The Small Pelagic Fisheries of Sarangani Bay, Southern Mindanao, Philippines

Historically, the waters of Sarangani Bay have rich fishing grounds. Fisherfolks depend mostly on fishing and have been the primary source of living. The study covered two municipal landing sites in Sarangani Province and one site in General Santos City, with its fishing ground in Sarangani Bay, to have information on the status of pelagic resources. Results show a decreasing trend in catches of pelagic species from 92% in 2008 to 86% in 2012. The same decreasing trend can be seen in the number of species recorded compared to the previous study, from 401 species to 249. With regards to fishing gears used in the bay, there are five commonly used: multiple hook and line, scoop net, surface gill net, encircling gill net, and troll line. Analysis of data was made using different analytical models contained in FiSAT II software. Growth parameters like maximum length (Lmax), K-values, total mortality (Z), natural mortality (M), fishing mortality (F), and exploitation ratio were computed using the length data. Recruitment pattern analysis, virtual population analysis, and yield per recruit were also analyzed