This book deals with these questions: Who are the small-scale fishers in the Philippines? What do they look like? What do their households look like? What is their typical day? How are they doing? How are they treated? What are their contributions? What are their challenges?
This is the first book in the country that seeks to co-create answers to these questions in the form of a compilation of essays and stories on small-scale fishers in the Philippines. The aim is to shed light on the meaning of ‘small’ or ‘small-scale’ by distilling the meaning from the small-scale fishers themselves. In the process, it is giving the small-scale fishers a voice. The book features 83 fishers from 125 contributors in 61 coastal provinces and 2 coastal cities in 16 administrative regions in the country.
There is a lot to learn about fishers in the book. The book is for policy makers, program managers, researchers, teachers, students, and general readers so they can have a better appreciation of the fishers and small-scale fisheries in the country. We look forward to the day when small-scale fishers are no longer labelled as poor, unrecognized, and undervalued but with their rights recognized and respected.
Alice Joan G. Ferrer & Harold M. Monteclaro
University of the Philippines Visayas, Miagao, Iloilo, The Philippines
‘The Portrait of Small-Scale Fishers in the Philippines’ is an amazing collection of stories about small-scale fishers who make a living from fishing and fishing related activities across the Philippines. The book is a testament of how something that is seemingly difficult to do can be accomplished when one puts in their best effort, voluntarily and willingly. This applies to the fishers who are portrayed in this book, generously sharing the part of their lives that is not often told, as well as the researchers and contributors of the book who worked closely with the fishers to tell their stories animatedly and with vivid details.
This book leaves us with no excuse for inaction. Quite the contrary, it should inspire us – the readers, no matter who we are – to start doing something to support small-scale fishers and promote sustainable small-scale fisheries. Given that the Philippines is currently developing the National Plan of Action for the implementation of the SSF Guidelines, the book serves as an excellent, and very rare, reference for recognizing the diversity, complexity, dynamics and, scale that characterize all aspects of small-scale fisheries in the Philippines and elsewhere. The book is also an urgent call for these characteristics to be properly considered in policy and decision-making.”
Ratana Chuenpagdee
TBTI Global
The book is available for free, as an e-book in two sizes: smaller (70MB) and larger (325MB) file.
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About the editors
Alice Joan G. Ferrer is a Professor 12 and Scientist III from the University of the Philippines Visayas. She is the present Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the project manager of the National Consortium for Small-Scale Fisheries Research and Development or TBTI Philippines. She is the Immediate Past President of the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS), Immediate Past Chair of Asian Fisheries and Social Science Research Network, Constitution Coordinator of Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section of AFS, and a pioneer member of TBTI Global. Her publications cover topics on fisheries social science, policy analysis, impact assessment, gender, governance, climate change, and health economics.
Harold M. Monteclaro is a Professor at the Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanology, University of the Philippines Visayas and the co-project manager of TBTI Philippines. A UP Scientist, he has a strong background and interest in capture fisheries and fisheries biology, ecology and management. He is actively involved in marine fisheries research in the country and has participated in collaborative projects in the Philippines and in the region. His publications are mainly in the field of fish sensory biology and behavior, fisheries management (including gender), capture fisheries and fisheries biology.
TBTI Global Book Series
Portrait of Small-Scale Fishers in the Philippines is the eleventh book published under TBTI Global Book Series. This publication series aims to highlight why we need to pay close attention to small-scale fisheries. The series will be of use to anyone interested in learning more about small-scale fisheries, especially about their important contribution to livelihoods, well-being, poverty alleviation and food security, as well as to those who are keen to help raise profile of small-scale fisheries in the policy realm.
How to Cite
Ferrer, A. J. G. & Monteclaro. H. M. (Eds.). 2023. Portrait of Small-Scale Fishers in the Philippines. TBTI Global Publication Series. TBTI Philippines, Iloilo, the Philippines.