Through an initiative supported by Norway, FAO is helping the Province of Zamboanga del Norte to improve its capacity on climate change adaptation for its coastal communities.

Through an initiative supported by The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), FAO is helping the Province of Zamboanga del Norte to improve its capacity to develop and implement climate change adaptation plans and actions that promote socio-economic development, with specific attention to poverty reduction and food security in the fishery and aquaculture sector.   Following the development of a Small Pelagic Fisheries Management and Coastal & Marine Ecosystems Restoration Plan, consultations conducted by FAO revealed that many of the city/municipal fisheries ordinances are due for updating based on recent orders from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Central Office of the Department of Agriculture - Philippines (DA-BFAR), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Representatives from the coastal city/municipal LGUs expressed that they would like to explore possible province-wide unified provisions for these ordinances, as well as province-level #legislation to boost support for the fisheries sector, especially for the small-scale fisherfolks.

A Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting to review and assess local fisheries ordinances in the Zamboanga del Norte Province was conducted from 17-19 November 2021 at Top Plaza Hotel in Dipolog City. The TWG is composed of representatives from 15 of the 18 coastal cities and municipalities, provincial agriculture and fisheries officers, representatives from DA-BFAR, DENR, and DILG.

At the event, the TWG refreshed and updated the coastal cities and municipalities' fisheries and environmental laws which the LGUs are mandated to locally adopt and implement; undertook a self-review and assessment exercise of their respective local fisheries ordinances vis-à-vis the mandates; and discussed possible province-wide unified provisions of the local fisheries ordinances.

TWG members expressed the intention to form bay-wide alliances among contiguous LGUs to collaborate efforts on Coastal Marine Resource Management and combatting illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. Additionally, BFAR will assist the LGUs to come up with a model unified fisheries ordinance to be adopted by all coastal LGUs. The TWG also resolved to work together to address disputes on municipal water delineation.