The policy–practice dichotomy: An analysis from Palawan, Philippines

Abstract

[Extract] Although the live reef fish for food trade (LRFFT) has provided a much-needed source of income for impoverished coastal communities across the Asia-Pacific region, ensuring that the trade operates sustainably has proven difficult. In Palawan Province, Philippines, the LRFFT faces substantial challenges. Years of intense fishing pressure, as well as the use of sodium cyanide to catch live fish, has resulted in significant levels of coral reef degradation and the decline of fish stocks in parts of the province (Padilla et al. 2003). Hence, fishers in some locations must now travel greater distances and for longer periods to find fish, and struggle to make ends meet as their ability to easily catch fish decreases (Fabinyi 2010). Attempts at regulation have been introduced, but implementation and enforcement of these regulations remains challenging (Dalabajan 2005, 2009; Fabinyi 2009a).