WWF-Philippines, Century Tuna back Pasuquin fishing community
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines), together with Century Tuna, is piloting a sustainable program that will support and promote the small-scale tuna handline fishing in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte.

The initiative, dubbed “tuna handline sustainability program,” was launched in October at the Milky Way Restaurant in Makati City. Present at the event were WWF-Philippines and Century Tuna officials, as well as the campaign’s ambassador, actor Derek Ramsay.

Handline fishing is considered a traditional and environmentally-sound method of catching large tuna species such as Yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and Big-eye (Thunnus obesus) tuna. Held by the hands, it uses a single hook with lures or baits attached to a fishing line.

Though currently one of world’s top tuna producers, the Philippines only has small-scale tuna handline fishing communities. This is because the method is difficult and painstaking.

With the proper technique, doses of patience and strength to pull the strong fish (averaging from 40 to 70 kilos), a handline fisherman may be able to catch only two tunas in two hours. These and other factors make handline fishing not so profitable.

Fortunately, tuna handline fishery is growing in the Ilocos region, most especially in Pasuquin. With the help of the WWF’s initiative, Pasuquin fishermen will receive the much-needed assistance that will improve and sustain their tuna handline fishing.

Collaborating with the municipal government of Pasuquin, the province of Ilocos Norte, local fishing groups and the private sector, the program will intially support some 300 fisher families utilizing 200 small bancas for tuna handline fishing.

In an interview with The Sunday Times Magzine, WWF-Philippines Conservation Programs head Joel Palma revealed that through the tuna handline sustainability program, Pasuquin fishermen can increase their income by up to 30 percent.

“Our program will introduce innovative ways that will provide more capacity to the fishers. This as whole will result to added value in their caught tuna,” Palma shared. “We are seeing that fishermen may sell their tuna meat from P120 per kilo to P170 per kilo. That is an increase of P50 or 30 percent.”

He added that the resulting increase should be mainly attributed to the preserved quality of the caught tuna. He explained, “The price of the fish is not only determined by the weight but also by the quality when they sell it to the traders and retailers in the market. If the tuna is not handled well, not chilled right away and exposed to heat, the quality of the tuna meat will deteriorate.”

So to ensure the quality of their tuna, WWF will immediately teach the Pasuquin fishermen proper meat handling practices. Besides this, the sustainability program also aims to improve local fisheries governance, maximize economic benefits by bridging fishers with preferential local and foreign markets, and establish external support sources. The program will run for the next three years.

As a flagship project, Palma also shared that WWF aims to replicate its tuna handline sustainability program to other regions in the Philippines besides Ilocos and encourage other public and private partners for support.

“Down the line, we like to look for other partners that will help us replicate the model of the sustainability program to other places. We are glad that Century Tuna is helping us start something that can be expanded,” Palma said.

Century Tuna, for its part, is introducing a new product called Century Tuna Handline, which offers Pasuquin fishermen’s individually caught Yellowfin Tuna. It is prepared in chunks in olive oil for a more premium taste.

Every Century Tuna Handline product bought will donate P1 to Pasuquin’s tuna handline fishery.