BANGUED, ABRA | In a concerted effort to restore and protect the Abra River, the Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources – Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-BFAR-CAR) spearheaded a Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting on the Abra River Sub–Fisheries Management Areas (Sub-FMA) on March 12, 2026, bringing together local government units in Abra and partner national government agencies to intensify collaborative efforts in the conservation and protection of the river’s aquatic resources.
The waters of the Abra River, which traverse several municipalities in the province, were the focus of a recent meeting attended by 19 local government units through its Municipal Agriculturists from Bangued, Boliney, La Paz, Manabo, Sallapadan, San Juan, San Quintin, Tineg, and Villaviciosa highlighting their direct stake in conservation and management of the river. Representatives from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) were also present to collaborate with the bureau and LGUs.
Highlights of the activity include updates on Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 6 and the FishCoRe implementation in Abra Province, the only covered province in CAR. The updates were presented by Carmelita Bolla, Assistant FCU Head and Dr. Lilibeth Signey, Assistant Technical Coordinator of FCU-CAR.
Meanwhile, among the identified priority freshwater species under the FishCoRe project are gobies. To appreciate its economic and ecological importance, Dr. Nico Jose S. Leander of BFAR-Region III discussed the life cycle and migration of gobies while Mary P. Tauli, FISHCRRM Focal Person, presented the summary of the Harvest Control Rules and Harvest Control Measures for goby, particularly for the Abra River.
Data presented during the meeting showed that gobies account for 20.22 percent of the total catch in the Abra River from 2015 to 2024 based on NSAP catch data. The fish also commands a high market value, reaching up to Php 1,200 per kilogram for large sizes as of May 2025, while mixed sizes range from Php 500 to Php 800 per kilogram. However, it was noted that these gobies are mostly marketed in the Ilocos Region rather than within Abra.
The volume of goby, locally known as bunog, has been fluctuating due to illegal fishing activities. Data showed that illegal fishing remains prevalent in Abra, with 55.85 percent of fishers reportedly using electrofishing. Meanwhile, 21.55 percent use gill nets and 10.25 percent use asar. The asar fishing method is commonly used from May to November, while electrofishing and gill nets are used throughout the year.
A fisherfolk representative recommended stricter patrol operations, particularly during night time or dawn, to apprehend individuals using illegal fishing gears. He also shared that although some illegal fishing activities have been apprehended in their municipality, the cases were only issued warnings subject to confiscation once caught.
Another representative from a municipality shared that while some fisherfolk expressed willingness to surrender their illegal fishing gears, none have actually surrendered them to date. The representative suggested conducting follow-up efforts with the concerned fisherfolk.
The meeting recommended to focus on the third option proposed by the Management Board, which calls for a 56 percent reduction in fishing effort or the elimination of electrofishing in the upper river, promote research and development studies to support management measures to determine goby reproduction, breeding, migration, and develop ipon-related policies. The collaboration and support of different government agencies and stakeholders were also emphasized, recognizing their vital role in ensuring the sustainability of fisheries in the province of Abra.
The continuous initiatives of the bureau in implementing the FishCoRe project for this year include capacity-building activities for Bantay Ilog; turnover of one FRP boat to the municipality of San Quintin; deployment of one FRP boat stationed at the Provincial Fisheries Office (PFO) Abra, stakeholder engagement between Regions I and CAR under the Save the Abra River Project; and River clean-up activities, including tree-planting initiatives under the Save the Abra River Project among others.
BFAR-CAR also encouraged the participants to motivate other municipalities to attend similar meetings in the future to ensure a more inclusive and participatory approach in fisheries management.
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