Assessing local responses to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Olutanga, Zamboanga Sibugay: A baseline study using the I-FIT tool
Paper Details
Assessing local responses to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Olutanga, Zamboanga Sibugay: A baseline study using the I-FIT tool
Abstract
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing poses threats to small-scale fisheries communities in the Philippines. This study assessed the local responses to IUU fishing in Olutanga, Zamboanga Sibugay using five standardized indicators of the Philippine IUU Fishing Index and Threat Assessment Tool (I-FIT), a diagnostic framework designed to guide evidence-based management rather than evaluate local government performance. A mixed-method approach was employed, integrating key informant interviews, focus group discussions, workshops, and secondary data review. Social Survey was also conducted across 14 coastal barangays from August 2024 to February 2025 to validate the data obtained from LGU. Findings indicate critical gaps across all response indicators (R1-R5): the enforcement team was partially operational (R1), no targeted information, education, and communication (IEC) activities was conducted (R2), fisheries compliance audits were absent (R3), IUU fishing data were collected informally and not analyzed to address IUU fishing (R4), and approved and official IUU fishing reduction plan was lacking (R5). The municipality’s average IUU fishing response score was 3.4 (SD= 0.55), indicating high risk to IUU fishing. The following interventions are recommended to address the high risk to IUU fishing in Olutanga: strengthen enforcement operations and capacity; implement regular targeted IEC campaigns; comply with fisheries compliance audit annually; institutionalize systematic data collection; and develop a comprehensive IUU Fishing Reduction Plan. This study is the first endeavor to evaluate the local response to IUU fishing in Region 9 and aligns primarily with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14.4 target which aims to end IUU fishing.
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Norlika D. Moti*, Judy Ann H. Fernandez, Angelica M. Darunday, Larry C. Herbito Jr., Armi G. Torres, 2026. Assessing local responses to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Olutanga, Zamboanga Sibugay: A baseline study using the I-FIT tool. J. Biodiv. Environ. Sci., 28(1), 1-11.
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