Case Study
FISHE
Asia

EDF’s Philippine team is using FISHE (Framework for Integrated Stock and Habitat Evaluation) to formulate the fisheries management plan for priority stocks of  Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 8 on the country’s southeastern border. This process is part of a national effort to establish functional FMAs across the country and shift towards a more scientific and participatory approach to fisheries management. Not only has FISHE provided specific steps and structures to inform this process, but it has also enabled multi-sectoral collaboration and community education and empowerment.

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FISHE has guided all of our fisheries management initiatives in the Philippines, especially since science-based and participatory fisheries management is so new to the country. Specifically, it forms the scaffolding for our engagement with FMA 8 stakeholders and decision-makers.

Edwina Garchitorena
EDF Oceans Program Philippines Director

Edwina Garchitorena: "I lead EDF’s Philippine team and have been in conservation for over two decades. I work closely with stakeholders to implement science-based fisheries management and build capacity/resilience among communities in the Philippines. Many of the fisheries we are involved in are small-scale, multispecies, and data-limited which is why FISHE has played an important role in guiding us through the process of planning and management/implementing the FMA concept introduced in 2019." 

Miriam Amigo: "Currently, I lead the National Stock Assessment Program (NSAP) team for FMA 8 under the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. We are responsible for collecting and analyzing landings data which includes gathering input from fishers directly to validate our data. I am based in Tacloban City but have been involved with fisheries management in many regions across the country for the last 8 years. I got involved with EDF in March 2019, just a few months after the FMA concept was introduced nationally and we have been collaborating since then."

FISHE in Action

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Many of the tools and concepts within FISHE are still new to us and we are still learning. But with the guidance of EDF we have been able to use them not only to gather data but also to engage and educate fishers. It is a very complex but beautiful process.

Miriam Amigo
National Stock Assessment Program Project Leader

Advice from the User

Miriam: “My advice to others using FISHE is to involve as many stakeholders as possible across the different steps, especially fishers, to be able to get everyone's input on the situation. This way, the information you gather and the data you collect will be more accurate and comprehensive. When you ask fishers for their input directly you get their side of the story and this gives meaning to our analyses and recommendations."