~ 216 ~ International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies 2019; 7(2): 216-222 E-ISSN: 2347-5129 P-ISSN: 2394-0506 (ICV-Poland) Impact Value: 5.62 (GIF) Impact Factor: 0.549 IJFAS 2019; 7(2): 216-222 © 2019 IJFAS www.fisheriesjournal.com Received: 20-01-2019 Accepted: 24-02-2019 Rodulf Anthony T Balisco College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Western Philippines University, Puerto Princesa Campus, Sta. Monica, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines Cristine Joy D Tahajudjin College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Western Philippines University, Puerto Princesa Campus, Sta. Monica, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines Angeli Claire M Vigonte College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Western Philippines University, Puerto Princesa Campus, Sta. Monica, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines Correspondence Rodulf Anthony T Balisco College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Western Philippines University, Puerto Princesa Campus, Sta. Monica, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines Fishing gears and their common catch in two coastal areas of Palawan, Philippines: Implications to fisheries management Rodulf Anthony T Balisco, Cristine Joy D Tahajudjin and Angeli Claire M Vigonte Abstract Fishing gears are important tools in catching aquatic species that is consumed by local communities. The design and methods employed describe the characteristics of species caught by these gears. This study was conducted to document the fishing gears and their common catch in SIMBANA (Simpocan, Bagong Bayan, Napsan), Puerto Princesa City, and Rasa Island, Narra, Palawan, Philippines. Fishing gears used were photo-documented, and their common catches were identified using one-on-one interviews with fishermen. Sixteen fishing gears were documented, with six “nets”, four “lines”, four “barriers and traps”, and two “hand instruments”. Six gears were further classified as active gears, while 10 were Passive gears. More gears operate in Rasa Island than in SIMBANA. Most of the species caught are fish, pelagic species and reef-associated. Information gathered can be used for the characterization of the multi-gear fisheries which are important in making fisheries policies and management decisions for the mentioned coastal areas. Keywords: Catch composition, coral reefs, fishing gears, Palawan, Philippines 1. Introduction The Philippines is one of the top fish producing countries in the world, ranking 9 th in 2015. The capture fisheries (i.e. municipal, commercial) sectors of the country accounted to 2,154,879.08 MT or 49.5% of total fish produced from Philippine waters [1] . Fishery exports totalled 257, 219 MT or 5.9% of total fish production, with tuna, seaweeds and shrimp/prawn as the top export commodities. Fish is the cheapest source of animal protein for many coastal villagers in the world, and Filipinos consume 36.5 kg per capita per year of fish and fishery products [1] . Municipal fisheries refer to all fisheries activities conducted within municipal waters (15 km from shoreline). This includes subsistence fishing of which the fisherfolk gather fishery resources for local consumption only, without or with the use of fishing vessel (less than 3 gross tonnage). Activities of marginal fishermen are under this sector which primarily uses passive gears in catching fishery resources. On the other hand, commercial fisheries activities are conducted beyond the municipal waters and use both passive and active gears in fishing. The purpose of this sector is for business and profit and uses fishing vessel more than 3 gross tonnage [2] . Fishing gears are tools used in gathering or capturing fishery resources, which can be categorized into active gears (presence of gear movement, and/or pursuit of target species) and passive gears (absence of gear movement, and/or pursuit of target species) [3] . These gears are primarily used to capture fishery resources of commercial value and tend to eliminate larger individuals in a fish stock [4] . Most of the fishing gears employed in municipal waters are generated using human effort, while fishing gears in commercial fisheries are powered using machines, a characteristic of tropical reef fisheries [5] . Increasing fishing effort and limited fishery resources has opted fishermen to modify their gears including employing fishing accessories to increase the capture efficiency of their gears. The fishermen’s indigenous fishing knowledge and skills, environmental conditions, fishing season and gears used are mostly the factors which are attributed to the fishing success [6] .