The Where, the How, and the Why of the gleaning fishery: Livelihoods, food security, threats and management on the island of Malalison, Philippines

Intertidal gleaning is a small-scale fishery (SSF) that is relatively little known, but contributes to the food security and income of many people. Yet, this SSF is not commonly considered in management planning, or policy development. This study investigates gleaning and its importance to food security and livelihoods of local people on the island of Malalison, Philippines, as well as the perceived threats to the coastal ecosystems where the gleaning occurs. In the study, 36 gleaners were interviewed and a participatory mapping session with 24 participants was held. The results reveal three distinct forms of gleaning in three different ecosystems around the island. The most common was walking gleaning within the rocky shorelines, followed by swimming or diving for invertebrates in shallow coral reef systems, and the collection of algae in a seagrass and algae meadows. While gleaning on average contributed to 9.57% of the monthly income of interviewees households, it was a primary source of income for 29% of women. For 81% of women and 33% of men gleaning was very important for the household food security. For men intertidal gleaning was considered a supplemental fishery when unable to perform regular SSF activities. The most commonly mentioned threat to coastal ecosystems was the increased impacts of typhoons (69.4% respondents), followed by an increase in gleaners (58.3%). Majority of the respondents stated gleaning should be regulated together with co-occurring SSF. Based on these results we discuss the importance of the gleaning for livelihoods and security, the implications of the existing threats, and the need to formally include gleaning in monitoring and management. We also suggest a need for both biological and social studies to provide science-based management guidelines. Understanding the gleaning practice is a prerequisite to address the obstacles and better plan for the management of this SSF.