Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of the Eel Fishery in Aparri, Cagayan, Philippines

Abstract

The global glass eel population is continuously declining over the years. Apart from the anthropogenic factors, the global production decline suggests that the changing climatic condition may have influenced its downtrend. This study assessed the climate change vulnerability of the eel fishery in Aparri, Cagayan, being one of the major collection areas in the Philippines. Vulnerability assessment (VA) was conducted using the Fisheries Vulnerability Assessment Tool (FishVool) through focus group discussion (FGD) with 25 participants and key informant interview (KII) with 50 respondents whose experiences are up to 10 years. Results showed that the overall climate change vulnerability of the eel fishery in Aparri, Cagayan, Philippines is high due to high exposure (4.76) to extreme weather events but medium in sensitivity (3.35) and adaptive capacity (3.2). The results of this study provided valuable information to government fisheries planners, policymakers, and other fisheries stakeholders in developing policies and management plans that will reduce vulnerability and build climate-resilient eel fishery.