07/08/2026
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๐๐-๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ญ๐๐ค๐๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐๐
TALIBON, BOHOL โ On August 7, 2026, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 7 (BFAR-7), through its Fisheries Management Area (FMA) Operations Office, convened key coastal stakeholders in Talibon, Bohol, on August 6, 2026, to address pressing market challenges and reinforce sustainable management strategies for the countryโs multi-billion-peso Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus pelagicus) industry.
The stakeholder consultation gathered local legislators on fisheries, municipal fishery coordinators, Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (MFARMC) chairpersons, crab fishers, and local buyers from the high-yielding coastal municipalities of Getafe, Pres. Carlos P. Garcia, Bien Unido, and Talibon, all situated within FMA 10.
The activity focused on three core objectives: driving sustainable seafood sourcing, updating stakeholders on the status of blue swimming crab meat exports to the United Statesโwhich historically absorbs roughly 90 percent of the countryโs export volumeโand consolidating ground-level industry issues from primary producers and traders.
Opening the activity, Candido Samijon, Officer-in-Charge of the Fisheries Production and Support Services Division (FPSSD) at BFAR-7, underscored the economic weight of the commodity.
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๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐," Samijon stated, expressing confidence that multi-sectoral collaboration with local government units (LGUs) and national line agencies will secure the industry's long-term resilience.
Johann Friedrich Tejada, FMA 10 Focal Person, presented a comprehensive assessment of blue swimming crabs within FMA 10. He highlighted that global movements toward sustainable seafoodโdriven by ecosystem dynamics, strong ocean governance, corporate accountability, and evolving consumer standardsโare designed to directly privilege small-scale fishers by transforming them into high-value, empowered market players.
To regain access to profitable export markets like the U.S., Tejada stressed the need for strict compliance with national conservation laws. He emphasized Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 277, approved on July 8, 2026, which regulates blue swimming crab gillnets in Philippine waters by instituting an aggregate length limit of 500 meters to align with international marine conservation benchmarks.
The consultation further highlighted the essential for LGUs to pass local municipal ordinances adopting Joint DA-DILG Administrative Order No. 1, Series of 2014. While the national joint order sets baseline restrictions on minimum carapace size (10.2 cm), gear types, and seasonal closures, municipal adoption is legally required to empower local law enforcers to issue citations and collect penalties within municipal waters.
A significant step of the consultation was the formal rollout of the "Adopt-a-Village" project under the Blue Swimming Crab Management Plan. Designed to organize model fishing communities across participating LGUs, the initiative establishes localized sustainable practices, improves product traceability, enhances market value, opens avenues for coastal eco-tourism, and elevates household income. As an immediate priority, BFAR-7 scheduled field-level community profiling, baseline data gathering, and focus group discussions to finalize site selection. It will start in the municipality of Talibon, Bohol.
During the open forum, fishers and buyers expressed shared concerns about the ongoing capture of juvenile and egg-bearing (berried) crabs, warning of severe stock depletion if left unaddressed. In a direct commitment to conservation, local stakeholders agreed to construct and maintain temporary holding pens and plastic trays, allowing juvenile crabs to reach market size and enabling gravid females to spawn safely before harvest.
For the coastal communities of Bohol, the blue swimming crab (locally known as kasag or lambay) is far more than a commercial resource; it is an essential economic lifeline, a primary driver of local employment, and one of the backbones of coastal food security across Central Visayas.
