Cephalopod Market In Selected Fishing Areas In Bicol Region

Abstract

The cephalopod diversity, fishery, and market value remain underexplored in the Bicol Region despite its increasing significance in local livelihood. This study conducted a market survey from June to July 2025 on selected landing sites of Asid Gulf, Lagonoy Gulf, and Ragay Gulf. A standardized survey protocol adopted from del Norte-Campos (2019) with criteria for ranking cephalopod species [commercial value (40%), catch rates (20%), sources of threats (20%), frequency in the markets and source sites (10%), and literature available (10%)] was used. Results revealed a total of ten (10) cephalopod species documented belonging to Order Teuthida, Octopoda, and Sepiida with day octopus (Octopus cyanea), broadclub cuttlefish (Sepia latimanus), bigfin reef squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana), and swordtip squid (Uroteuthis edulis) present across all three gulfs. Based on Jaccard Similarity Index (presence or absence of cephalopods), Lagonoy Gulf and Ragay Gulf exhibited highest similarity (67%), while Asid Gulf and Ragay Gulf showed the least similarity (44%) relative to cephalopod composition. Species ranking varied across all gulfs, attributed to variation in fishing gears, catch rates, and market demand. Survey data revealed declining trend in catch volume with an increasing market value demand over the past five years, indicating heightened market value amid reduced stock availability. The findings underscore the growing economic importance of cephalopods in the Bicol Region while raising concerns about potential overexploitation driven by increasing market demand. These trends highlight the need for strengthened fisheries monitoring, sustainable harvest, and management strategies for long-term viability of cephalopod resources and the livelihoods dependent on them.

Keywords

• market survey
• diversity
• ranked inventory
• temporal trend
• market chain

References

1. Ann, A., Benita, M., & Ragaza, J. A. (2024). Post-harvest processing practices of small-scale fisherfolk from Rosario, Cavite, Philippines: Physicochemical and microbiological properties of tuyo. BIO Web of Conferences, 136, 02002–02002. https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/202413602002 google scholar
2. Arkhipkin, A. I., Hendrickson, L. C., Payá, I., Pierce, G. J., Roa-Ureta, R. H., Robin, J.-P., & Winter, A. (2020). Stock assessment and management of cephalopods: advances and challenges for short-lived fishery resources. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 78(2), 714–730. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaa038 google scholar
3. Borges, F. O., Sampaio, E., Santos, C., & Rosa, R. (2023). Climate-change impacts on Cephalopods: a meta-analysis. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 63(6). https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icad102 google scholar
4. Boyle, P., and Rodhouse, P. (2005). Cephalopods. Ecology and Fisheries. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. google scholar
5. Candelaria, A. P., Macale, A. M. B., Bobiles, R. U., Belardo, S. B., & Dioneda Sr., R. R. (2024). Assessment of Overexploitation in Albay, Ragay, and Asid Gulfs: A Call for Sustainable Fisheries Management. BU R&D Journal, 27(1): 30-37. https://doi:10.47789/burdj.mbtcbbgs.20242701.4 google scholar
6. Cerbule, K., Savina, E., Herrmann, B., Larsen, R. B., Feekings, J. P., Ahm Krag, L., & Pellegrinelli, A. (2022). Quantification of catch composition in fisheries: A methodology and its application to compare biodegradable and nylon gillnets. Journal for Nature Conservation, 70, 126298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126298 google scholar
7. del Norte-Campos, A., Burgos, L., & Villarta, K. (2019). A Ranked Inventory of Commercially-important Mollusks of Panay, West Central Philippines as a Guide to Prioritize Research. The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, 26(2), 119–136. https://doi.org/10.31398/tpjf/26.2.2019-0004 google scholar
8. del Norte-Campos, A. G. C., & Campos, W. L. (2021). Cephalopod fishery of the northern Sulu Sea, Philippines. Philippine Journal of Natural Sciences, 26(1), 21–35. https://pjns.upv.edu.ph/cephalopod-fishery-of-the-northern-sulu-sea-philippines/ google scholar

9. del Norte-Campos AGC, Beldia RA, Villarta KA, Tad-y MA (2000). A market survey of commercially-important invertebrates around Panay Island and use of the data to prioritize research. UPV Journal of Natural Sciences 5(1): 9-11 google scholar
10. FAO. (1998a). The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 1. Seaweeds, corals, bivalves and gastropods. p. 1-686 google scholar
11. FAO. (1998b). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific: Cephalopods, crustaceans, holothurians and sharks. Fao. p. 687-1396 google scholar
12. FAO. (2024). World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2024. Food & Agriculture Org. google scholar
13. FAO. (2026). Species Analysis Cephalopods | Globefish | FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation. Globefish. https://www.fao.org/in-action/globefish/species-analysis/cephalopods/ google scholar
14. Guiriba, M.A.B., Asejo, R.B., Bron, M.T.B., Espinosa, G., and Marana, H.L. (2019). Status of Seagrass and Seaweeds Communities in Ragay Gulf (Bicol Side), Philippines. Bicol University, Center for Policy Studies and Development, Legazpi City, pp 63-76 google scholar
15. Holditch-Davis, D., & Levy, J. (2010). Potential Pitfalls in Collecting and Analyzing Longitudinal Data From Chronically Ill Populations. Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews, 10(1), 10–18. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.nainr.2009.12.003 google scholar
16. Humphries, A. T., Gorospe, K. D., Carvalho, P. G., Yulianto, I., Kartawijaya, T., & Campbell, S. J. (2019). Catch Composition and Selectivity of Fishing Gears in a Multi-Species Indonesian Coral Reef Fishery. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00378 google scholar
17. Jereb, P., & Roper, C. F. E. (2006). Cephalopods of the Indian Ocean. A review. Part I. Inshore squids (Loliginidae) collected during the International Indian Ocean Expedition. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 119(1), 91–136. https://doi.org/10.2988/0006-324x(2006)119[91:cotioa]2.0.co;2 google scholar
18. Legaspi, J. M., del Norte-Campo, A., & Campos, W. L. (2024). Age and Growth of the Indian Squid,. PubMed, 62, e12–e12. https://doi.org/10.6620/zs.2024.63-12 google scholar
19. Mendoza, A. B., & Soliman, V. S. (2013). Community Structure of Macroalgae of Lagonoy Gulf, Bicol Region, Philippines. Kuroshio Science, 7(1), 49–57. google scholar
20. Mendoza, A. B., & Soliman, V. S. (2017). Coastal habitats of Asid Gulf, Masbate, Philippines: assessment and role of marine protected areas for management development. Aquaculture, Aquarium, Conservation & Legislation, 10(5), 1351–1359. google scholar
21. Ospina-Alvarez, A., de Juan, S., Pita, P., Ainsworth, G. B., Matos, F. L., Pita, C., & Villasante, S. (2022). A network analysis of global cephalopod trade. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 322. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03777-9 google scholar
22. Parsons, S., & McCormick, E. M. (2024). Limitations of two time point data for understanding individual differences in longitudinal modeling — What can difference reveal about change? Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 66, 101353–101353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101353 google scholar
23. Philippine Statistics Authority. (2025). Marine Municipal Fisheries: Volume of Production by Geolocation, Species, Year and Quarter. Psa.gov.ph. https://openstat.psa.gov.ph/ google scholar
24. Piatkowski, U., Pierce, G. J., & Morais da Cunha, M. (2001). Impact of cephalopods in the food chain and their interaction with the environment and fisheries: an overview. Fisheries Research, 52(1-2), 5–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0165-7836(01)00226-0 google scholar
25. Raju, M. R., Krishna, B., & Raju, M. (2025). Stock Assessment, Market Trends, and Export Potential of Cephalopod Fisheries (Loligo duvaucelii and Sepia pharaonis) in Visakhapatnam, India. Uttar Pradesh Journal Of Zoology, 46(13), 164–172. https://doi.org/10.56557/upjoz/2025/v46i135096 google scholar
26. Rice, E., Bennett, A., Smith, M., Liverpool-Tasie, L. S., Katengeza, S., Infante, D., & Tschirley, D. (2024). Price volatility in fish food systems: spatial arbitrage as an adaptive strategy for small-scale fish traders. Ecology and Society, 29(2). https://doi.org/10.5751/es-15076-290213 google scholar
27. Rodhouse, P. G. K., Pierce, G. J., Nichols, O. C., Sauer, W. H. H., Arkhipkin, A. I., Laptikhovsky, V. V., Lipiński, M. R., Ramos, J. E., Gras, M., Kidokoro, H., Sadayasu, K., Pereira, J., Lefkaditou, E., Pita, C., Gasalla, M., Haimovici, M., Sakai, M., & Downey, N. (2014). Environmental effects on cephalopod population dynamics: implications for management of fisheries. Advances in Marine Biology, 67, 99–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-800287-2.00002-0 google scholar
28. Rodriguez, M., Calvo-Dopico, D., & Mourelle, E. (2021). Impact of stock health on fish prices: Evaluation and implications for food accessibility. PLOS ONE, 16(12), e0261580. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261580 google scholar
29. Rodriguez, U. E., Garcia, Y. T., & Navarez, S. M. (2005). The effects of export prices on the demand and supply for fish in the philippines. Aquaculture Economics & Management, 9(1-2), 169–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/13657300590961564 google scholar
30. Romoth, K., Darr, A., Papenmeier, S., Zettler, M. L., & Gogina, M. (2023). Substrate Heterogeneity as a Trigger for Species Diversity in Marine Benthic Assemblages. Biology, 12(6), 825. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12060825 google scholar
31. Rosa, R., Pissarra, V., Borges, F., Azenha, M., Gleadall, I. G., Golikov, A. V., Bello, G., Morais, L., Lishchenko, F., Roura, Á., Judkins, H., Ibáñez, C. M., Piatkowski, U., Vecchione, M., & Villanueva, R. (2019). Global Patterns of Species Richness in Coastal Cephalopods. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00469 google scholar
32. Rosales, R. M., Pomeroy, R., Calabio, I. J., Batong, M., Cedo, K., Escara, N., Facunla, V., Gulayan, A., Narvadez, M., Sarahadil, M., & Sobrevega, M. A. (2017). Value chain analysis and small-scale fisheries management. Marine Policy, 83, 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.05.023 google scholar
33. Sękiewicz, K., Salvà-Catarineu, M., Walas, Ł., Romo, A., Gholizadeh, H., Naqinezhad, A., Farzaliyev, V., Mazur, M., & Boratyński, A. (2024). Consequence of habitat specificity: a rising risk of habitat loss for endemic and sub-endemic woody species under climate change in the Hyrcanian ecoregion. Regional Environmental Change, 24(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-024-02222-7 google scholar
34. Selamoglu, M. (2021). Importance of the cold chain logistics in the marketing process of aquatic products: An update study. Survey in Fisheries Sciences, 8(1), 25–29. https://doi.org/10.18331/SFS2021.8.1.2 google scholar
35. Selgrath, J. C., Gergel, S. E., & Vincent, A. C. J. (2018). Shifting gears: Diversification, intensification, and effort increases in small-scale fisheries (1950-2010). PLOS ONE, 13(3), e0190232. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190232 google scholar
36. Stiepani, J., Sandig, S. D. E., & Sandig, A. (2025). Food security analysis of the cephalopod fishery on the island of Malalison, Philippines. Anthropocene Coasts, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44218-025-00081-1 google scholar
37. Tikadar, K. K., Kunda, M., & Mazumder, S. K. (2021). Diversity of fishery resources and catch efficiency of fishing gears in Gorai River, Bangladesh. Heliyon, 7(12), e08478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08478 google scholar
38. Vickers, A. J. (2003). How many repeated measures in repeated measures designs? Statistical issues for comparative trials. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-3-22 google scholar