Seaweed Fish Baits in Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines

Little attention has been directed toward the local use of seaweeds as fish baits despite their relevance to the success of fishing operations. Fish baits represent little more than a subset of the major local use of seaweeds in the Philippines. In Sorsogon, Bulusan has a history of small- scale fishing with three traditional fishing gears – namely, fish pot, hook and line, and long line. In this study, we provide traditional knowledge on the selection of seaweeds as fish baits among fishers in Bulusan. Currently, the traditional fishing practice in the area retains the use of nine seaweed fish bait taxa – namely, Acanthophora spicifera, Eucheuma denticulatum, Gracilaria gigas, Kappaphycus alvarezii, Sargassum polycystum, Ulva clathrata, Ulva flexuosa, Ulva lactuca, and Ulva reticulata. The last four species (collectively known as the ulvoids) were the most familiar seaweed fish baits. Eleven (11) target fish species were identified, being Naso and Siganus as the most dominant genera. Additional 22 species (17 fishes and five non-fishes) were recognized as incidental catch. We found that critical approaches take part in the continued construction of the contemporary Bulusanon fishing culture, particularly in knowledge about seaweed fish baits. The traditional fishing practice in Bulusan draws our attention to discuss caveats on its possible impact on marine environments, particularly in the light of overfishing and coral-algal phase shifts. Aspects of ethnobiological resources documented in this study may provide a framework for attaining sustainable fishery management, alongside preserving knowledge of the local old hands.