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The ulne abili y ac o s o illegal, un epo ed, and
un egula ed (IUU) ishing in municipali y o Alicia, Zamboanga
Sibugay, Philippines
Judy Ann
H. Fe nandez
*1
, Shekinah L. Ogoc
1
, Angelica M. Da unday
1
,
No lika D. Mo i
1
, Hilly Ann Roa-Quiaoi
1
, Ma ia The esa M. Mu ia
2
,
F andel Louis S. Dagoc
1
, A mi G. To es
1
1
Depa men o En i onmen al Science, Schoo
l o In e disciplina y S udies,
Mindanao S a e Uni e si y, Iligan Ins i u e o Technology, Tibanga, Iligan Ci y, Philippines
2Na ional Fishe ies Resea ch and De elopmen Ins i u e, F eshwa e Fishe ies Resea ch and
De elopmen Cen e (NFRDI-FFRDC), Depa men o Ag icul u e, Bu ong,
Taal, Ba angas, Philippines
A icle published on May 09, 2025
Key wo ds:
Vulne abili y, SDG 14.4, Fishe ies managemen , Region 9
Abs ac
Illegal, Un epo ed, and Un egula ed (IUU) ishing con inues o se iously h ea en he sus ainabili y
o ma ine esou ces in Alicia, Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines. Howe e , no hing has been done ye o
e alua e he IUU ishing in Alicia. This pape p esen s he i s e e assessmen o he ulne abili y o coas al
wa e s o Alicia o IUU ishing, using he Philippine IUU Fishing Index and Th ea Assessmen Tool (I-FIT)
de eloped by DA-BFAR and USAID. The assessmen ocused on eigh indica o s wi h a scaling sco e om 1
(low ulne abili y) o 4 ( e y high ulne abili y) and a da a quali y sco e o 1-3 (low -high da a quali y). Alicia
ob ained a ulne abili y sco e o 2.63, indica ing a mode a e isk o IUU ishing. This sco e is highe han he
na ional a e age o 2.53. The key ulne abili y ac o s include ich ishing g ounds in he municipali y ha
a ac legal and illegal ishe s, inc easing p ices o illegally caugh ish, and a e y low budge alloca ion o
ishe ies and coas al esou ce managemen . Ye , hese a e alle ia ed mainly by o he ac o s such as well-
de ined ju isdic ional bo de s and a combined en o cemen pac wi h neighbo ing municipali ies, as well as
he absence o powe ul g oups de ending illegal ishe s. The da a quali y sco e is 3, deno ing high da a
eliabili y. Recommenda ions include in ensi ying habi a p o ec ion, aising unding alloca ion, inc easing
en o cemen ope a ions, p o iding li elihood p og ams, moni o ing, engaging communi y pa icipa ion, and
conduc ing egula ulne abili y assessmen s. This s udy aligns wi h he Sus ainable De elopmen Goal Ta ge
14.4, which seeks o end illegal, un epo ed, and un egula ed (IUU) ishing.
*
Co esponding Au ho : Judy Ann H. Fe nandez judyann. e [email protected] .edu.ph
Jou nal o Biodi e si y and En i onmen al Sciences (JBES)
ISSN: 2220-6663 (P in ) 2222-3045 (Online)
Vol. 26, No. 5, p. 106-118, 2025
h p://www.innspub.ne
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In oduc ion
The ishe y sec o is c ucial o economic g ow h
h ough i s con ibu ions o GDP, employmen , ade,
and li elihoods (Ib ahim e al., 2024). Fishe ies is
one o he la ges and oldes p ima y indus ies
wo ldwide, cu en ly, 59.6 million people a e being
employed in ishe ies all o e he globe (FAO, 2018).
Howe e , one o he p essing p oblems is Illegal,
un egula ed, and un epo ed ishing posing a global
h ea o ood secu i y, ma i ime li elihoods, and
ishe ies sus ainabili y, h ea ening ocean
sus ainabili y, na ional secu i y, and he sa e y and
human igh s o ishing communi ies (Mackay e al.,
2020; Auld e al., 2023). I is a e y con en ious poin
o he Uni ed Na ions, as i a ec s nume ous
dimensions o he Sus ainable De elopmen Goals
(Auld e al., 2023). Th ee UN Specialised Agencies -
he Food and Ag icul u e O ganiza ion (FAO),
In e na ional Labou O ganiza ion (ILO), and he
In e na ional Ma i ime O ganiza ion (IMO) - ha e
de eloped ins umen s ela ing o sus ainable
ha es ing, wo king condi ions, and essel sa e y on
boa d ishing essels (Auld e al., 2023). Wha is
sha ed among hese ins umen s is he inco po a ion
o po s a e measu es o en o cemen .
Illegal, Un epo ed, and Un egula ed (IUU) ishing
poses signi ican challenges in bo h insho e and high
seas ecosys ems (Chen e al., 2024), a ec ing in ish
and aqua ic in e eb a es alike (Temple e al., 2022).
This p ac ice has a - eaching economic, social, and
en i onmen al consequences (Fujii e al., 2021; Chen
e al., 2024), including he deple ion o na u al
esou ces and he deg ada ion o ecosys ems (Se ian i
e al., 2024). IUU ishing o en esul s in c iminal
ac i i ies and i s impac a ies om immedia e o
long-las ing. Key en i onmen al issues linked o IUU
ishing include ope a ing wi hou pe mi s, a ge ing
p o ec ed species, using p ohibi ed gea , and
exceeding ca ch limi s s a ed in RA 8550, as amended
by Republic Ac No. 10654 o he Fishe ies Code o
he Philippines. Es ima es sugges ha IUU ishing
con ibu es o he annual cap u e o 11-26 million
ons o ish, wi h a alue be ween USD 10-23 billion
(FAO, 2016).
The Philippines is a p ime con ibu o in e ms o ish
p oduc ion o he wo ld. In he yea 2018, 4.36
million MT had been acqui ed om aquacul u e,
municipal, and comme cial ishe ies p oduc ions. The
Philippines placed 13 h o i s ish p oduc ion and
was also in ou h place when i comes o seaweed
p oduc ion in he wo ld (FAO, 2020). Fishe y expo s
ea ned US $1.6 billion. The Philippine ishe ies sec o
is a signi ican con ibu o o he economy,
suppo ing nea ly 2 million ishe olks (TahiLuddiN
and Te zi, 2021).
As a membe o he UN, he Philippines is commi ed
o a aining he SDGs, including Ta ge 14.4.
Mo eo e , he go e nmen has made signi ican
e o s o add ess his p oblem h ough legisla i e
e o ms, capaci y-building ini ia i es, and
collabo a ion wi h in e na ional o ganiza ions and
neighbo ing coun ies. Despi e a ious na ional and
local e o s o comba IUU ishing ac i i ies, he
p ac ice con inues o h i e, d i en by ac o s such as
egula o y challenges, economic p essu es, socio-
cul u al aspec s, and weak moni o ing, con ol, and
su eillance (Wilcox e al., 2021). One o he mos
signi ican and impac ul legisla ion in e ms o
Illegal, Un epo ed, and Un egula ed (IUU) ishing is
RA 10654, o he Amended Fishe ies Code o he
Philippines. The Amended Fishe ies Code o he
Philippines was enac ed in 2015 and s eng hened he
o iginal Fishe ies Code, RA 8550, by ha ing hea ie
penal ies agains IUU ishing.
Based on he 2021 assessmen on IUU ishing in he
Philippines, only 160 municipali ies and ci ies we e
assessed. The majo i y o he 160 LGUs all wi hin he
2.00-3.00 ange (DA-BFAR, 2022). Eigh LGUs sco e
below 2.00, indica ing a lowe isk, while wo LGUs
all wi hin he 3.50-4.00 ange, e lec ing a highe
isk. O e all, he p e alence sco es a e closely aligned
wi h he ulne abili y sco es, indica ing ha IUU
ishing in municipal wa e s is s ongly linked o hese
a eas’ suscep ibili y o such ac i i ies. This co ela ion
allows LGUs and hei s akeholde s o e ec i ely
iden i y and add ess he isks and ulne abili ies
associa ed wi h IUU ishing (DA-BFAR, 2022).
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As o he 2023 epo , no assessmen (0%) has been
conduc ed on Illegal, Un epo ed, and Un egula ed
(IUU) ishing in he Zamboanga Peninsula (Region
9), in con as o he signi ican p og ess obse ed in
o he egions (DA-BFAR, 2021). In esponse o his
gap, he p esen s udy was conduc ed o assess he
ulne abili y ac o s con ibu ing o IUU ishing
wi hin he municipal wa e s o Alicia, Zamboanga
Sibugay, loca ed in Region 9, Philippines. The
assessmen employed he eigh s anda dized
indica o s ou lined in he Philippine IUU Fishing
Index and Th ea Assessmen (I-FIT) Tool, de eloped
by he Depa men o Ag icul u e–Bu eau o Fishe ies
and Aqua ic Resou ces (DA-BFAR) in 2022.
Ma e ials and me hods
S udy a ea
The s udy was conduc ed wi hin he municipali y o
Alicia, loca ed in he sou hwes e n pa o Zamboanga
Sibugay, app oxima ely 7°30' No h and 122°56' Eas
on he island o Mindanao, Philippines. The
municipali y elies hea ily on ishing and aquacul u e,
wi h a 98 km coas line. I s ishe ies p oduc ion d i es
i s economy, con ibu ing signi ican ly o economic
g ow h. The s udy ocused on he 20 coas al ba angays
o he municipali y, which include: (1) Bagong Buhay,
(2) Bella, (3) Concep ion, (4) Dawa-Dawa, (5) Gulayon,
(6) Ilisan, (7) Kawayan, (8) Lambuyogan, (9) Lapaz,
(10) Lapi awan, (11) Li ayon, (12) Naga-Naga, (13)
Pandan-Pandan, (14) Poblacion, (15) S a. Ma ia, (16)
S o. Niño, (17) Talap ap, (18) Tampalan, (19) Tandiong
Muslim, and (20) Timbang-Timbang (Fig. 1).
Resea ch design
This s udy employed a mixed-me hod app oach,
using quan i a i e and quali a i e esea ch o
objec i ely assess he ulne abili y o illegal,
un epo ed, and un egula ed ishing isk in Alicia,
Zamboanga Sibugay.
En y p o ocol
E hical conside a ions we e undamen al o his
esea ch due o he sensi i i y o illegal ishing
ac i i ies. All pa icipan s p o ided in o med consen ,
ensu ing hey we e ully awa e o he s udy's pu pose,
hei igh s as esponden s, and hei olun a y
pa icipa ion. E hical guidelines o esea ch
in ol ing ulne able popula ions we e s ic ly
adhe ed o, and he cul u al sensi i i ies o he s udy
a ea we e espec ed.
Fig
. 1.
Map showing he s udy a ea comp ising 20 coas al ba angays in Alicia, Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines
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P io o he s udy, obus en y p ocesses we e
implemen ed o ensu e he sa e y and accu acy o he
esea che s' da a. A eques le e was made o he
Municipal Ag icul u e O ice o a s udy pe mi , and
he p oposal was p esen ed o he local mayo o
app o al. Following pe mission, collabo a ions wi h
local go e nmen o icials and s akeholde s we e also
acili a ed. A pe mi o conduc he s udy was
ob ained om he municipali y.
Da a collec ion
Measu emen o ulne abili y o IUU ishing using
he I-FIT Tool
The s udy was conduc ed o h ee mon hs, s a ing
Oc obe 2024 o Decembe 2024, in 20 coas al
ba angays o Alicia, Zamboanga Sibugay o
assessmen yea 2024. To de e mine he
suscep ibili y o Alicia’s municipal wa e s o Illegal,
Un epo ed, and Un egula ed (IUU) ishing, he
Philippine IUU Fishing Index and Th ea Assessmen
Tool (I-FIT) was used in his s udy. Es ablished by he
USAID Fish Righ P og am and he Depa men o
Ag icul u e–Bu eau o Fishe ies and Aqua ic
Resou ces (DA-BFAR), he I-FIT ool measu es h ee
dimensions: he incidence o IUU ishing, he
suscep ibili y o a eas o IUU, and he pe o mance o
esponses. This esea ch ocused only he
Vulne abili y ac o s, which a e quan i ied h ough
eigh indica o s. Each o he indica o s is a ed on a
scale o 1 (Low ulne abili y) o 4 (Ve y High
ulne abili y), wi h a composi e maximum sco e o
32, as shown in Fig. 2.
Da a o his componen we e ga he ed h ough
seconda y da a om he Municipal Ag icul u e O ice
(MAO), key in o man in e iews wi h ishe s and
en o cemen eams, and ocus g oup discussions
(Table 1).
Table 1. Vulne abili y ac o s indica o s
Indica o s
Me hods/Da a sou ce
Fishe ies esou ce a ailabili y and coas al habi a quali y (V1)
Seconda y Da a/Municipal Ag icul u e o ice
Ex
-
essel selling p ice o species commonly a ge ed by illegal
ishe s (V2)
Key in o man in e iew o ishe s
O e capaci y o ishe s (V3)
Seconda y Da a/Municipal Ag icul u e O ice
Physical con igu a ion o sho elines and islands (V4)
Focus G oup Discussion/
Seconda y Da a/
Municipal Ag icul u e O ice
Wea he and ocean
condi ion impac s on seabo ne in e en ions
(V5)
Key in o man in e iew and Seconda y
Da a/En o cemen Teams
LGU budge alloca ion o ishe ies and CRM (V6)
Seconda y Da a/
Municipal Ag icul u e O ice
Clea bounda ies and ju isdic ion o en o cemen (
V7)
Seconda y Da a/Municipal Ag icul u e O ice
Illegal ishe s a e suppo ed by in luen ial hi d
-
pa y people o
g oups (V8)
Key in o man in e iew/En o cemen eams
Good (low)
Bad (Ve y High)
Fig. 2.
IUU ishing index a ing
Da a quali y
A da a quali y a ing p ecedes e e y indica o , sco ed
be ween 1 (low da a quali y) and 3 (high da a quali y),
ha cap u es he comple eness and eliabili y o he
unde lying da a (Fig. 3). A a ing o 1 implies low da a
quali y, meaning ha he in o ma ion a ailable is
incomple e o un eliable. A a ing o 2 implies
mode a e da a quali y, whe eas a a ing o 3 implies
high da a quali y, wi h bo h accu acy and
comple eness. These a ings a e use ul inpu s o local
go e nmen uni s, whe e gaps in exis ing da a
collec ion ac i i ies can be iden i ied and in o m he
s eng hening o moni o ing and epo ing sys ems.
Low Medium High
Fig. 3.
Da a quali y sco e
Popula ion and sample size
A social su ey using pu posi e sampling was used o
collec in o ma ion on he ulne abili y ac o s ha
lead o illegal, un epo ed, and un egula ed (IUU)
ishing in Alicia coas al wa e s. Responden s we e
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people di ec ly engaged in o impac ed by local
ishing ope a ions, including ishe s, owne s o
ishing essels, and ish endo s. Fo a ep esen a i e
o he a ge popula ion, he sample size was
calcula ed using Slo in's o mula wi h a 5% ma gin o
e o .
݊ = ܰ
1 + ܰ (݁)ଶ
Whe e: n = sample size
N = popula ion size
e = ma gin o e o
The popula ion o ishe olk is 3,385. The e o e, he
sample size o his s udy is 358.
Da a analysis
IUU ishing index sco e
Each ulne abili y ac o indica o s was gi en a sco e
o 1 o 4 by he pa icipan s. The sco es we e a e aged
o ge he sco e o a gi en indica o . The a e age o
all 8 indica o s (V1-V8) was compu ed o compu e he
o e all ulne abili y sco e.
Table 2. Fishe ies esou ce a ailabili y and coas al
habi a quali y (V1)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (low)
Li le o no known o pe cei ed
ecological ichness o limi ed occu ence
o ishing ac i i ies in he a ea.
2 (Mode a e)
Known ishing g ounds o small pelagic
ishes, bu he poo condi ion o coas al
habi a s
3 (High)
Pe cei ed ecological ichness h ough
exis ing o s a ing ma ine p o ec ed
a eas and/ o known/pe cei ed
p esence o comme cially impo an
species in he a ea
4 ( e y high)
Exis ence o h i ing ma ine p o ec ed
a eas, c i ical habi a s, spawning
g ounds, adi ional/ popula ishing
g ounds, and/ o known pe cei ed
p esence o comme cially impo an
species in he a ea (e.g., Lapu-Lapu,
maya-maya, lobs e , Sa dinas,
Galunggong, e c.)
Table 3. Da a quali y sco e (V1)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
Da a sou ce is based only on
pe cep ion
2 (Medium)
Mixed da a sou ce om pe cep ions
and some om scien i ically-collec ed
su ey / moni o ing da a
3 (High)
Sco e is based on
ishe ies and coas al
habi a su ey da a collec ed using
scien i ic me hods
Fishe ies esou ce a ailabili y and coas al habi a
quali y (V1)
The ulne abili y and da a quali y sco e wi h
co esponding desc ip ions a e shown in Tables 2 and
3. The da a used o his indica o we e de i ed om
he ishe ies p oduc ion epo s o he Municipal
Ag icul u e O ice (MAO) and u he c oss-checked
by ocus g oup discussions (FGD).
Ex- essel selling p ice o species commonly a ge ed
by illegal ishe s (V2)
Vulne abili y and da a quali y sco es wi h
desc ip ions o his indica o a e p esen ed in Tables
4 and 5. These ex- essel selling p ices we e he p ices
ha illegal ishe s ecei ed di ec ly o hei ca ch.
The p ice o commonly a ge ed species by illegal
ishe s we e compu ed om p ice moni o ing o
illegal ishe s h ough key in o man in e iews.
To calcula e he pe cen age change o each species:
1. ܲ݁ݎܿ݁݊ݐܽ݃݁ ܫ݊ܿݎ݁ܽݏ݁ =
ቀ ଶଶସି ଶଶଷ
ଶଶଷ ቁݔ100
2. ܶݐ݈ܽ ܣݒ݁ݎܽ݃݁ ܲ݁ݎܿ݁݊ݐܽ݃݁ =
ቀ∑ ௧ ூ௦
ே௨ ௧௧ௗ ௦௦ቁݔ100
Table 4. Ex- essel selling p ice o species commonly
a ge ed by illegal ishe s (V2)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
Less han 2 % inc ease in he a e age
ex- essel p ice o ish o a dec ease in
p ice
2 (Mode a e)
2% o 5% inc ease in ex
-
essel p ice
3 (High)
6% o 10% inc ease in ex
-
essel p ice
4 (Ve y high)
The a e age ex
-
essel p ice o ish
is
mo e han 10% highe han las yea .
Table 5. Da a quali y sco e (V2)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
Da a sou ce is based only on pe cep ion
2 (Medium)
Mixed da a sou ce om pe cep ions and
some om scien i ically-collec ed su ey
/moni o ing da a
3
(High)
Sco e is based on p ice moni o ing da a
O e capaci y o ishe s (V3)
The ulne abili y and da a quali y sco es wi h he
co esponding desc ip ions o V3 a e shown in
Tables 6 and 7. The ishe s' densi y in he
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municipali y was employed as a p oxy o es ima e he
o e capaci y o ishe s. I is compu ed using he
es ima ed ishe popula ion in he municipali y
di ided by he es ima ed leng h o he coas in
kilome e s, as indica ed by he o mula below.
To al Fishe Densi y=(Es ima ed numbe o
ishee s)/(To al leng h o coas al a ea (km))
Table 6. O e capaci y o ishe s (V3)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (low)
Less han wo ishe s pe km o
coas line
2 (Mode a e)
3 o 30 ishe s pe km o coas line
3 (High)
31 o 70 ishe s pe km o coas line
4 ( e y
high)
Mo e han 70 ishe s pe km o coas line
Table 7. Da a quali y sco e (V3)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
Based only on ough es ima es o numbe o
ishe s and coas line leng h
3 (High)
Based on ac ual numbe o ishe s and
measu ed leng h o coas line om GIS o
o he means
Physical con igu a ions o sho eline and islands (V4)
Coas al a eas wi h con inuous and simple coas line
a e easie o pa ol o e a eas wi h complex geological
cha ac e is ics. This indica o sco es he physical
con igu a ion o sho eline and islands in Alicia. The
ulne abili y sco es wi h he co esponding
desc ip ions a e p esen ed in Table 8. The sco e was
calcula ed based on he exis ing maps and accessible
in o ma ion o Alicia's municipal wa e s, consis ing o
a la ge mainland wi h wo ou lying islands.
Table 8. Physical con igu a ions o sho eline and
island (V4
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
Single, con inuous, and simple coas line
2 (Mode a e)
Single coas line wi h complex ea u es
(i.e., la ge embaymen
3 (High)
La ge mainland wi h some smalle
ou lying islands
4 (Ve y high)
Mul iple small islands wi h no known
la ge islands
Wea he and ocean condi ion impac s on seabo ne
in e en ions (V5)
The success o seabo ne en o cemen ope a ions is
some imes impac ed by he wea he and ocean
condi ions. This indica o gauges he pe cen age o
unsuccess ul ope a ions due o unsa e wea he o sea
condi ions o he assessmen yea 2024. This is
es ima ed using he o mula below:
Pa ol abo ion Ra e (%)={(Numbe o abo ed
seabo ne ope a ions)/(To al numbe o scheduled
and unscheduled ope a ions)} × 100
The ulne abili y and da a quali y sco es wi h
co esponding desc ip ions a e p esen ed in Tables 9
and 10. I he e we e no en o cemen ope a ions o no
ac i e en o cemen eam, a sco e o 4 ( e y high) was
assigned.
Table 9. Wea he and ocean condi ion impac s on
seabo ne in e en ions (V5)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
Less han 5% o en o cemen ope a ions
we e cancelled due o wea he
condi ions.
2 (Mode a e)
5% o 25% o en o cemen ope a ions
we e cancelled due o wea he
condi ions
3 (High)
26% o 50% o en o cemen ope a ions
we e canceled due o wea he condi ions
4 (Ve y high)
Mo e han 50% o en o cemen
ope a ions we e canceled due o wea he
condi ions.
Table 10. Da a quali y sco e (V5)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
Da a sou ce is om pe cep ion o less
han 2 people
2 (Medium)
Da a is om mo e han 2 people and
pe cep ions de i ed om a sys ema ic
su ey o ocused g oup discussion
3 (High)
Seabo ne ope a ion/
ishe ies law
en o cemen ope a ion eco ds and
epo s
LGU budge alloca ion o ishe ies and CRM (V6)
The ulne abili y and da a quali y sco es wi h
co esponding desc ip ions o his indica o a e
shown in Tables 11 and 12. Recognizing ha la ge
budge alloca ions is c ucial o p o iding mo e
esponse measu es o comba IUU ishing, his
indica o was measu ed by he o al budge alloca ion
o ishe ies and coas al esou ce managemen (CRM)
di ided by he o al municipal wa e a ea in km
2,
as
p esen ed in he o mula below:
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To al budge pe km
2
= (∑Budge o ishe ies and
CRM)/(A ea o Municipal wa e in km²)
Table 11. LGU budge alloca ion o ishe ies and
CRM (V6)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
Highe han P100,000/km
2
o
municipal wa e s
2 (Mode a e)
P50,000
-
P100,000/km
2
o municipal
wa e s
3 (High)
P1,000
-
P49,999/km
2
o municipal
wa e s
4 (Ve y high)
Less han P1,000/km2 o municipal
wa e s
Table 12. Da a quali y sco e (V6)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
The da a sou ce is om ough
es ima es (no based on a documen )
2 (Medium)
Mixed da a sou ces (i.e., om o icial
documen s and some es ima es)
3 (High)
Compu ed mos ly om inancial
documen s
Clea bounda ies and ju isdic ion o en o cemen
(V7)
This ulne abili y indica o examines he s a us o he
delinea ion o municipal wa e s and/o ag eemen s wi h
adjacen LGUs on access o ishing o wa e bounda y
ju isdic ion. I s ulne abili y and da a quali y sco es wi h
co esponding desc ip ions a e shown in Tables 13 and
14. The da a o his indica o e e s o he adop ed
municipal bounda y delinea ion om NAMRIA. In
addi ion, he LGU Alicia has a join ag eemen wi h he
adjacen h ee LGUs (Talusan, Olu anga, and Mabuhay)
o add ess IUU in hei municipal wa e s.
Table 13. Clea bounda ies and ju isdic ion o
en o cemen (V7)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
Municipal wa e s o icially delinea ed
(NAMRIA App o ed) and/ o ishing
ag eemen s wi h adjacen
municipali ies eached (e.g., wi h
join
esolu ion o o dinance)
2 (Mode a e)
Uno icial bounda ies (i.e., no
o dinance o esolu ion), bu he
bounda ies a e ecognized by adjacen
ishe s (i.e., no con lic s wi h ishe s
om adjacen LGUs)
4 (Ve y high)
No bounda y delinea ion a emp s o
ag eemen s wi h adjacen
municipali ies, bu wi h con lic s wi h
ishe s om adjacen LGUs (e.g., illegal
ishing by ishe s om adjacen LGUs)
Table 14. Da a quali y sco e (V7)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
Da a sou ce is om pe cep ions only
3 (High)
Sco e is backed up by o icial documen a ion
(e.g., o dinance o esolu ion)
Illegal ishe s suppo ed by hi d-pa y in luen ial
people o g oups (V8)
The ulne abili y and da a quali y sco es wi h
co esponding desc ip ions a e ou lined in Tables
15 and 16. Da a we e ga he ed by in e iewing
en o cemen eams abou he p esence o absence
o inciden s in which someone o in luen ial people
g oups in e ened, esul ing in he elease wi hou
due p ocess du ing he assessmen yea in 2024
This indica o is measu ed using only wo choices:
1 o no inciden s o 4 o a leas one case du ing
he assessmen yea .
Table 15. Illegal ishe s suppo ed by hi d-pa y
in luen ial people o g oups (V8)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
No, he e ha e been no inciden s du ing
he assessmen yea when someone
in e ened a e an app ehension o
en o cemen ope a ion ha esul ed in
he elease o he app ehended essel
and/ o ishe olk wi hou due p ocess
4 (Ve y high)
Yes, he e was a
leas one case du ing
he assessmen yea when someone
in e ened a e an app ehension o
en o cemen ope a ion ha esul ed in
he elease o he app ehended essel
and/ o ishe olk wi hou due p ocess.
Table 16. Da a quali y sco e (V8)
Sco e
Desc ip ion
1 (Low)
Based only on pe cep ions o expe ience
wi hou any documen a ion
3 (High)
Based on expe ience wi h some
documen a ion o he inciden and he
in e en ion
Resul s and discussion
Fishe ies esou ce a ailabili y and coas al habi a
quali y (V1)
The municipali y o Alicia has es ablished he
Tan anang Bay Ma ine Fish Sanc ua y, loca ed in
Tangalay, Kawayan. I is a g owing ma ine
p o ec ed a ea managed by he Municipali y o
Alicia. Fish sanc ua ies (known as 'no- ake zones')
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a e c i ical o c ea ing ma ine conse a ion
p og ams since hey can conse e and g ow ish
s ocks in opical a isanal and empe a e
indus ial ishe ies (Soland e al., 2022). The
ishe ies p oduc ion in Alicia indica es he
exis ence o comme cially impo an species such
as g oupe s, big-eyed scad, C e alle, ga ish,
ha d ail, milk ish, h ead in b eams, ound scad,
sa dines, abbi ish, skipjack, slipmou h, snappe ,
spanish macke el, s ing ay, s iped macke el,
e alle, and una and o he asso ed ishes,
including pa o ishes, ju enile abbi ish,
Macke el Scad, Big eye Scad, Lobs e , Mulle
(Table 17). The o al ish p oduc ion amoun ed o
1,163,038.04 kilog ams in Alicia, and he species
abundance as shown in Table 17. O he aqua ic
p oduc s include seaweeds, shells, sea cucumbe s,
lobs e s, oc opuses, squids, sh imps, mud
c abs/blue c abs, and cu le ish. The Philippines'
ich ma ine esou ces and expansi e coas lines
make i an ideal en i onmen o a h i ing sea ood
indus y (Galang, 2024). Howe e , he abundance
o ma ine esou ces in 6 ishing g ounds in Alicia
a ac s legal and illegal ishe s o adop as e and
p o i able me hods, speci ically using des uc i e
ishing me hods, po en ially leading o co al
bleaching in he sou he n Mindanao, whe e Alicia
is loca ed, pa icula ly in he Zamboanga and
Sibuguey Bay (NOAA, 2025) which may lead o he
deg ada ion o ma ine species and he
de e io a ion o he ma ine ecosys em. This
indica o has a sco e o 4, indica ing a e y high
ulne abili y o IUU ishing due o ich ishe ies
esou ces and p esence o ma ine p o ec ed
a ea).This also implies ha IUU ishing is d i en
no only by po e y, low egis a ion o ishe s and
ishing essels, epea o ende s, lack o pa ols and
su eillance, bu also by economic oppo uni ies
o he ishe s su i al and consump ion (Widjaja
e al., 2020; Lubchenco and Haugan, 2023).
Because his in o ma ion is suppo ed by seconda y
da a om MAO and e i ied using FGD, he da a
quali y is a ed 3 (high). The sco e is based on da a
acqui ed h ough scien i ic su eys o ishe ies
p oduc ion and coas al habi a s.
Table 17. Mon hly p oduc ion o ish ca ch
Mon hs
Mon hly p oduc ion (kg)
1. Janua y
157,793.13
2.Feb ua y
111,829.01
3. Ma ch
149,550.73
4. Ap il
91,624.20
5. May
84,936.39
6. June
85,338.05
7. July
83,668.16
8. Augus
109,219.91
9. Sep embe
57,030.84
10. Oc obe
94,387.19
11. No embe
64,330.43
12. Decembe
73,330
To al
1,163,038.04
Ex- essels selling p ice o species commonly a ge ed
by illegal ishe s (V2)
Da a on he ish species commonly a ge ed by
illegal ishe s we e ob ained h ough a ocus g oup
discussion (FGD) wi h he Municipal Ag icul u e
O ice (MAO). Acco ding o he MAO, illegal
ishing p ac ices a e gene ally indisc imina e,
cap u ing a ious ish species wi hou selec ion.
Meanwhile, ex- essel selling p ice da a o hese
species we e collec ed h ough key in o man
in e iews (KII) wi h local ishe s. Da a om 2023
and 2024 we e compa ed ac oss 25 ish species
equen ly a ge ed by illegal ishe s o assess p ice
changes (Table 18). The analysis e ealed an
a e age pe cen age inc ease o 33.59% in ex- essel
p ices. This signi ican p ice inc ease alls unde
he sco e o 4 ( e y high), as i exceeds he
h eshold o o e 10% highe han las yea . Since
his sco e is based on mixed da a sou ce om
pe cep ions and some scien i ically-collec ed
su ey/ moni o ing da a.
Table 18. Species p ices usually a ge ed by illegal
ishe s
Ta ge ed species
2023
p ice
2024
p ice
%
change
1.
Rabbi ish
80
100
2
2. G oupe
180
200
11.1
3. O na e Empe o
170
200
17.6
4. Pa o ish
80
100
2
5. Whi eleg sh imp
40
60
50
6. Goa ishes
70
80
14.2
7. Unico n ishes
70
80
14.2
8. Slipmou h
20
30
5
9. Squid
150
200
33.3
10. Indian
Macke el
180
200
11.11
11. Big
-
eyed scads
180
200
11.11
12. Snappe
170
200
17.65
13. Fusilie
70
100
42.86
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14. Ace es
160
200
2
15. Rabbi ish
100
170
70
16. Lobs e
900
1700
88.89
17. Sho in scad
100
100
0
18. T igge ish
60
80
33.33
19. Mo ay
eel
20
40
100
20. Su geon ish
80
90
12.5
21. Bu e ish
50
70
40
22. Th ead in
60
100
66.6
23. Sil e side
50
70
40
24. Milk ish
100
120
20
25. Bali Sa dinella
25
30
20
To al
a e age
pe cen age
33.59
O e capaci y o ishe s (P3)
In Alicia's 98-kilome e coas line, 1,773 ishe s
depend on he sea as he main sou ce o hei
li elihood, b inging he ishe densi y o 18
indi iduals pe kilome e . This places Alicia's
municipal wa e s a a mode a e le el o ishing
p essu e wi h a sco e o 2, an e iden balance be ween
use o esou ces and sus ainabili y. Ye , wi h
inc easing popula ion and inc eased demand o ish,
he egion is highly suscep ible o o e ishing and
exploi a ion, especially wi hou s ic egula ion.
Se e al s udies ha e con i med ha ishe y
o e capaci y inc eases compe i ion among ishe s o
declining s ocks and ends o lead hem in o illegal
p ac ices o main ain hei ca ch (Nedumpa a e al.,
2024). The quali y o da a o assessing o e capaci y
o ishe s is high wi h a sco e o 3 as his was
compu ed based on he ac ual numbe o ishe s and
he measu ed leng h o coas line om GIS o o he
means. This da a indica es he eali y oday and is an
u gen ea ly wa ning, calling s akeholde s o ake
p oac i e and adap i e managemen app oaches o
p ese e Alicia's abundan ma ine en i onmen o
u u e gene a ions.
Physical con igu a ions o sho elines and islands
(V4)
Alicia emains ulne able o (IUU) ishing due o i s
complex coas al geog aphy, which p esen s
signi ican challenges o moni o ing and
en o cemen . The municipali y comp ises a la ge
mainland and wo smalle ou lying islands locally
known as Sinking Island, a ou is des ina ion, and
Li ayon Island, inhabi ed by local communi ies as
illus a ed in Fig. 4. Based on hese geog aphic
cha ac e is ics, Alicia is classi ied unde ca ego y o
high ulne abili y o IUU ishing wi h a sco e o 3,
indica ing a la ge mainland wi h some smalle
ou lying islands ha inc eases he di icul y o
e ec i e ishe ies managemen and su eillance.
Fig. 4.
Physical con igu a ions o sho elines and islands in Alicia
