SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FISHERY OF LAOANG, NORTHERN SAMAR, PHILIPPINES

Between September 2015 and August 2017 the author lived and worked in Laoang, a municipality in the province of Northern Samar in the Philippines. The author worked as a Coastal Resource Management Volunteer with the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office. This report discusses current and potential management strategies concerning the fishery of Laoang, particularly concerning the Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) placed at the edge of the municipal waters. Information was compiled during the development of two 10-hectare Marine Protected Areas and a Fish Catch Monitoring program. Various strategies for both the FAD and coastal areas of the fishery are discussed, including enhanced environmental education and protection, limiting adding FADs to the municipal waters, and promoting tourism. While many of the programs discussed already exist in Laoang, these programs can potentially be expanded on to enhance the sustainability of the fishery to promote food security and income