There’s a big hope after all, for the coastal areas of the country to recuperate from ecological problems that have rendered the bodies of water almost unable to regenerate their marine resources.
While the bays are in a vulnerable state, “there are bright prospects,” said Porfirio Alinio of the Univesity of the Philippines-Marine Environment Resource Foundation, Inc.(UP-MERF) which conducted the studies on the coastal waters for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Fishery Resource Management Project.
Studied were the Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan, Puerto Princesa and Honda Bays in Palawan and San Miguel Bay in Camarines Sur.

BFAR  Ilocos Regional Director Nestor Domenden said the workshop aimed to consolidate information and experiences in the bays as vital inputs in the formulation of the Sustainable Philippine Fisheries Agenda.
Time is ticking for the bodies of water where human activities like over fishing and illegal fishing are the orders of the day, and interventions like sanctuaries or marine protected areas and strict law enforcement and legislation are being implemented.
The studies showed of the bays studies, Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan is in worst ecological situation with the fishers’ average daily catch at only 2.7 kilos a day. Without any interventions such as fish sanctuaries, the gulf can only support 8,000 of over 16,000 fishers dependent on the gulf.
“It’s the most over fished (body of water). Fortunately, the people have taken steps (to revive it), Aliño told reporters. 
More than a dozen fish sanctuaries have been established by people’s organizations and local governments in the Lingayen Gulf. About 200 hectares were also reforested with mangroves.
Lingayen Gulf benefits from cooperation among local officials of the towns facing it. “The gulf is rising up and many good practices are emerging (among the stakeholders),” Aliño said.
Wilfredo Campos of the UP-MERF reported that to support the 16,000 fishers in the Lingayen Gulf,  at least 46 percent of  gulf must be dedicated to sanctuaries (areas closed to fishing) to enable it to regenerate its dwindling fishery stocks.  The San Miguel Bay in Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte is three-fourths the size of the Lingayen Gulf is in better situation as the average daily catch is 8.2 kilograms a day, the highest yield among the bays studied. 
The bay can support all of its 6,000 fishers without any interventions such as sanctuaries but if 40 percent of the bay is converted into sanctuary, it can support up to 11,000 fishers.
But like Lingayen Gulf, San Miguel Bay still has to contend with illegal fishers which use buli-buli (trawls) to catch fish which destroy coral reefs. 
Honda-Puerto Princesa Bays in Palawan can sustainably support a maximum of about 1,500 fishers or 50 percent of the current fishers, without sanctuaries. 
To support almost 3,000 fishers in these bays, at least 50 percent of the areas should be converted into sanctuaries, according to the studies presented.
Over fishing in Puerto Princesa Bay is more severe as compared to Honda Bay and deployment of sanctuaries alone is not sufficient to prevent collapse of fisheries in Puerto Princesa over the long term.
The town mayors who attended the workshop are united in saying that it takes love for environment and political will for the bays to recover.
Bani, Pangasinan Mayor Gabriel Navarro said he dismantled fyke nets that hinder the flow of water in the town’s rivers, ultimately earning the ire of the fishermen and getting sued for his efforts.
San Fabian, Pangasinan Mayor Mojamito Libunao Jr. said it takes strict law enforcement to keep commercial fishing boats from entering the municipal waters.
In Camarines Sur, Mercedes Mayor Pepito Lo said at least 80 percent of illegal fishing has been eradicated in San Miguel Bay and that he aims to reduce it to 95 percent by 2007.
Mayor Silverio Quinones of  Basud, Camarines Norte reported that results from rehabilitation efforts have shown positive results, saying there were already fish where there was none before.
Strict implementation of ordinances is  the “secret” of Mayor Rosito Velardo of Tinambac, Camarines Sur. Loans are also given out to fishermen for livelihood projects to lure them away from fishing activities.
Vice Mayor Romeo Delfin of Cabusao, Camarines Sur said the mayor himself patrol the town’s waters, not trusting the police and the Bantay Dagat who can be easily bribed by illegal fishers. Aliño offered solutions for the bodies of water to regenerate their marine resources:
·        Let the fish grow to mature size,
·        Do not overharvest demersal (fish that dwell in sea bottoms),
·        Enhance value of coastal ecosystems
·        At least do something as maintaining status quo in fishery show eventual decline.
There’s a big hope after all, for the coastal areas of the country to recuperate from ecological problems that have rendered the bodies of water almost unable to regenerate their marine resources.
While the bays are in a vulnerable state, “there are bright prospects,” said Porfirio Alinio of the Univesity of the Philippines-Marine Environment Resource Foundation, Inc.(UP-MERF) which conducted the studies on the coastal waters for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Fishery Resource Management Project.
Studied were the Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan, Puerto Princesa and Honda Bays in Palawan and San Miguel Bay in Camarines Sur.
BFAR  Ilocos Regional Director Nestor Domenden said the workshop aimed to consolidate information and experiences in the bays as vital inputs in the formulation of the Sustainable Philippine Fisheries Agenda.
Time is ticking for the bodies of water where human activities like over fishing and illegal fishing are the orders of the day, and interventions like sanctuaries or marine protected areas and strict law enforcement and legislation are being implemented.
The studies showed of the bays studies, Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan is in worst ecological situation with the fishers’ average daily catch at only 2.7 kilos a day. Without any interventions such as fish sanctuaries, the gulf can only support 8,000 of over 16,000 fishers dependent on the gulf.
“It’s the most over fished (body of water). Fortunately, the people have taken steps (to revive it), Aliño told reporters. 
More than a dozen fish sanctuaries have been established by people’s organizations and local governments in the Lingayen Gulf. About 200 hectares were also reforested with mangroves.
Lingayen Gulf benefits from cooperation among local officials of the towns facing it. “The gulf is rising up and many good practices are emerging (among the stakeholders),” Aliño said.
Wilfredo Campos of the UP-MERF reported that to support the 16,000 fishers in the Lingayen Gulf,  at least 46 percent of  gulf must be dedicated to sanctuaries (areas closed to fishing) to enable it to regenerate its dwindling fishery stocks.  The San Miguel Bay in Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte is three-fourths the size of the Lingayen Gulf is in better situation as the average daily catch is 8.2 kilograms a day, the highest yield among the bays studied. 
The bay can support all of its 6,000 fishers without any interventions such as sanctuaries but if 40 percent of the bay is converted into sanctuary, it can support up to 11,000 fishers.
But like Lingayen Gulf, San Miguel Bay still has to contend with illegal fishers which use buli-buli (trawls) to catch fish which destroy coral reefs. 
Honda-Puerto Princesa Bays in Palawan can sustainably support a maximum of about 1,500 fishers or 50 percent of the current fishers, without sanctuaries. 
To support almost 3,000 fishers in these bays, at least 50 percent of the areas should be converted into sanctuaries, according to the studies presented.
Over fishing in Puerto Princesa Bay is more severe as compared to Honda Bay and deployment of sanctuaries alone is not sufficient to prevent collapse of fisheries in Puerto Princesa over the long term.
The town mayors who attended the workshop are united in saying that it takes love for environment and political will for the bays to recover.
Bani, Pangasinan Mayor Gabriel Navarro said he dismantled fyke nets that hinder the flow of water in the town’s rivers, ultimately earning the ire of the fishermen and getting sued for his efforts.
San Fabian, Pangasinan Mayor Mojamito Libunao Jr. said it takes strict law enforcement to keep commercial fishing boats from entering the municipal waters.
In Camarines Sur, Mercedes Mayor Pepito Lo said at least 80 percent of illegal fishing has been eradicated in San Miguel Bay and that he aims to reduce it to 95 percent by 2007.
Mayor Silverio Quinones of  Basud, Camarines Norte reported that results from rehabilitation efforts have shown positive results, saying there were already fish where there was none before.
Strict implementation of ordinances is  the “secret” of Mayor Rosito Velardo of Tinambac, Camarines Sur. Loans are also given out to fishermen for livelihood projects to lure them away from fishing activities.
Vice Mayor Romeo Delfin of Cabusao, Camarines Sur said the mayor himself patrol the town’s waters, not trusting the police and the Bantay Dagat who can be easily bribed by illegal fishers. Aliño offered solutions for the bodies of water to regenerate their marine resources:
·        Let the fish grow to mature size,
·        Do not overharvest demersal (fish that dwell in sea bottoms),
·        Enhance value of coastal ecosystems
·        At least do something as maintaining status quo in fishery show eventual decline.
(A shorter version of this article has appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer)