A crab management plan has been approved by the Philippines’ department of agriculture, department of interior and local government (DA-DILG) to conserve and regulate blue swimming crab.
The approved Joint Administrative Order (JAO) – which is the first state sponsored crab conservation in Asia – implements important sustainability policies to control minimum catch size, responsible fishing gear, closed crabbing seasons and the protection of berried female crabs.
The NFI Crab Council, which funds blue swimming crab sustainability projects, said the plan is a crucial event in the fishery’s sustainability movement.
Gavin Gibbona, secretary, NFI Crab Council, told World Fishing and Aquaculture: "In the last decade evidence of pressure on Blue Swimming Crab stocks in places like the Philippines have become evident."
"Things like smaller harvests and smaller sized crabs were tell-tale signs that more robust sustainability measures should be put in place in order to avoid the type of challenges we have seen with Blue Crab in the states, in places like the Chesapeake Bay," he added.
Currently, blue swimming crabs, which have grown and expanded rapidly in recent years in the Philippines, are suffering from overfishing, while other fishing practices such as the use of Danish Seines, push nets, and compressors are out of control, resulting in catching and landing large volumes of immature individuals and berried female crabs.
