Thesis (BS Agribusiness Economics) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2023

Davao Gulf implements an annual seasonal fishing closure to increase its stocks of pelagic fish species. Despite the perceived benefits, seasonal fishing closures have a hypothesized impact on municipal fisherfolks’ food security statuses given their restrictions on the use of certain fishing gear, the weight of fishing vessels, and the catch of juvenile pelagic fish species. To test this hypothesis, a panel ordered logit and probit model was performed using individual panel observations of coastal fishing households in San Isidro, Davao Oriental, before and after recent seasonal fishing closure. Using the stratified random sampling method, 100 paired observations were gathered during the months of August and November. The study designated the households’ sociodemographic, economic, and fishing profiles as predictors of food insecurity status (HFIAP). Furthermore, the study employed the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and dependent samples t-test to measure the disparity in food insecurity status and fishing behavior between the two seasons as well as test its statistical significance. A significant difference was observed between the food insecurity statuses of the households between the two seasons in favor of the open fishing season. Higher income and catch levels were observed in the open fishing season. Evidence suggests that the presence of children in the household, households’ ownership of the fishing vessel, the hours spent on every fishing trip, and the seasonal fishing closure policy are associated with food insecurity statuses. Conversely, households with higher incomes are more likely to be food secure. Hence, the study suggests several policies and interventions, namely, childcare and family initiatives, monitoring of fishing effort and promotion of credit cooperatives.