Prospects for territorial use rights in fisheries in the Lingayen Gulf area

Abstract

In many countries, fisheries resources are legally defined as common property and open-access. However, experi- ences over the decades have shown that open-access exploitation of fisheries resources leads to excess fishing capacity and dissipation of resource rents. To overcome the problem of failing fisheries, resources allocation through territorial use rights in fisheries (TURFs) have been advocated. In Lingayen Gulf, TURFs have been known to exist in the form of exclusive use rights in the construction of fish corrals, oyster culture beds, catching of fish fry and, more recently, in the laying down of artificial reefs. The natural acquisition of TURFs by fishermen's organizations in connection with their artificial reef projects opens the feasibility of a community-managed TURF. The existence of traditional use rights in the use of payao and artificial reefs enhances the feasibility of using or adopting localized/traditional TURFs to meet both economic and social objectives.