At the Decalve marine sanctuary in Coron, Palawan, a fish warden inspects visiting boats for local government-issued tickets to ensure that the correct user fees have been paid. (Photo by A. Sia, 2008)

FISH Project in Calamianes, Palawan: Keeping focus on fisheries management
Amid the government’s heavy investments in and bias for tourism development, FISH initially struggled to draw attention to urgent fishery issues and introduce measures to manage the area’s rich and infinitely valuable -- but highly threatened -- marine resources. Perforce, it framed its messages and aligned a few of its strategies with the LGUs’ tourism goals, while keeping its focus on its own fisheries management objectives. With perseverance and the emerging tourism potential of the marine protected areas (MPAs) it assisted, the Project slowly built an active constituency for sustainable fisheries in government and civil society that now offers hope for saving the fishery resources of Calamianes and the thousands of small-scale fishers and their families whose well-being depends on fishing. Full Story.

NEW VIDEOS:

- Hinagpis ng Dagat (Sigh of the Sea) – a three-part 47-minute feature on current issues facing Philippine fisheries and possible solutions
- Advocacy ads on biodiversity conservation, equity in access to fishery resources, marine protected areas and protecting municipal fishers’ preferential right to fish in municipal waters