Overview
The management area of Northern Iloilo Province blue swimming crab (BSC) fishery is the waters of the Guimaras Strait and the Visayan Sea, 15km off of the Iloilo Province. The province occupies the central and eastern section of Panay island in the Western Visayas region (region VI). These are the waters of nine municipalities from Carles in the north to Banate in the south and are reserved for the fishers of each municipality. The fleet comprises 395 vessels and gear type are low-impact pots. Crab from the fishery is processed by Saravia Blue Crab and their associated picking plants and imported by Harbor Seafood. This is a supply chain driven FIP with the tight relationships between processor, picking plant, and fishers being leveraged to track vessels to determine fishing grounds, collect catch data, ensure only pots with a minimum 12cm diameter are used, and that juvenile crabs and berried females are returned to the sea along with any ETP species. Fishers are families, usually husband and wife, and are paid a market premium for following responsible fishing practices.
The management area of Northern Iloilo Province blue swimming crab (BSC) fishery is the waters of the Guimaras Strait and the Visayan Sea, 15km off of the Iloilo Province.
- The Northern Iloilo Province Blue Swimming Crab (BSC) FIP serves as a catalyst for further stakeholder participation with a goal of adding NGO, Government, and other industry stakeholders, by the end of 2023.
- Have up to 20 percent of the fleet tracked with vessel tracking systems and daily catch data from each tracked vessel to better spatially visualize and understand the fishery by the end of 2023.
- Conduct surveys and research to better understand the impact the fishing activity has on the marine ecosystem, ETP species, other aquatic species, and by-catch by the middle of 2023.
- Reduce the capture of undersized crab and berried (gravid) females thru better community-led education and enforcement by the end of 2023.
- Development of fishing community-led, implemented and enforced no-take zones and partial fishery closure times by the end of 2023.