Abstract:

Fishing is the major livelihood of coastal villagers in Tawi-Tawi, southern Philippines due to the fact that Tawi-Tawi is situated in the heart of the coral triangle, the world center of coral reef biodiversity. In this work, small-scale fisheries in Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi, southern Philippines, were assessed. An inventory of fishing gears among the fishers (n=100) was carried out through one-on-one interviews using a guide questionnaire. The inventory included the commonly used fishing gears, their specifications, and commonly caught species. In addition, socio-demographic information of the fishers was also determined. According to results, the majority of the fishers used bottom set gillnet, single hook and line, and spear gun. The common species caught from all surveyed fishing gears were demersal fish species [rabbitfish (Siganus spp.), sweetlips (Plectorhinchus spp., Diagramma spp.), goatfish (Mulloidichthys spp., Parupeneus spp.), common silver-biddy (Gerres oyena), emperor (Lethrinus spp.), and mullet (Osteomugil spp.)], pelagic fish species [skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), frigate tuna (Auxis thazard), bullet tuna (Auxis rochei), eastern little tuna (Euthynnus affinis), giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis), and great barracudas (Sphyraena barracuda)], octopus, and squid. Fishers were all male with an age range from 21-40 years old, mostly married, and obtained only elementary or secondary education. Most fishers were full-time and engaged in the small-scale fisheries as daily sustenance and source of livelihood.

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