Measuring seining strategies and fishing success in the Philippines

Human Organization, Summer 1998 by Russell, Susan D, Alexander, Rani T

Batangas fishermen recognize different levels of skill and experience among skippers, as is true for seiners elsewhere in the Philippines (Veloro 1994). Skippers are said to need several different kinds of skill (kasanayan), and each skipper has his own "style" or "technique" (diskarte) for fishing. In order to elicit a rank ordering of skills, 48 active skippers were asked to rank the skills solicited in open-ended interviews from most to least important. The most important skills of a successful skipper are ranked as: 1) knowing where to find schools of fish; 2) knowing how to read the currents and movements of the waves, 3) knowing where and when to set the net; and 4) knowing the geography of the sea bottom.

Figure 1 indicates the range of coastal areas fished by seining skippers in San Andres during the 1991-92 season. Fishers distinguish areas of the sea according to the nearest town on shore. Despite the choices open to skippers as to where to look for fish- a skill they identify as the one most critical to success - most trips made by all boats in the fleet are within the home port of Batangas Bay. Fishers say that their home bay has long been a popular area for tuna and mackerel, since it is deeper than the neighboring bay of Balayan. These days, however, most say it is difficult to know when and where the tuna are likely to appear. Some skippers readily acknowledge that if they hear that other boats are catching fish in another location from where they are fishing or planning to fish, they often feel enticed to head in that direction. Similarly, they say that if there are fish in their home bay, they will not be looking for them elsewhere. Skippers do not articulate specific strategies for searching for fish. They either say they are going to fish "here (there) only" (dito (diyan) lang), meaning just in their home bay, or "go far away" (dumayo). Some skippers say they prefer to fish only inside Batangas Bay rather than look for fish outside the area. This strategy is common among skippers who believe that searching for fish elsewhere is risky, since the movements of fish are unpredictable. They also complain about the cost of what they will spend on overnight trips and extra fuel. These skippers will search the area around the mouth of the bay early in the mornings, and then keep watch for fish as they gradually return to shore via a criss-crossing search pattern - all the while watching to see if other boats are catching anything. If several days go by with no one catching any fish, many of these skippers simply pull up the boat for awhile to change their luck or wait until they hear other skippers have made a catch.

Skippers say that fishing far away requires one to have "strength inside" (malakas ng loob), referring to the greater physical risk associated with fishing in distant waters. They identify the most dangerous waters as the Verde Island Passage and Calaca owing to the swift and cross-cutting currents. Also, they say the riskiest areas for fishing gear are Anilao and Mindoro owing to the presence of vast, submerged areas of coral reef. A skipper who casts in water that is too shallow or close to the reefs may tear his fishing net.