Blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) catch and fishing effort: Perspective of crabbers in the northern Catanduanes, Philippines

Crab fishermen in Northern Catanduanes primarily rely on crab fishing for income. This study focused on the perspectives of crab fishermen in Northern Catanduanes regarding the catch and effort of blue swimming crab from February to May 2023. Results showed that crab fishers with an age range of 19–75 years old and an average of 12.5 years of crabbing used three fishing gears: a bottom-set gill net (BSGN), a crab pot (CP), and a crab lift net (CLN). The catch composition of BSGN in Northern Catanduanes showed that 56.89% were blue swimming crabs, with 43.11% being by-catch species including parrot fish, mullet, lobster, siganids, and others. In contrast, the catch composition of Crab Pots (CP) was 61.67% blue swimming crabs and 38.33% by-catch, including shrimp, lobster, prawns, and other fish. However, the catch composition in CLN showed a lower proportion of target catch (37.50%) compared to by-catch. The peak fishing season for most municipalities occurred between May and July, which coincides with Habagat, while the lean season varied from October to February. The catch per unit effort (CPUE) of the BSGN ranged from 0.20-0.46 kg/segment/hour, which was higher in contrast to the CPUE of CP (0.01-0.11 kg/cp/hour) and CLN (0.04-0.20 kg/liftnet/hour). An estimated annual production of BSC in Northern Catanduanes was recorded at 697.21 metric tons during the peak season and 119.47 metric tons during the lean season. Therefore, the BSC fisheries are threatened, and preventative steps are needed, including reducing fishing pressure, practicing single-ply nets with larger mesh sizes, finding alternate sources of income, and raising awareness through campaigns like IEC materials. published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES)