𝐅𝐂𝐔 𝟖 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐌𝐀 𝟗; 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐂𝐨𝐑𝐞-𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐆𝐔𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐲𝐭𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐩 𝐈𝐔𝐔𝐅 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬

Tacloban City—-In a decisive move to curb Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUUF) fishing within Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 9 in Southern Leyte, the FMA Coordinating Unit (FCU) 8 convened the first batch of Local Government Units (LGUs) for the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF) Index and Threat Assessment Tool (IFIT) workshop in Tacloban City. 

Christine Gresola, Regional Public Information Officer of Bureaunof Fisheries and Acquatic Reources ib Eastern Visayas said that with a unified goal to assess the current state of IUUF activities and identify long-term, targeted solutions while tracking the progress of LGUs in FMA 9 Southern Leyte areas, the initiative brought together key local stakeholders from six (6) LGUs. Participants included representatives from the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (FARMC), Municipal Agriculture Offices (MAOs), People’s Organizations, Municipal Fishery Law Enforcement Teams (MFLET), and the Philippine National Police from the municipalities of Maasin, Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Tomas Oppus, Malitbog, and Limasawa. 

Among the prioritized threats identified by the participants within their municipal waters are fishing without permits, including the operation of unregistered fishing boats, and the intrusion of commercial fishing vessels (CFVs) into both municipal waters and marine protected areas (MPAs). Other notable threats include unreported fishing, spearfishing using compressors, and the use of over-wattage engines and fishfinders in pamolinao fishing grounds, all posing significant risks to sustainable fisheries management.

To address these threats, participants recommended a set of focused solutions aimed at strengthening enforcement, improving registration and data collection, enhancing community participation, and intensifying information, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns. 

Proposed actions include conducting regular vessel and fisher inventories, profiling fishers with and without permits, and partnering with barangays to promote compliance through localized information drives. Strategies also highlight the need to increase seaborne patrols, train and support MPA guards, engage local communities for intelligence gathering, and activate enforcement teams. Capacity-building activities and orientations on fisheries laws will be conducted to raise awareness, while improved data collection and regular monitoring will help track progress and reduce violations over time.

The results of the assessment are essential in the future development of proposals under the Fisheries and Coastal Resilient Resource Planning and Management (FishCRRM) component of the Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) Project to strengthen the management of coastal resources in these areas. 

The second batch of IFIT workshops for FMA 9 is scheduled for August 2025 and will involve the remaining seven (7) FishCoRe-covered municipalities in Southern Leyte, namely Bontoc, Libagon, Pintuyan, Liloan, San Francisco, San Ricardo, and Sogod.