Fisheries Resources of Dasol Bay in Western Pangasinan, Philippines

Abstract

The coastal zone of Dasol Bay covers an area of about 18,570 ha and of this, 84% is designated as
the municipal fishing ground while the other 16% is allocated for seaweed culture and other sustainable uses. The
registered number of commercial fisherfolks is 40 who operate 4 commercial fishing vessels in the bay while 1,320
municipal fisherfolks were registered operating 650 motorized and 20 non-motorized boats. A survey was then conducted
to determine the fisheries resources of Dasol Bay in terms of the type of fishing gears used and the species composition of
marine fishes caught by the fisherfolks. Result showed that the eight fishing gears commonly used by the fisherfolks in
Dasol Bay include hook and line, gill net, cast net, long line, drive-in gill net, spear without or without compressor, scoop
net, and fyke net. Hook and line and gill net were the most commonly and frequently used in capture fishing. The
recorded peak season for fishing in Dasol Bay is from January to May and from October to December. In these said
months, fishing is favorable even for deep-sea fishing because of the calmness of the sea. A total of 70 species of marine
fishes are found in Dasol Bay belonging to 13 families, namely: Leoignathidae, Carangidae, Scombridae, Serranidae,
Labridae, Belonidae, Hemiramphidae, Exocoetidae, Istiophoridae, Balistidae, Theraponidae, Nemipteridae, and
Siganidae. Many of the municipal fisherfolks consumed 10-12 hours of fishing while most of the commercial fisherfolks
spent fishing from 5-7 days a week. The catch per unit of effort of most of the fisherfolks ranged from 1-10 kg of small to
medium-sized fish per trip using gill net while 30-200 kg per trip for those using long line, and hook and line in catching
tuna and other big fishes and squid.