July 28, 2023

WWF-Philippines maps FADs across the Lagonoy Gulf

  • WWF-Philippines GIS Manager Alfred Guab tracks a floating FAD.
    WWF-Philippines Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Manager Alfred Guab uses his phone to geo-tag a floating Fish Aggregating Device (FADs). Photograph © WWF-Philippines / Mark Jay Montales
  • A fisher reels in a FAD. Though FADs make fishing easier, their usage can have negative impacts on marine ecosystems.
    A fisher reels in a FAD. Though FADs make fishing easier for fishers, their unmanaged usage can have negative impacts on marine ecosystems. Photograph © WWF-Philippines / Mark Jay Montales
  • Another FAD is reeled in and tagged. WWF-Philippines is pushing for policies for the better management of FADs.
    Another FAD is reeled in for tagging. WWF-Philippines is pushing for policies for the better management of FADs in the Philippines’ yellowfin tuna fisheries. Photograph © WWF-Philippines / Mark Jay Montales

Bicol – Throughout July, 2023, the World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines’ (WWF-Philippines) mapped fish aggregating devices (FADs) across the Lagonoy Gulf.

WWF-Philippines staff met with partner fisherfolk to discuss the last known location of FADs across the Lagonoy Gulf. To confirm these surveys, WWF-Philippines’ Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team took to the sea to provide coordinates for the FADs they encountered.

FADs are floating structures that cast shadows under which fish gather. FADs are made of natural materials, and are often as simple as logs and floating palm fronds. Fisherfolk have an easier time fishing using FADs, which are low cost and easy to assemble.

For the past decade, WWF-Philippines’ Sustainable Tuna program has worked to instill sustainable practices among the countries’ yellowfin tuna fisheries. To this end, the program has pursued policies for FAD management.

“Our FAD mapping activity has been quite the feat given the large size of the Lagonoy Gulf. Better data means we can take better actions, though, and we welcome the data we have secured through this survey,” shared WWF-Philippines’ Sustainable Tuna Partnership 2 (STP 2) Project Manager Joann Binondo.

Though FADs may make it easier to fish, they can also have a detrimental effect on local ecosystems as fish are lured away from natural habitats. FAD usage also leads to increased rates of by-catch, which poses a threat to endangered species.

Anchored FADs in particular are damaging to marine environments. As anchored FADs are pushed by ocean currents, their anchors drag across the ocean floor, uprooting and destroying reefs and seagrass beds as they pass.

By having FAD management policies in place, local authorities can better control their usage.

“There’s a lot that still needs to be explored when it comes to the environmental impact of FADs. With policies in place to manage their usage, though, we can do what is needed to balance the needs of both fishers and the fisheries they rely on,” added Binondo.

Learn more about the Sustainable Tuna Partnership 2 program here.

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About WWF

WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

WWF-Philippines has been successfully implementing various conservation projects to help protect some of the most biologically-significant ecosystems in Asia since its establishment as the 26th national organization of the WWF network in 1997.

About Sustainable Tuna Partnership

Sustainable Tuna Project 2, more commonly known as STP 2, is a WWF project that succeeds the efforts of STP 1 and the Partnership Program Toward Sustainable Tuna.

Its efforts are aimed to promote tuna sustainability by empowering small-scale yellowfin tuna fishers and improving tuna fisheries management in Bicol and Occidental Mindoro. Learn more about the key outcomes of STP 2 here.