Fisheries in the Philippines have played an important role in the livelihoods of people in the archipelago throughout recorded history. Fishing is present within traditional folklore and continues to play an important role in modern livelihoods in the Philippines, both for sustenance and for commercial activities. Early coastal communities likely fished both for sustenance and for trade. Fisheries resources would have fallen under the control of local leaders. In addition to capture fishing, some communities also practiced aquaculture, farming milkfish in brackish coastal fish ponds. Spanish rule saw control over resources shift to central authorities, however, there was little actual management.
American rule during the early 20th century coincided with demographic growth and technological development which saw fisheries expand in importance. Towns developed based on fishing as a primary activity, and new forms of aquaculture took hold. Fisheries management was expanded through the Fisheries Act of 1932, which created the concept of municipal waters to encompass both inland waters and waters near the coast. It also introduced licensing and excluded non-American and non-Filipino fishing vessels from Philippine waters.
Rapid expansion after World War II came alongside huge increases in fishery fleet efficiency and reach. This quick expansion caused overfishing, especially depleting the municipal fisheries close to the shore. Nonetheless, the government continued to promote the exploitation of fisheries as an economic resource. Commercial fisheries expanded, and in the 1970s the Philippines became a leading global supplier of tuna. Aquaculture also expanded, especially following the introduction of the Nile tilapia. This expansion of fishing fleets and decrease in fish populations led to economic difficulties among fisherfolk. Government attempts to address this slowly led to more involved fisheries management. Marine protected areas began to be established in the 1970s.
The Local Government Code of 1991 marked a significant shift, devolving management of municipal waters to local government (cities and municipalities), and expanding these waters to encompass of coastal waters. The Fisheries Code of 1998 reinforced this change, barring commercial fishing in municipal waters. Management efforts since then have continued to facilitate sustainable local use, and aquaculture has continued to expand, supplying both domestic and international markets. In 2019, Philippine waters were divided into Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs), which allow for more targeted management of different areas while also providing a mechanism for collaboration between relevant local and national bodies.
Early history What is now the Philippines has a long history of coastal fishing communities, with folklore referencing relationships with fish and fishing. In addition to finfish and invertebrates, other marine species traditionally hunted include sea turtles, dugong, and cetaceans. Control of coastal resources was likely exercised by barangay chiefs. Coastal communities likely traded their fisheries products for goods such as rice and cotton from inland communities.
The first farmed fish is thought to be milkfish (locally called bangus), whose fry was collected from tidal waters and raised in brackish ponds. The water of these ponds was supplied by the tides, with food either coming with the tide or caught from the wild. The practice eventually evolved into a series of ponds allowed the fish to be moved as they grew larger. The original technique likely came from the East Javan mainland or its offshore island of Madura prior to the Spanish arrival to the Philippines. The traditional practice persisted in Mactan, Cebu, until 1921.
During Spanish rule the Spanish Law of Waters was implemented via the royal decree of Isabella II on August 8, 1866. This law gave control of all coastal resources to the Manila authorities, from whom they could be leased for use. However, for most resources, there was no management, and so exploitation was effectively unrestricted. Chinese immigration during this period introduced new fishing equipment such as Salambáw nets that allowed for larger catches to supply growing urban populations. The Spanish Law of Waters still has some provisions in force to this day, as laid out by the 1912 Irrigation Act, including the declaration of the foreshore as public land. At the end of the 19th century, sapyaw (or sapiao) nets began to spread, and other new net types followed.
Early 20th century A growing population during American rule saw demand for fish increase. Beam trawling was introduced by Japanese fishermen in the early 20th century, as well as muro-ami nets. This increase in productivity and increased demand led to the development of larger towns whose economy was based upon fishing. American rule also saw the first quantitative research into Philippine fisheries, with 116,799 fisherfolk identified in a 1905 census, who each may have caught an average of 4.2 tons per year. Dynamite fishing is recorded in the Lingayen Gulf as far back as World War I.
The Fisheries Act of 1932 (Act 4003) was enacted on December 5, 1932. It restricted fishing access to American and Filipino companies and created the concept of municipal waters, which reached from the shore, within which only municipal governments could create fish ponds and corrals, catch milkfish fry, and license ships smaller than 3 tons. Larger ships were licensed by the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The 1932 law was the introduction of the concepts of registration and licensing. Aside from municipal fisheries, it created the concept of national fisheries, applying to both inland fisheries and specific marine fisheries, and the concept of reserve fisheries, which would be any fisheries designated by Presidential decree to be as such. Later laws shifted control over fish ponds and corrals back from municipal governments to the national government. The 1935 Commonwealth of the Philippines constitution reserved fisheries for the use of Filipinos or mostly Filipino-owned companies.
Freshwater fish ponds were likely first used sometime in the early 20th century, although there is history of small-scale rice-fish system use. 1905 saw the introduction of three species of Hawaiian mosquitofish, and the largemouth bass was imported from California. In 1915, Eurasian carp began to be farmed, being imported from Hong Kong. In 1916 and 1918 the carp was also introduced into natural lakes in Mindanao. In 1925 the Bureau of Science imported 16,000 juvenile carp from China. Giant gourami were imported from Thailand in 1927. Later introductions include Trichogaster gourami species in 1938, and bighead carp, silver carp, and Indian carp in 1967 and 1968. Despite this, production remained limited due to competition with cropland and a cultural preference for marine fish. Freshwater farming did not significantly expand until the introduction of Nile tilapia in the 1970s.
Oyster farming was established in 1931 in Hinigaran, Negros Oriental, using the "broadcast" method where oysters are simply laid on the seabed. In the years afterward it was introduced with new methods to Binakayan in Cavite by the Bureau of Science, leading to the area around Manila Bay becoming the center of oyster farming in the Philippines. It later spread throughout the country, and where shipping navigation was not a potential issue, it was able to be farmed with deliberately placed substrates.
Due to the reliance on wild catch to support traditional milkfish ponds, shrimp fry often also ended up in these ponds. When this happened, such shrimp were also harvested from milkfish ponds. Species known to have been farmed as a secondary product include jumbo tiger shrimp, Indian prawns, and Penaeus merguiensis. Metapenaeus ensis may also have been farmed. Fish ponds were also occasionally contaminated with seaweed, such as sea lettuce. Seaweed was already harvested wild for eating, and gained increasing use as fish food.
Fisheries Administrative Order No. 14 of 1937 established the Fishpond Lease Agreement (FLA) system and a Fishpond Permit (FP) system. The FP system was an annual rent of government land in order to operate a fish pond. The FLA system provided for 10-year loans that could be renewed four times. The maximum size that could be rented was . Due to the reliance on wild catch to support traditional milkfish ponds, shrimp fry often also ended up in these ponds. When this happened, such shrimp were also harvested from milkfish ponds. Species known to have been farmed as a secondary product include jumbo tiger shrimp, Indian prawns, and Penaeus merguiensis. Metapenaeus ensis may also have been farmed. Fish ponds were also occasionally contaminated with seaweed, such as sea lettuce. Seaweed was already harvested wild for eating, and gained increasing use as fish food.
In 1939, the Fish and Game Administrative Order No. 13 created the first closed season, limiting the fishing of herrings and sardines in parts of the Visayan Sea between November 15 and March 15. This roughly covered the spawning season. Although modified and occasionally suspended, this closed season has remained in place since. The first national park, the Hundred Islands National Park, was established in 1940 and included marine areas.
Technological development and commercial expansion After World War II, the Philippines led the modernization of Southeast Asian fisheries. At this time, municipal fisheries were 150% larger than commercial ones. The rapid development and adoption of new technology greatly increased fishery intensity. Active gear, such as trawl nets, began to supplant passive gear, such as fish corrals, although passive gear remained common in small-scale fisheries. Trawl nets increased in efficiency. Motor boats began to spread, increasing range and mobility. In capture fisheries, otter trawlers began to be widely adopted, and in the 1960s purse seines became more common. Explosive and chemical fishing was banned through Republic Act No. 428, on June 7, 1950.
The fishing of milkfish in the sea was banned on August 5, 1949, through Fisheries Administrative Order 25 in order to ensure fry would be available to stock inland lakes and aquaculture. Accidental Caulerpa lentillifera contamination, possibly due to use as fish food, shifted to deliberate cultivation in Mactan during the early 1950s to meet local demand, becoming the first commercially farmed seaweed species.
The maximum area that could be leased to an individual to create fish ponds was decreased in 1954 to . This was further decreased to in 1959, although the area that could be leased to corporations increased to . Land area restrictions were often bypassed, for example by having multiple individuals within one family apply separately. The lease length was extended to 20 years in 1960 through Fisheries Administrative Order No. 60, and to 25 years in 1979 through Fisheries Administrative Order No. 129.
By the mid-1960s, production was double what it was in 1951. Overall, there was an almost sixfold increase in fishing effort from this period to the mid-1980s. Some fisheries in Manila Bay were likely already close to being overfished during the 1950s. The ornamental fish trade also started in the 1950s, initially for export to Europe and the United States. The technological development of the industry benefited existing capital holders, and commercial production soon began to outstrip the previously dominant municipal fisheries. The government encouraged this increasing output, without regard to environmental sustainability.