Coastal mayors share ‘Fish Forever’ actions
A savings club was replicated in hundreds of fishing communities to help give fishers financial security.
Daily TribuneA savings club was replicated in hundreds of fishing communities to help give fishers financial security.
MAYORS of Coastal 500 and other participants to the National Inland and Coastal Fisheries Summit pose for a photo.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF RARE PHILIPPINES
Nine foreign members of Coastal 500, a global network of mayors and government leaders who have pledged to protect their home coasts, met with Filipino counterparts during a recent field immersion in Siargao and summit in Metro Manila to exchange best practices.
The mayors from Indonesia, Micronesia, Palau, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Mozambique and the Philippines, plus government leaders visited the municipalities of General Luna, Santa Monica and Del Carmen to learn about the country’s solutions to coastal conservation, fisheries management and climate change.
Coastal 500 is the largest international platform for mayors and leaders of coastal hubs, according to Cynthia Castro, manager of the Coastal 500 program. Launched in 2021 with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Oak and the Swedish Postcode Foundations, it has since grown into a network of 160 mayors and 150 fisheries leaders.
Coastal 500 is the brainchild of international nonprofit Rare, which was founded in 1973 and works in 60 countries. Its flagship program is Fish Forever, envisioned to revitalize marine habitats and the livelihoods of millions of coastal fishers worldwide.
“A great practice we learned about in Siargao were Fish Forever Savings Clubs,” Juma Cateria, a district administrator in the province of Nampula in Mozambique said.
“We definitely want our coastal fishers to adopt this,” he added.
Patterned after the village savings and loan associations model of many countries, Savings Clubs reach small-scale fishing communities that do not have access to formal financial services, the traditional requirements of which are often too imposing for fishers. By pooling together funds, members have a readily accessible money for emergencies, such as the surprise family sickness, small catch during lean seasons or bouts of bad weather.
Rare has since established over 700 Savings Clubs in six countries, creating a financial security net for hundreds of fishing communities. “We are trying to strengthen social capital and protect coastal assets,” Christopher Lomboy of Rare Philippines said.
“If fishers have cash during a family emergency, then they will have fewer reasons to resort to illegal and potentially destructive fishing — protecting them and our coasts at the same time,” Lomboy pointed out.
The Coastal 500 members visited marine protected areas, coastal communities, tourism hubs and exchanged ideas with local leaders at the National Inland and Coastal Fisheries Summit at the Radisson Park Inn in Quezon City from 25 May to 1 June 2024.
Summit delegates were Edreluisa Calonge, Alfredo Corro, Eniego Jabagat, Mary Jean Te, Romina Saljuga and Arwela Dolar from the Philippines, Henaro Polloi from Palau, Hugo Sarceño from Guatemala, Juan Ramon Manaiza and Edgardo Ramirez from Honduras, Elton Júnior dos Reis Paixão and Edgardo Ramirez from Brazil, Jubeta Mamudo Namaneque and Cateria from Mozambique, Bachrun Labuta from Indonesia, plus Lara Williams and Jamie Staugler from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
