Stories From the Field

Recovering Reefs Make a Splash:
Candelaria Marine Sanctuary, Philippines

by Daisy Flores-Salgado and Toni Parras
Special thanks to Ruperto Apilado of the Sinabacan Fisherfolk Association (SFA),
Jeremy Samaniego, Joy Bacal, Ferdie Escoton and
Sentro para sa Ikauunlad ng Katutubong Agham at Teknolohiya (SIKAT)

September 2005

 
Patrol boat on the shore of Candelaria Marine Sanctuary.  Photo by Toni Parras

Introduction

Three young men were caught fishing illegally in the municipal waters of Candelaria.  Their violation?  It wasn’t their gear; the mesh size on their gill net was sufficiently large.  Rather, they were fishing without registration, a mandatory and simple task that helps the town keep track of who and how many are fishing in their waters.  In fact, they were not even from Candelaria, but from a neighboring town a few kilometers away.  Imploringly, they asked the apprehending officer if they could register in Candelaria so that they could fish here. 

"Why don’t you just fish in your own waters?"  asked Pablito Echipare, the Bantay Dagat, or Fish Warden who had caught them fishing in clearly marked waters in plain site during the daytime.

"Because the fishing is much better here," replied the youths.  "There are no fish in our waters."

"Well, then, why don’t you take care of your waters," posed the fish warden.  "Why don’t you do what we are doing here?"
And what exactly are they doing in Candelaria that would entice fishers from other municipalities to risk arrest by openly partaking of Candelaria’s marine bounty?  Residents have embarked on an initiative to save their waters and associated resources that has thus far proven successful. 

***

The municipality of Candelaria is located in Zambales province on the northwest coast of the main island of Luzon in the Philippines (see maps below).

Above:  Map of the Philippines; the location of Zambales province is encircled in blue.  Map provided by ReefBase (www.reefbase.org) Left:  Closer view of the Zambales coastline; the blue arrow points to the location of Candelaria.  Map copyright Camperspoint Philippines (www.camperspoint.com)

The lush setting of Candelaria.  Photo by Toni Parras

Although mountain ranges occupy 60% of the total land area (361,110 hectares) of Zambales, 11 of its 13 municipalities - including Candelaria - are situated along the coast, rendering much of the population dependent on marine resources.  With a total land area of 43,760 hectares and a population of more than 25,553, Candelaria is the third largest town in Zambales.  Land-based livelihoods include farming, salaried jobs, small business and trading.  Nonetheless, dependence on marine resources as a main source of income and protein for this community of nearly 500 fisherfolks is high.

 
Threats

The waters off Candelaria are filled with extensive coral reefs and seagrass beds, many of which have suffered in years past. 

Fishers from a neighboring town. Photo by Daisy Flores-Salgado

Threats include overfishing, due in part to a steady increase in the number of fishers and coastal settlers as well as the number and type of gears operating in the fishing grounds.  Exacerbating the problem is use of destructive fishing methods that cause habitat degradation, such as the Danish seine, a type of bottom trawl commonly used by commercial fishers that degrades the substrate and indiscriminately entraps non-target and juvenile species.  Other destructive fishing methods prohibited by law include cyanide and dynamite fishing, which were once quite common here, and still occur once in a while.

This Candelaria reef, which shows evidence of previous blasting, is making a comeback. Photo by Toni Parras

"It used to be like New Year’s Eve every day with the amount of blasts heard," says conservation advocate Ruperto Apilado, known locally as Ka Raffy.  "After a while, we were thankful to hear just one blast per day." 

Pollution - specifically, effluent from fish pens and cages that are operating beyond the carrying capacity of the area - is another concern.  The stationary structures restrict water flow - especially in the estuaries, which results in poor water circulation.  Unconsumed feeds and abandoned bamboo frames also pose a problem.  Solid and liquid domestic wastes disposed in the intertidal zones further degrades water quality.  Conversion of mangrove areas into fishponds and settlement areas reduces habitat for marine creatures and causes siltation. 

Residents remember when they could catch two kilos of fish per trip.  As habits deteriorated and resources declined, they were lucky to come away with half a kilo after a full day of fishing. 

So, how did Candelaria turn the tide, so to speak?

Creating a Marine Protected Area

The road to establishing and maintaining a successful marine protected area has many stops along the way.  It involves organizing and empowering local fisherfolks - both men and women -in order for them to play a significant role in the protection and management of their coastal resources.  Formation of a municipal fisherfolk federation is also crucial in order to build a comprehensive management plan as well as a credible lobbying force.  Candelaria  was able to do this successfully.
Fisherman in Candelaria.  Photo by Toni Parras 

Protected Areas within Zambales Province, Philippines.

In 1996, the municipal government of Candelaria gave stewardship to manage its resources to the Sinabacan Fisherfolk Association (SFA); this was a groundbreaking move, as Candelaria was the only municipality offered this responsibility due to the community’s willpower to protect and preserve their marine resources for the benefit of all local fisherfolk in the area.  The Sinabacan Fisherfolk Association together with the community started to monitor Malimangan-Sinabacan reef in Candelaria in 2001.  A resolution was passed to establish a protected area on April 22, 2002.  The 190-hectare Candelaria Marine Sanctuary was formally launched in February 8, 2003.  Although it existed in principle back in the 1990s, it didn’t become official until the municipal ordinance was passed in 2003.  A second sanctuary, an 18-hectare Batong Lakay reef has recently been added. Since then, other municipalities within the province have established a protected area of some kind.  As the province is rich with other water bodies,  the protection extends to rivers and lakes as well as marine coastal areas.

Continual upgrading of skills and knowledge through capacity building activities is necessary to maintain the ability and interest of community members.  Alternative and supplementary livelihoods such as pig raising and net making are offered to fishers to reduce fishing pressure, enhance their skills, increase their income and have greater access to the market.  An effort to regulate and manage the use of fishing gears based on environmental friendliness and sustainability - while considering equitable use of resources, viability, profitability and acceptance by the community - is ongoing.  Strategies include zoning, licensing, regulations on mesh size and fishing gear design, and temporal or seasonal restrictions.  These endeavors aims to involve fishers and other stakeholders in the advocacy, formulation and implementation of local and national laws on fishing gear utilization and regulation. 

Ramon Montejo making a regulation-approved mesh net, Candelaria, Philippines. Photo by Daisy Flores-Salgado

Encouraging support from other sectors and stakeholders helps increase the social acceptability of the protected areas and management plans.  Establishing partnerships among Local Government Units (LGUs), National Agencies such as Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), non-government organizations (NGOs) and Fisherfolk Organizations is also critical.  Key Partners in the management of the Candelaria Marine Sanctuary include Sinabacan Fisherfolk Association, Center for the Promotion of Indigenous Technology (SIKAT), Candelaria Municipal Fisheries & Aquatic Resource Management Council (MFARMC), Municipal Government of Candelaria and Candelaria Fisherfolk Federation (CFF).

Local Participation

Ruperto Apilado, "Ka Raffy," an active community leader in Candelaria, Philippines. Photo by Toni Parras

Candelaria fishers play an active role in the lobbying for and implementation of local and national ordinances.  Although not a fisherman by profession, Ka Raffy has a background in fishponds (he has one in his backyard), and has concern for the welfare of his community and its resources.  An engineer by training and former communications technician for Voice of America, Ka Raffy also served on the parent-teacher’s association for the local school and is very active in community affairs.  He is Chairman of the Candelaria Bantay Dagat (Fish Wardens) and President of the Sinabacan Fishermen‘s Association.  In addition to his municipal leadership roles, Ka Raffy is also heavily involved at the provincial level, as Chairman of Pampangisdaang Reforma Samahan ng Mangingisda ng Zambales (PRSMZ, the provincial level federation of fisherfolks for Zambales) and Chairman of Pamprobinsyang Alyansa ng Lokal na Organisadong Samahan (PALOS, which is under the provincial Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council).  Ka Raffy’s commitment, tenacity and success in influencing local and provincial laws encourages other community members to participate in management of Candelaria’s natural resources.

Salvacion "Sally" Ruiz is from Yamot village in Candelaria.  As a deputized member of the Bantay Dagat, she monitors to see who is actively fishing in the municipal waters and assists with registering all fishing boats as required by law.  She also helps explore alternative livelihoods for fishers.  Sally is also Chairperson of the municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council and a member of the Regional Council of Leaders.  Her efforts and dedication to protect the marine environment are "for the sake of nature, and for future generations, so that they will have something left of the natural world."

Sally Ruiz, an active community member, displays the fishers’ registry for Candelaria. Photo by Toni Parras

Habitat and Species recovery

Despite years of abuse by cyanide, blasting and other destructive fishing methods, Candelaria’s coral reefs are making a comeback.  Since 2005, the percent of hard and soft coral cover has increased to 38% inside the sanctuary and 37% outside.     

Various marine life found on the recovering reefs within Candelaria’s waters. 
Clockwise from top left: an electric blue giant clam; digitate coral species; lavender Acropora coral species; Clownfish in anemone; a pair of cowries; yellow and purple tunicate.  Photos by Toni Parras

Anecdotal accounts by fisherfolk indicate that the total number of fish species has increased over the years, and that today, catches are back up to around 1 kilo per trip using approved mesh gill nets and hook-and-line.  The size of economically-valuable species like trevallies has doubled.  In addition, some fish that have not been seen since 1999 are being spotted again, for example, certain species of butterflyfish and angelfish.  These improvements are attributed to good law enforcement and management of the marine area.  Since 2004, there has been a 76% decrease in number of fishers using illegal fishing methods (dynamite and cyanide) based on a Threat Reduction Analysis.  Confiscated aquarium fishes are returned to sanctuary waters whenever possible.

Orlino Ednalan proudly displays his tuna catch on Candelaria’s recovering reefs. Photo by Daisy Flores-Salgado

Butterflyfish (Chaetodon sp.) swim under a table coral on Candelaria’s recovering reefs.  Photo by Toni Parras

Up to now, the monitoring of corals and fishes in the marine areas inside and outside the sanctuary has been carried out by SIKAT, whose staff analyzes the data collected and presents it to the local government unit as the basis for decision making.  Feedback on coral reef and fish surveys are also given to the community so they too can be aware of the results.  Select community members are being trained in scuba diving so they can carry on the monitoring activities, and the Resource Center-Community Based Coastal Resource Management (RC-CBCRM) will assist SIKAT with the data analysis.  Continued monitoring and analysis will help the Candelaria resource management team learn what is happening within their protected area and adapt their actions accordingly.

Jeremy Samaniego, Community Organizer from SIKAT organized a workshop in mid-2005 funded by OXFAM (a UK-based development, advocacy and relief agency) that dealt with resource management and alternate livelihood development, and was attended by delegates from other sites around the country.  With the help of OXFAM Manila, three hundred household surveys were carried out to create a baseline assessment that will be followed up in 2007. 

Fish Warden Modesto "Estong" Montejo. Photo by Toni Parras

Compliance/Enforcement

The Candelaria fish wardens, called Bantay Dagat, patrol night and day, and have monthly meetings.  They work without compensation, doing their duty purely for the good of the community’s marine resources.  In mid-April 2005, a fund was allocated for Bantay Dagat operations wherein 165 pesos per day (roughly US$3) was divided among four municipal fish wardens for monitoring and patrolling. This fund ended in December 2005 due to a limited budget.  The biggest need at the moment is money to buy more radios for communication; the existing radio tower and handsets were provided by outside donors through the Philippine NGO Earth Restoration Trust, but the growing sanctuary needs more.  Additional patrol boats are also needed.  Municipal Councilor and Chairman of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr. Roberto Atrero, who is highly supportive of Candelaria’s marine protected area, says funds are needed for patrol boats, radios and salary for the fish wardens.

However, fish wardens don’t always have to go out to sea to catch violators.  They can go to the market to examine fish; if the third vertebra is broken, that is enough to determine dynamite use, and the fish may be confiscated and a complaint issued.

The original members of Candelaria’s Bantay Dagat were not fishers.  As such, they were not particularly well-suited to carry out their duties effectively.  The group was reorganized in 2003 and headed by Ka Raffy, who although not a fisherman himself, is skilled in community organizing, negotiating and lobbying.  He was able to bring together some 100 fisherfolk to act cooperatively as fish wardens.

Ka Raffy and Chito Dugan of SIKAT attended the Locally-Managed Marine Area (LMMA) Network-wide meeting in Fiji in 2003, where he met practitioners from other countries, learned lessons from their collective experiences, and brought back new knowledge and ideas to his community.

Governance

At present, the Sinabacan Fisherfolk Association has a close working relationship with the local government unit.  The mayor has much influence over what protection actually transpires, depending on his or her support of the environment in general and the initiative specifically.  Ka Raffy and other dedicated community members have worked hard to lobby for regulations protecting their resources.  However, he knows all too well that the pressure must be kept up; as election time approaches, a different-minded mayor could easily discard the resolutions that are now in place.  With the changes in leadership, there is a need to re-orient the government all the time. 

Media is a big influence for politicians.  Luckily, Candelaria has attracted national an international media for their progress in turning the reefs around.  This is viewed as good, because the community can use the media to get the attention of the government; the government responds because they are afraid of negative media exposure.

The Way Forward

What is the biggest challenge Candelaria continues to face? 

"Having to cope with reality," says Ka Raffy.  "There is lots of red tape….and fighting between the Sinabacan Fisherfolk Association and the Barangay Councils of Sinabacan due to the lack of support for the undertakings of the local fish wardens.  Commercial fishers are a big problem.  We are harassed, challenged by commercial fishers.  All commercial fishing must be done with the consent of the People’s Organization." 

A resolution was passed in 2002 through the constant lobbying of the technical working group to help the local fish wardens implement fishery laws in the municipality of Candelaria.  This ordinance was passed in order to protect and preserve the marine resources by helping in the regulation of destructive fishing gears and commercial fishers within the 15-kilometer municipal waters.

What is the one piece of advice Ka Raffy would give to others who are working to manage their marine resources? 

"The community needs to bind themselves.  Take for instance, a broom - one palm frond won’t clean the floor; you must bind them together."

 
Ka Raffy bids the Bantay Dagat a farewell as they leave shore to patrol.
Photo by Toni Parras