Fish for the Future
USAID empowers Indigenous women to fight illegal & unsustainable fishing in the Philippines
In the vast expanse of the West Philippine Sea, the picturesque island of Calauit, Philippines, harks back to an idyllic past. Free of cars and other motor vehicles, Calauit is home to the Tagbanua Indigenous people.
Gentle waves lap at mangrove trees and sunlight glistens on the azure sea as Maricar Libarra walks down to the seashore to harvest cachipay, also called a windowpane oyster (Placuna placenta).
“Fishing is our main source of livelihood,” she explained. “In the past, our fish catch was abundant. Today, the number of fish we catch is getting smaller and smaller, making it harder to earn income.”
Climate change is wreaking havoc in the Philippines, with increasingly frequent and worsening storms destroying coastal homes, livelihoods, and marine life. Illegal and unsustainable fishing also threatens local communities’ source of food and income. According to a USAID-supported report, the Philippines’ economy loses up to $1.3 billion annually due to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, or IUUF for short. This economic loss is equivalent to up to 40 percent of the total value of the country’s fishing industry.
That is why Maricar joined the Calauit Women-Managed Area team, a USAID-supported group of Tagbanua women dedicated to protecting Calauit’s marine resources and ensuring a sustainable source of food and livelihood for future generations.
“Women play a significant role in marine conservation,” said Maricar, proudly. “It isn’t only men who can protect these marine areas. Women have proven that whatever men can do, women can do, too.”
Every week, Maricar and her team of environmental advocates conduct coastal cleanups to ensure marine life can continue to thrive. They also help guard the area from illegal fishing operations and support effective community-based management, monitoring the fishing vessels in the area and drafting local regulations against unsustainable practices, respectively.
USAID partners with local governments and communities like the Tagbanua of Calauit to protect the Philippines’ natural resources, promote sustainable fishing practices, and prevent IUUF.
To empower Maricar and her community, USAID helped establish the Calauit Women-Managed Area, training Maricar and other Tagbanua women on natural resource management, entrepreneurship, and environmental protection.
Thanks to this partnership, Maricar and her tribe have witnessed a reduction in illegal fishing in the area and helped stabilize the cachipay oyster population around the island. Better management has also allowed the average size of the cachipay oyster in the waters surrounding Calauit to increase by nearly 60 percent, from 3 inches to 5 inches.
In the traditionally male-dominated Tagbanua society, women now manage the cachipay harvesting process and schedule — a task traditionally delegated to men.
Recognizing the important role of women in marine conservation, the tribe’s elders have given them 130 hectares of ancestral waters to manage and now include women in decision-making processes. National lawmakers have also formally designated Maricar’s tribe as the guardians of Calauit’s natural resources, building on the tribe’s traditional management practices to protect the area’s natural resources and supporting sustainable livelihoods for the Tagbanua people.
“USAID has had a huge impact on our community. When they entered the picture, they helped with our livelihood, community, and women’s empowerment,” said Maricar.
The Calauit Women-Managed Area is the country’s first such area ever to be managed by indigenous women, and just one of nine such areas that USAID has helped establish across the country. Since 2018, USAID has helped protect 2.58 million hectares of oceans in the Philippines, an area about as big as Lake Erie.
“Our inspiration to help comes from the hope of stopping illegal fishing operations, recovering the natural beauty of the seas for fisheries to flourish, creating more jobs, and helping the community,” said Maricar.
This principle of working together for the good of all has guided this community for generations.
“The Tagbanua people in Calauit have always worked through challenges together,” said Marivic Presentacion, a Tagbanua woman who helps monitor illegal fishing alongside Maricar. “We give our time and resources to the community, and we are happy here.”
Despite the challenges they’re facing from the climate crisis and illegal and unsustainable fishing operations, Maricar, Marivic, and their team are committed to preserving their island and its resources for their tribe and for future generations.
“It’s my dream for the ocean to return to its abundant state, for illegal fishing operations to end, and to help my fellow citizens,” said Maricar.
About the Author
Christina Butler is a Development Outreach and Communications Writer at USAID’s Mission in the Philippines.
