Along the coast of Tiwi in Albay, a group of fishermen’s wives mends fishnets as they wait for their husbands to return. It is June, the season for yellowfin tuna. The first of the bancas arrive, unloading a decent haul of pundahan or skipjack – small, striped tuna that have proven surprisingly resilient to commercial fishing. Others, however, return empty-handed while another disgorges a tub of galunggong or scad. Just one bankulis or yellowfin tuna has been landed, tipping the scales at 39 kilograms.

Bicolano fishers act to conserve tuna. (2015, July 16). Manila Standard, p. C3.