A Survey of Macro-invertebrate Gleaning in the Banate Bay Intertidal Area, Eastern Panay Island

The gleaning fishery on the intertidal areas of Banate Bay, eastern Panay was surveyed monthly fromFebruary 2002 to January 2003, to derive information on species composition, catch, catch rates, andannual value. Total biomass, gleaning and turnover rates were determined from a fishery-independentsurvey conducted in June 2005. Catches of the fishery consisted of a total of 17 species, comprised ofmollusks, crustaceans and a brachiopod. The bivalves Katelysia hiantina, Scapharca inaequivalvis, andGafrarium tumidum were the top three species, together comprising 88.79 % of the total catch. The totalmean daily catch per gleaner for all species was equivalent to 73.75 g/m-2/gleaner-1. Catch rate and catchvolume for the mollusks were highest between May-July and November-December, coinciding with thesouthwest and northeast monsoons, respectively. The large riverine inputs to the area, together with themangrove-derived organic matter, periodically resuspended by the tidal fluctuations, are seen asresponsible for increasing organic matter content of the substrates and abundance of the species. Totalannual catch of the fishery is estimated to range from 20,988.7 to 43, 527.62 kg, with a median value of31,205.6 kg. This latter value divided by the estimated total biomass in the area of 2,441. 03 kg gives aturnover rate of 12.8. The total annual catch for the entire fishery is equivalent to a total value of PhP421T to 897T/yr-1. The latter correspond to an annual income of PhP 14,043.90 to 29,904.67/gleaner-1/yr-1, small amounts which may be sustainable due to the high turnover rate of the system.