Payao (fishing)

A traditional payao is a bamboo raft anchored to the seafloor with rocks. They are usually placed in very deep water, but coastal and shallow-water versions also exist. The rafts are around {{convert|4|m|ft|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|1.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide, and tapering at one end. Beneath the raft are palm fronds (usually coconut or nipa palm) suspended with weights, usually to a depth of {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}}. They are harvested using handline fishing, surface trolling, or small-scale purse seining. They are used to catch pelagic fish (like tuna, mackerel scad, and kawakawa). Large tuna can be caught in this manner at depths of under 300 meters, far shallower than by contemporary methods like purse seining. Wesley A. Armstrong and Charles W. Oliver, "Recent Use of Fish Aggregating Devices in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Tuna Purse-Seine Fishery: 1990-1994," Southwest Fisheries Science Center. [http://swfsc.noaa.gov/uploadedFiles/Divisions/FRD/Fishery_Monitoring/Tuna/LJ-96-02-Text.pdf PDF]. Last accessed 20 December 2006

Payao have several different variants, ranging from simple to complex constructions. The bonbon utilizes a horizontal cylindrical bundle of bamboo as the float with palm fronds trailing beneath. The arong utilizes a vertically-oriented bundle of bamboo with branches imitating roots below-water, and leaves arranged above the surface, mimicking a palm tree. The rafts can also be single-layered (where the palm fronds are only present on the underside), or double-layered (where standing poles with palm fronds are placed on the surface).{{cite book |last1=Itano |first1=David |last2=Fukofuka |first2=Siosifa |last3=Brogan |first3=Deirdre |title=The Development, Design and Recent Status of Anchored and Drifting FADs in the WCPO. SCTB17 Working Paper INF–FTWG–3 |date=August 2004 |publisher=17th Meeting of the Standing Committee on Tuna and Billfish |location=Majuro, Marshall Islands |url=https://spccfpstore1.blob.core.windows.net/digitallibrary-docs/files/6a/6a7c536e36b5325ddfcfa84a8dbd7e73.pdf}}

Before World War II anchored and drifting payaos were deployed in all Philippines regional waters barring the east, where strong currents prohibited it. Payaos are frequently anchored in the coastal waters, passively fishing for migrating fish.

The chronic overfishing of regional Philippine waters, combined with the low impact of shallow-water payao fishing, has led to the establishment of the Tuna Productivity Project in Davao Gulf. This will encourage traditional and environmentally sound fishing, and aims to decrease the catch of juvenile fish.Malcolm I. Sarmiento, Jr and Cesar M. Drilon, Jr, "[http://www.bfar.da.gov.ph/legislation/fao/fao224.htm Establishment of Tuna Productivity Project in Davao Gulf]," Republic of the Philippines (Department of Agriculture). Last accessed 20 December 2006

Modern payao have cylindrical, bullet-shaped, or rectangular steel floats that can better withstand rough seas, with cement anchors sunk to depths of up to {{convert|5000|m|ft|abbr=on}} deep. They have been adapted to meet the demand for commercially sized catches. They are now commonly used in conjunction with purse seiners, pump boats, and gillnet fishing. The success of these methods has greatly increased the pressure on fish stocks.Haruko Yamashita, "Problems of Export-Oriented Yellowfin Tuna Industry

-Indonesia and the Philippines," Meikai University. [http://oregonstate.edu/dept/iifet/2000/papers/yamashita.pdf PDF] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060915122310/http://oregonstate.edu/dept/IIFET/2000/papers/yamashita.pdf |date=2006-09-15 }}. Last accessed 20 December 2006 The use of lighted payaos to attract fish has also had a large impact on catch size and profitability,T. Yonemori, H. Yanagawa and Lui Yean Pong," "[http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/W3628E/w3628e12.htm Interactions of longtail tuna fisheries in the western South China Sea]," Southeast Asian Fishery Development Center. Last accessed 20 December 2006 and by the 1980s over 2,000 commercial payaos were being used in the Moro Gulf alone.A.D. Lewis, "Review of tuna fisheries and the tuna fishery

statistical system in the Philippines," Commission for the Conservation and Management

of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific. [http://www.wcpfc.int/ipdcp/pdf/IPDCP.2004.11.Philippines_Review.pdf PDF] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006110200/http://www.wcpfc.int/ipdcp/pdf/IPDCP.2004.11.Philippines_Review.pdf |date=2007-10-06 }}. Last accessed 20 December 2006 By this time most other South Pacific nations had payao programs and were seeking to improve their designs for increased durability for use in open ocean environments.Raymond M. Buckley, David G. Itano and Troy W. Buckley, "Fish Aggregation Device (FAD) Enhancement of Offshore Fisheries in American Samoa," Workshop on Pacific Inshore Fishery Resources. [http://www.spc.int/coastfish/Reports/Wkshop_1988_papers/BP_text_searchable/BP69_Inshore_wkshop_1988.pdf PDF]. Last accessed 20 December 2006 In particular, the drifting payaos using seines, as well as the lighted anchored payaos, catch juvenile tuna and byproduct fish, thereby affecting the lifecycle of the tuna beyond the simple loss of numbers from the catch.

No international policy has been set on the placement of payaos, and many are currently deployed in sea lanes, presenting a navigational hazard. The replacement of bamboo with steel cages has also increased potential danger from collision and entanglement.Ricardo G. Sigua and Glenn D. Aguilar, "Maritime Incident Analysis Using GIS," Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies vol. 5, October 2003. [http://www.easts.info/2003journal/papers/0778.pdf PDF]. Last accessed 20 December 2006

• Basnig
• Fish corral
• Lampuki netting
• Artificial reef
• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
• Aquaculture

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Category:Fishing techniques and methods