Knowledge, gender, and resources in small-scale fishing: The case of Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines
Abstract
The coastal zone is a place of intense activity where resources, users, and resource-use practices interact. This case study of small-scale fisheries in Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines shows that resources, space, and gender are intertwined. The study was conducted between June 1997 and July 1998. The data were gathered using free listing, pile sort, ranking, resource mapping, and key informant interviews. The results showed that women's knowledge about fishery resources and their fishing activities are associated with the intertidal zone whereas men's knowledge is associated with coral reefs. In classifying fishery resources, appearance is the main consideration for women whereas a combination of appearance, habitat, and type of fishing gear is the consideration used by men. Market price is very important because of its dependence on the demand of the export market as well as the local market. Women dominate the buying of fishery products. Many women market their husband's catch, process fish, or gather shells and sea cucumber for sale. Among the fishing households, type of fishing gear provides an indication of socioeconomic standing. This paper concludes that access to resources is shaped by gender and age. The differences in resource knowledge possessed by men and women lead to differential access to fishery resources. In addition, the differences in socioeconomic status also influence resource access. The socialization of children into fishing reinforces the gender division of labor and space in the coastal zone.
Citation
Siar, S. V. (2003). Knowledge, gender, and resources in small-scale fishing: The case of Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines.Publisher
Springer VerlagSubject
Artisanal fishing; Coastal zone; Coral reefs; Fishery products; Fishery resources; Fishing gear; Labour; Pricing; Sex; Socioeconomic aspects; Sociological aspects; Women; Fishing; Coastal zone management; Holothuroidea; Philippines, Palawan, Palawan I., Honda Bay; Natural resource management; Philippines
Acknowledgment/Sponsorship
This study is part of my doctoral dissertation at the Department of Geography of the University of Hawaii. I am grateful to the East-West Center for the degree fellowship award and the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department for funding the field research under study code Se-05-CM97T. I thank Brian Murton, Jon Goss, Mary McDonald, Les Sponsel, and Jim Maragos for their insights and comments. I also thank Marilyn Surtida for her comments on the drafts and Ed Ledesma for preparing the maps.
Collections
- Journal Articles [1049]
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Conference paper
Abalone aquaculture for stock enhancement and community livelihood project in northern Palawan, Philippines
- In MRR Romana-Eguia, FD Parado-Estepa, ND Salayo & MJH Lebata-Ramos (Eds.), Resource Enhancement and Sustainable Aquaculture Practices in Southeast Asia: Challenges in Responsible Production … International Workshop on Resource Enhancement and Sustainable Aquaculture Practices in Southeast Asia 2014 (RESA), 2015 - Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development CenterOne of the interventions to feed the poorest of the poor fisheries sector in the country is the provision of livelihood in the form of mariculture of high value marine species. In the Philippines, livelihood in rural areas is largely linked to resource depletion, hence it is wise not only to provide livelihood to the community but also to encourage them to conserve and enhance the resources. As part of the revised R&D program, the Western Philippines University partnered with NGO and existing projects to embark on a community-based environment-concerned livelihood project, using hatchery bred abalone, although top shell was also considered for stock enhancement. This is in an on-going project thus, preliminary phases such as abalone production and cage-based grow-out as well as subsequent project plans will be discussed. The objectives of this study were to: (a) share the implementing experiences in this project, (b) identify success and failure drivers of the project, (c) explain the conceptual framework for the MPA-based stock enhancement to be used in this project, and (d) give recommendations to improve the implementation and ensure the success of the project.The following activities have thus far been conducted: (a) development of criteria for cage micro-site selection; (b) writing of proposal and provision of financial assistance for hatchery juvenile production through a partnership MOA; (c) presentation of site survey results to beneficiaries and stake holders; (d) conduct of trainings on abalone grow out culture to POs; (e) development and improvement of training module; (f) signing of conservation agreement; (g) giving of cage materials and juveniles to people s organizations; (h) on site coaching; and (i) partial monitoring. The next activities include improvement in juvenile production, conduct of researches on abalone nutrition, and development of market and value chain flow analysis. The conceptual framework for community-managed stock enhancement will follow that of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-ICRMP, of which the stock enhancement project is anchored on the management of marine protected areas or MPAs.The steps in all the activities were documented and while the project was in progress, performance of the participants in training were measured, the training module was improved, the training approaches were revised according to needs, and the growth and survival of juvenile abalone were monitored. The problems identified were low production of juveniles, insufficient food for grow-out, political squabbles, social preparation, and delay in implementation schedule. Recommendations to improve or resolve the problems encountered were also presented in this paper. -
Conference paper
Community-based stock enhancement of topshell in Honda Bay, Palawan, Philippines
- In JH Primavera, ET Quinitio & MR Eguia (Eds.), Proceedings of the Regional Technical Consultation on Stock Enhancement for Threatened Species of International Concern, Iloilo City, Philippines, 13-15 July 2005, 2006 - Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development CenterIn Palawan, Philippines, observed reduction of trochus shell resource in various areas was due to unregulated harvest mainly by compressor (hookah) divers and free diving fishers from other provinces. The latter migrate to Honda Bay for greater livelihood prospects (Gonzales, 2004), increasing the population of coastal communities along the Bay. According to fishers in Honda Bay, their shellfish resources were bountiful until traders and divers from other parts of the country came to Palawan in the 1970s, depleting topshell Trochus niloticus and other species. One of the objectives of Coastal Resource Management (CRM) is the regeneration of depleted resources and their sustainable use. On the other hand, the socio-economic objectives are: a) to alleviate poverty in coastal communities through added income and, b) to encourage responsible use of coastal resources through active participation of coastal communities in decision-making, planning, and implementation. The community-based topshell stock enhancement in Barangay Binduyan was assisted by the Fisheries Resource Management Project (FRMP) of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture (DA-BFAR). The objectives of this paper are to: 1) describe the processes in a community-managed stock enhancement project; 2) document monitoring and evaluation of the project; and 3) give recommendations to improve future community-managed stock enhancement project. -
Article
Change in Aplaya: resource use and responses to changing markets among fisherfolk in Honda Bay, Palawan
-Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society , 2003 - University of San Carlos Publications
