EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CATCH COMPOSITION, ABUNDANCE, SEASONALITY AND

MONITORING OF CATCH AND EFFORT OF THE FRY FISHERIES OF
SURIGAO DEL SUR
The research project, Catch Composition, Abundance, Seasonality and Monitoring of Catch and
Effort of the Fry Fisheries of Surigao del Sur, provides robust scientific information for the
improvement of fry fisheries in Lanuza Bay. Major declines in the quality and quantity of fish
catch are linked to poor management due to lack of information on the maturity of the fishes,
timing of the seasonal target fishes, and continuous overfishing within Lanuza Bay, namely,
from fishers from Cantilan, Lanuza, Cortes and Tandag City.

Lanuza Bay’s status as one of the Philippines’ most productive fishing grounds facing the Pacific
Ocean, as well as fishing operations that make use of bagnets (locally known as surit or basnig)
and beach seine (baling) are the mainstays of the area’s fry fishing scene. Because of the ever-
present risk of disrupting local marine resources’ equilibrium, a systematic examination of the
taxonomic composition, abundance, seasonality and fisheries of the fry resources in the area was
deemed essential.

The analysis covers biological monitoring and catch monitoring, both of which provided
valuable information on catch composition and abundance, seasonality of particular species
caught by selected fishing gear, as well as on how fry fisheries handle their respective catches.
The recommendations here will serve as the basis for program and policy development. As such,
the report contains detailed technical information, and is thus geared more towards relevant
overseeing bodies, policymakers and fishery operators rather than the general populace.

More marine species were caught in baling (beach seines) than in surit (bagnets), with 113
species of fish and other marine life caught in the beach seines. A significant portion of baling
catches during the period consisted of mostly young or sexually immature fish, with juveniles
and larvae combining to comprise 68.1% of the total catch.

The baling catch percentages baling catch percentages are within expected parameters as most
marine larval strategies particularly for ansuhan or crustaceans and the bolinao or E. punctifer
often dictate the development of larval and juvenile stages at the upper water column (0-10
meters deep), where beach seine fishing practices take place.

Seasonal catch data for surit reveal that the relative abundance of various life stages of yields in
catches varied and fluctuated in all sites, except for August, were juvenile relative abundances
were consistent in all sites.
Baling hauls, juveniles and larvae were the majority in the observation periods except for April
2018, a period when adult fish and crustaceans (mostly crustaceans) comprised the majority
percentage of the catch.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Interventions in the bagnet fishery will have a potentially larger impact simply because of the
volume of catches involved. Although the dominant species in year-round surit or bagnet
catches, Encrasicholina punctifer (Bucaneer anchovy), does not seem to be overfished, measures
can be taken to prevent the deterioration of current conditions:

 Making an effort toward the reduction of the juvenile by-catch in bagnets would
contribute to the sustainability of their respective stocks.
 Examination of the exact taxonomic identity of the smaller maturing version of an
apparent E. punctifer species south of Lanuza Bay. New fishing strategies in fisheries
management may be needed in the event of a proven stock fragmentation.
 Since species richness in surit catches is highest during the late NE and late SW monsoon
months, fishing effort could be regulated during these months (e.g., January to February
and August to -September) to reduce juvenile mortality.

It is worth noting that any regulations during the Southwest monsoon months (August-
September) will be difficult to implement because surit catch rates are also highest during these
months.

As a general rule, increasing the efficiency of the fry fishery should maintain returns to the
fishers (and the sector) at a lower cost. Imposing “bag limits” (or maximum amount that can be
landed by a vessel) particularly during peak months (e.g., September 2018), will reduce
oversupply, maintain reasonable values for the catch and reduce wastage.