ABSTRACT

BRENT GREG E. GOMUAD. May 2009. “ Assessment of Fishing and Fish Production
Practices. ” Mountain Province State Polytechnic College, Tadian, Mountain Province.

The study aimed to document indigenous knowledge and traditional fishing strategies on fish
shell: time of fishing, fishing gear, and rituals; document seasonal availability and biology/life cycle of
important fish shell; and document traditional food preparation of indigenous fish shell.
Majority or 62.2 % of farmer-fisherfolks in Mountain Province were engaged in fishing for
family subsistence. Eastern Mountain Province posted with 58.5 percent while Western part of the
Province with 65.4 percent. The Municipality of Besao has the great majority for family subsistence
with 86.8 percent. Subsistence-sale and subsistence-visitor came second and third with only 20.4%
and 14.9% respectively.
Majority or 53.3% of western Mountain Province’s fishing experience is 1-5 years and most
(42.1%) were 6-10 years in fishing experience, only some have had 10-15 years in fishing activity. In
eastern Mountain Province, 33.0% or most of the respondents were in fishing activities in 1-5 years
and 26.6% of the respondents had more than 20 years, only some have an experience of 6-10 years.
Eastern Mountain Province is more experienced in fishing and fishing related activities than Western
Mountain Province.
Natonin spend 4 days per month of catching fish and shell and other fresh water faunal
resources e.g. edible frogs, aquatic bugs and crabs. They usually go fishing during summer from the
month of April to May. Bontoc, fisherfolks spend 3.59 days a month fishing during the month of
August to December and March to May. The days per month spent in fishing and fishing related
activities of fisherfolks in Paracelis is 3.12 days per month. Paraceles fisherfolks go fishing during the
month of August to September, November to December and others go fishing during the month of
March to May. Sabangan fisher folk spend 1.72 days a month gathering fish and shell. Most of the
fisherfolks catch fish and shell during the month of November to January and March to May. While
Besao and Tadian, fisherfolks spend 1.16 and 2.09 days a month for Besao and Tadian respectively,
fishing month of March to May, and August to January.
Seasonality of Jojo, gurgurami, besukol and other rice field fish and shell was characterized
by planting and harvesting periods of rice. “Occurrence or existence” was highest during the fourth
month after the rice was planted and just after the rice was harvested. The lowest “occurrence or
existence” of these fish and shell were during the rice field transplanting and just after 1-2 months
after planting. River or lakes local fish were abundant during April and May which is the dry season.
According to the fisherfolks, they have a greater volume of fish catch during this season, fisherfolks
suspects that fishes prepare their surroundings for spawning reproductive during these months
occurs.
Only Paracelis and Natonin practiced rituals before or after fishing. They don’t go fishing
when they hear any animal suddenly makes sound at their leftside which they termed as “idaw”.
They believe that when this “idaw” take place this means that they will not poor catch of fish.
Identified fishing problems by the fisherfolks were: a) stealing of fish and shell in the
production areas during night time, b) no available land to be use, c) insufficient water most
especially during summer, d) presence of fish eating birds, e) presence of eels suspected to eats
fingerlings and young shells), f) presence of Golden Kohol, e) fishing by electrocution, and f) fishing
using cyanide or alcampor.
There is a positive significant correlation between days spent by the farmer-fisherfolk in
fishing and fishing experience in Mountain Province. The correlation doesn’t support the idea that
the older the farmer-fisherfolk the longer the fishing experience but rather the more days fisherfolks
spent in fishing the longer the fisherfolks fishing experience. Fisherfolks in eastern Mountain
Province were younger and spent more days in fishing activities than western Mountain Province.
Majority of eastern Mountain Province’s fishing expenses is Php 1,000 to 5,000 (62.8%);
some were Php 6,000 to 10,000 with 7.4%; few had expenses of Php 20,000 and above. A great
majority (87.9 %) fisherfolks in Western Mountain Province had their expenses ranging from Php
1,000 to 5,000 while most of the respondents expense were in Php 6,000 to 10,000 with 8.4%. Only
few had expenses of Php 20,000 and above.
Eastern and Western Mountain Province were using the same fishing gears and tools. The
tools and gears used by fisher folks may of different names and styles but these tools were of the
same uses. The “otnor” as called by the fisher folks of Natonin and the “Bakgheng” as called by the
fisher folks of Tadian were of different style but of the same uses. These fishing tools were both used
as fish and shell catch container carried by putting it in the waist like a belt bag. There were 13 fishing
tools and a gear identified.
Fish and shells in Mountain Province can be cooked in different ways, these were: gisa-
Lambong, ginataan, boiled (lambong), sinigtimang Bisuko/Lesdeg (any shells), Dojo in Sigtim, and
Dojo with banana blossom

Recommendations

1. Captive culture of Jojo, gurgurami, and bunog shall be conducted to provide better growth,
reproductive (biology/life cycle) performance assessment of these species. This shall be done
through participatory technology development 1 with farmer-fisherfolks.

2. Further Rice-fish integrated farming systems research studies. Rice-fish farming in the narrow
sense (i.e., raising rice and fish concurrently in rice fields to marketable or consumable size) has
very limited prospects like case of gurgurami, genga (shell) or even Jojo where even the nursing of
these local fish to advanced fingerlings faces problems.
3. Finally, economic evaluation study simultaneous/synchronized with the abovementioned studies is
necessary to assess the economic viability of traditional and recommended technologies by
farmer-fisherfolk or for farmer-fisherfolks.

1
A collaborative/joint research efforts/activity with MPSPC researchers and farmer-fisherfolks.