FISH DIVERSITY, COMPOSITION, CONSERVATION STATUS, AND MARKET DYNAMICS IN CEBU CITY PUBLIC MARKETS DURING THE HOT-DRY SEASON

This study provides a comprehensive inventory of the status of Philippine fishes in the markets of Cebu City, Philippines, during the hot-dry season, focusing on species composition, habitat association, conservation status, price, and volume.Surveys were conducted in public markets in March and April 2018, including Banawa, Ramos, Lahug, Carbon, and Punta Princesa.One hundred nine species belonging to 35 families were recorded across the three survey periods.Seventy-nine percent were reef-associated, 10% were pelagic-neritic, 4% were pelagic-oceanic, 4% were demersal, and 3% were benthopelagic.There was a significant difference in fish prices across habitat associations (One-Way ANOVA: F (4, 211) = 10.7,p < 0.0001).Reef-associated fishes were the most expensive at 3.95 1.5 USD kg -1 (mean sd).Labridae, Serranidae, and Lutjanidae were consistently the highest-valued fish families.Moreover, families Scombridae, Carangidae, and Chanidae collectively accounted for 67.7% of the total weight of fish sold in the five markets over the three survey periods.Species such as the endangered Cheilinus undulatus, the vulnerable Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, and the near-threatened Sardinella lemuru, Choerodon schoenleinii, Scarus hypselopterus, and Scomberomorus commerson, were observed in the markets, highlighting potential threats to their populations.