Scientific findings trigger calls for unified ordinance, gear regulation, and revival of Lake Mainit Development Alliance.

Stakeholders from municipalities surrounding Lake Mainit gathered in Jabonga on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, to confront the alarming decline of Pijanga (Glossogobius giuris), a native freshwater fish that has long sustained the lake’s fishing communities.

During the results presentation of the Pijanga stock assessment, senior aquaculturist Joyce Baclayo of the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR)–Caraga presented key findings from the National Stock Assessment Program (NSAP) that confirmed a steady drop in Pijanga catches from 2014 to 2024.

“This pattern highlights growing concerns about the stock’s sustainability and the need for effective management measures.”

“Based on our analysis, all key performance indicators have breached the limit reference points,” Baclayo revealed. “There is a clear indication of overfishing and loss of reproductive potential.”

According to Baclayo, Pijanga once accounted for nearly 78% of Lake Mainit’s total fish catch; however, its sustainability is now in jeopardy due to excessive fishing pressure, habitat degradation, and destructive gear use.

Lake Mainit, spanning over 17,000 hectares, is the fourth largest and second deepest lake in the Philippines and supports thousands of fisherfolk from the municipalities of Jabonga, Kitcharao, Mainit, and Alegria.

Jabonga vice mayor Danny Moran called the presentation a “wake-up call” and urged local governments to legislate policies that will protect Pijanga before it’s too late.

“Kung dili ta molihok karon, mahimo nalang ni (Pijanga) nga storya,” Moran said.

[If we don’t act now, Pijanga will become nothing but a story.]

“Let’s protect this resource para moabot pa kini sa atong mga kaapo-apohan.”

[Let’s protect this resource so it will still be around for our grandchildren.]

Meanwhile, Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council (RAFC) chairperson Christopher H. Lindo emphasized the need for regulation and collaboration, saying the time has come to revive the long-dormant Lake Mainit Development Alliance (LMDA).

“RAFC will help push for the reactivation of LMDA. Collaboration, cooperation, convergence—that’s how we save Lake Mainit,” Lindo said.

Chief aquaculturist Rizalinda Abing, of DA-BFAR Caraga’s Fisheries Production and Support Services Division, represented regional director Omnia B. Olama during the activity and echoed the urgency of the situation. Abing stressed that scientific findings must guide fisheries policy.

“The data will be our basis for crafting ordinances,” Abing said.

“But we must also consider alternative livelihoods for fishers affected by any restriction.”

Also present at the activity were Fisheries Management Regulatory and Enforcement Division chief Edgardo P. Balambao and Fisheries Resource Management Section chief Loida B. Arreglado, who served as resource persons and facilitators during the discussions and planning workshop.

Unified Ordinance, Gear Regulation Urged

Key discussion points included the need for a unified ordinance across all municipalities to regulate “Laya” (boat cast net), the most commonly used and efficient gear for catching juvenile fish.

Stakeholders raised concerns about “Laya”’s sweeping impact as it covers nearly the entire lake, leaving no refuge for Pijanga, disturbs breeding areas and contributes to habitat loss, and leads to high juvenile mortality and overexploitation.

Some municipalities, like Kitcharao, have already implemented a three-month closed season for “Laya“, but without a unified lake-wide policy, efforts remain fragmented.

Another key issue discussed was the absence of data from Alegria, which lacks a sampling site due to low fishing activity. Stakeholders proposed expanding the stock assessment to include this area.

Conservation vs. Livelihood

Fisherfolk raised valid concerns over food security, asking:

“Kung i-undang ang Laya, naa pa bay alternatibo na pang-sustento?”

[If we stop using Laya, will there still be an alternative source of livelihood?]

To address this, stakeholders recommended that LGUs, DA-BFAR, and other agencies collaborate on short-term livelihood support during the implementation of conservation measures such as closed seasons or gear bans.

The group also proposed establishing fish sanctuaries in each municipality, enforcing size limits and banning the catch of juvenile “Saguyon”, holding community workshops to align enforcement strategies, and strengthening penalties for violations under national and local laws.

Next Steps: Reviving the LMDA

At the heart of the consensus was a call to revive the Lake Mainit Development Alliance (LMDA) — an alliance of local chief executives that once coordinated management and conservation efforts across the lake.

LMDA would take the lead in crafting a unified ordinance on gear regulation and closed seasons, and in harmonizing enforcement efforts among LGUs.

“Let us work together, so we can bring Pijanga back and ensure Lake Mainit remains productive for future generations,” FPSSD chief Abing concluded. (Andy T. Ordoña, Information Officer, DA-BFAR Caraga)