Authors

Jaime U. Jimenez

Author

Asuncion B. De Guzman

Co-author

Cesaria R. Jimenez

Co-author

Rodrigo E. Acuña

Co-author

Institute of Fisheries Research and Development, Mindanao State University at Naawan, Naawan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines
Institute of Fisheries Research and Development, Mindanao State University at Naawan, 9023 Naawan, Misamis Oriental, Philippines

*Corresponding author: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

The diverse and productive fisheries of Panguil Bay have been exploited for decades by a large fishing population using a wide variety of gears. Total landed catch based on recorded catches of various gears from April to December 2005 was to 201.12 t, with finfish comprising 40.8% (82.14 t), mollusks 34.8% (69.94 t) and crustaceans 24.4% (49.04 t), which by extrapolation amounted to an estimated total annual production of 1,660.54 t. The present report showed that yields of finfish, crustacean and mollusk resources from the bay have generally declined over the years as fishing effort continued to climb. Landed catch in 2005 comprised 135 finfish species belonging to 71 families, 21 crustaceans and 15 mollusks. Ten species made up 62.3% of the total landed catch of finfish, four shrimp and four crab species comprised 86.4% of total crustacean harvest while four bivalve species represented 79.8% of the total mollusk production from the bay in 2005. As many as 9,323 fishers owning more than 5,000 boats depend on the municipal fisheries of Panguil Bay for their livelihood in 2005. Thirty-two gear types are operated in Panguil Bay where the most popular (i.e., with more than 50 units each), are bottom set gill net (349), cast net (174), simple hook and line (117), modified fish corral (96), drift gill net (79), and crab lift net (61). The highest catch rates of finfish and crustaceans were obtained from drift gill net in San Antonio (58.17 kg gear⁻¹ d⁻¹), while the scoop net used in gathering the bivalve Donax sp. ("agihis") in Migpangi, Bonifacio obtained the highest mean CPUE value (267.25 kg gear⁻¹ d⁻¹). While a few fishing gears obtained large CPUE values, extremely high fishing effort naturally resulted in very small daily catches in most types (< 1.0 kg gear⁻¹ d⁻¹). The "alimango" fishing industry is still thriving in the inner part of Panguil Bay despite its progressive decline. Conservation and management measures are now in place to protect bivalve and other fishery resources in the bay, however, the continued presence and operation of highly efficient and destructive fishing gears remain a persistent threat to the fishery resources of the bay. Gonadal maturity and length-frequency analysis indicate the occurrence of biological overfishing on major fish stocks in Panguil Bay.