Office.
Nakahara said
they planted one hectare with mangroves in November 2014 but only survived for
a year. Only one mangrove has been left standing and this too is in danger
because the informal settlers have erected structures near the
tree.
Jose Longno of the
City Fishery Office said rehabilitation of the mangroves is out of the question
because the area is not really feasible for planting mangroves. He suggested
the planting of Malibago trees which have been existing in the area for years
since it seems to be the most resilient tree given the nature of the
location.
“We also need to
declare the area as a fish landing area so that we can protect it from future
claimants and from informal settlers,” Punong Barangay Rolando Trajera said.
There is also a need to delineate the area and to limit the number of bungsod
considering that other people would want to take advantage of the fish catch.
BFAR XI Regional Director Fatma idris said the increasing fish
population in the area shows that the yearly declaration of the Closed Season
for Pelagic Fishes in the Davao Gulf from June to August is very effective.
Davao City ordinance No. 093-08, also known as the Fisheries Code of Davao
City, already prohibits the “Catching or selling of Juvenile Fishery Species or
Gravid Spawners” even without the Closed Season. Open fishing season in the
region has been declared for the months of September to May.
The Closed Season in
the Davao Gulf has been implemented only for the past twoyears but has
reportedly increased the fish catch in the region by 26% from September to
December in 2014 compared to the same period last year. BFAR data shows that the fish catch of the
municipal fisherfolk versus the commercial fishers has increased from 25-75
percent prior to the implementation of the Closed Fishing Season to 34-66
percent after the Closed Season.
BFAR National Director Asis
Perez said an increase in the country’s fish catch can be expected with the
implementation of Republic Act 10654 or the Amended Fisheries Code of the
Philippines which became effective on October 10, 2015. Mr. Perez said the
implementation of the Amended Fisheries Code will also strengthen the country's
fight against Illegal, Unreported and Uncontrolled Fishing (IUUF).
