The Tuna Handline fishing fleet of Infanta, Pangasinan, Philippines: An assessment

Abstract

The study was conducted to provide baseline information that could be used by authorities to further support this sector in the municipality of Infanta, Pangasinan. Purposive sampling was employed and data was generated through face-to-face interviews aided by a structured questionnaire. Results revealed that the fishing fleet is mainly operated by boat captains at the age of 36-41 years old (32.56%), high school graduates (46.51%), members of fishing organization (67.44%), and with no other sources of income aside from fishing (90.70%). Most boat units are within the size of 9.1-12.0 GT (48.84%), with 90.1-130.0 metric HP engines (44.19%) and manned by 10-12 (41.86%) regular and seasonal fishing crews. Four (4) line gears are primarily used in catching tuna which include simple handline (surrate), multiple hook and line (sibid-sibid), troll line (bira-bira) and bottom set long line (kitang). These gears are fabricated using monofilament nylon lines and “J” type hooks with varying sizes. Majority are fishing off the coast of Zambales (45.51%) and Pangasinan (44.19%) with effort days of 4-6 (65.12%). There are several problems encountered by the fishing fleet at present and increasing cost of fishing supplies (fuel, gear materials, etc.) is considered a major constraint for sustainable operation.