In the province of Batangas in the Philippines, marine protected areas (MPAs) and seasonal fishery closures have been implemented since 2014 to combat indiscriminate and illegal fishing, which took a heavy toll on fish stocks.

While the coastal communities are now on board after witnessing the abundance of fish that came with these new rules, the road to implementation wasn’t easy in the early years.

“Many of the community members are fisherfolk, so naturally people objected to MPAs at first. They felt like their livelihoods and rights were taken away from them,” Augustus Montebon, marine programme director at Conservation International Philippines, told Eco-Business.

“It took a long time to educate and advise the community about the benefits of MPAs because it would be a sacrifice on their part for the medium-term. But we told them that protecting marine areas will pay them back over the long-term,” he added.

While the MPAs and seasonal fishery closure started out as just bay-wide initiatives, they have now been expanded across the entire Verde Island Passage (VIP). The VIP now has 36 MPAS and is regarded as home to some of the most biodiverse coral and fish species in the world, with more than 300 species of corals, underwater reef formations and rock canyons that host around 60 per cent of the world’s shorefish species.

In 2013, a pilot study was conducted in Balayan Bay which found that the two primary species of fish—round scad and mackerel—were initially abundant in the area, but were then significantly reduced. With no regulations on fishing, fishers resorted to catching juvenile fishes and so prevented the population from replenishing itself.

Worried about the decline in fish stocks, fishers gathered and agreed to implement the first seasonal fishing closure in 2014. After the two-month closure of the fisheries, fisherfolk saw the immediate benefits of a higher fish catch than before the closure, and agreed to yearly seasonal closures.

“The best thing that has happened for the local community is that they now understand and they want to implement these fishing disclosures and other related laws,” said Rodrigo De Jesus, chairperson of the Bantay Dagat (sea wardens) of Catalagan.

The Bantay Dagat is a volunteer-based law enforcement group tasked to detect and prevent illegal fishing in coastal waters to support the management and protection of coastal and marine ecosystems.

Read the full article about ocean protection by Sonia Sambhi at Eco-Business.