Multifaceted Contributory Causes, Policy Implementation and Community Initiatives on Illegal Fishing in Romblon Province, Philippines: Basis for an Intervention Program

Abstract

Environmental crimes are one of the fastest growing crimes which affect the entire planet. This are vastly expanding and increasingly endangering not only wildlife populations but the entire ecosystems, sustainable livelihoods, and revenue streams to governments. Descriptive design was used to assess the thoughts and perceptions of the research participants, which enabled the development of an understanding to the Multifaceted Contributory Causes, Enforcement Policies and Community Initiatives on Illegal Fishing in Romblon Philippines. This study examined the social, economic, and political causes of illegal fishing and evaluated policy enforcement and community initiatives. Findings revealed that social factors particularly limited knowledge of fisheries regulations, lack of livelihood alternatives, weak community law enforcement linkages, and social acceptance of illicit practices were the most influential drivers. On the other hand, in policy enforcement, detection and deterrence were rated highly effective, while response received the lowest rating, indicating challenges in operational readiness and timely action. Meanwhile, community initiatives were strongest in monitoring and governance but weaker in engagement, which emphasize that community does not engagement much with the law enforcement in dealing with illegal fishing. Significant differences were found between fishermen and law enforcement personnel in their perceptions of the causes of illegal fishing and aspects of enforcement, particularly detection. Correlation analysis showed significant relationships between the identified causes and enforcement components. Based on these results, an intervention program was developed to strengthen enforcement and community participation. Significant relationship between the components of enforcement and the identified causes were shown by correlation analysis. An intervention program was created to improve community involvement and enforcement in light of these findings.