![Fishermen unload their dwindling catch at Masinloc port in Zambales, Philippines, as Chinese blockade tactics force them into overcrowded waters and further from their traditional fishing grounds. [Shirin Bhandari]](/gc9/images/2025/04/01/49790-45-370_237.webp)
By Shirin Bhandari |
As dawn sets in the coastal community of Masinloc, Zambales, Filipino fishermen bring in the catch of the day from the nearby Scarborough Shoal.
Wooden bangkas, which are small outrigger boats, line the port as ice boxes with mackerel, squid and tuna are unloaded to make their way to the local market.
However, the delivery is not what it used to be, with fish supplies barely enough to cover the province's demands.
Chinese militia and coast guard vessels in recent years have blocked Filipino fishermen from accessing traditional fishing grounds in Bajo de Masinloc -- also known as Scarborough Shoal.
![Locals buy fish at the Masinloc market in Zambales, Philippines, where supply has dropped by 70%, driving up prices and making fresh seafood increasingly scarce. [Shirin Bhandari]](/gc9/images/2025/04/01/49793-43-370_237.webp)
Named after a British ship that grounded on the atoll in the 18th century, the shoal has become a flashpoint of territorial and maritime claims between China and the Philippines.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea and has brushed off competing claims by the Philippines and other countries, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
The shoal -- known for its rich fisheries, untapped gas deposits and strategic maritime location -- is situated some 220km from the Philippines and falls within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), but it is claimed by China as its ancestral territory.
As part of its claim, China in June 2024 announced a mandate that allows its coast guard to detain any foreign fisher who trespasses into Scarborough Shoal for up to 60 days without trial.
"We are unable to enter the shoal. It is constantly guarded by the Chinese Militia and Coast Guard... we have not been near the shoal in close to a year in fear of being arrested," Leonardo Cuaresma, the president of the New Masinloc Fishermen's Association, told Focus.
"There is a loss of 70% supply of fish in the local market. All the reef fish, like grouper or snapper, are no longer readily available like before. Everything has become so expensive," Cuaresma said.
Growing tensions
Close to 275,520 metric tons of fish are caught in the West Philippine Sea, with 30% of this sourced in Scarborough Shoal, according to the Philippine government. The Philippines uses the term West Philippine Sea to refer to the portion of the South China Sea that falls within its EEZ.
Fishing earnings have dropped from 10,000 PHP ($170) to less than 4,000 PHP ($70) for every six-day fishing expedition, according to Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA), another fishing association, citing dialogues with a dozen boat operators in Subic, a town in Zambales, last July.
Before China took de facto control of the shoal in 2012, a team of 20 fishermen could harvest approximately 6 tons of fish over three days near the shoal. For the past decade, this catch has dwindled to about 1.5 tons per week, indicating a drastic reduction in fish supply.
These days fishermen struggle to make ends meet as they are forced to fish in overcrowded areas along municipal waters or sail further out in the West Philippine Sea.
On the island of San Salvador in Masinloc, the island closest to Scarborough Shoal, over 500 hundred families are reliant on the reef's bounty and now face the hardship of being unable to support their loved ones.
"It is very sad. We are in debt -- some families have chosen alternative livelihoods, like raising poultry and pigs," Cuaresma told Focus.
Tensions between China and the Philippines have continued to grow over the shoal as Manila works to resupply fishermen in the area.
In December, the Philippines said the Chinese coast guard used water cannon and "sideswiped" a government fisheries department vessel.
The Philippine coast guard in February also said a Chinese Navy helicopter came "within 10 feet" (three meters) of a surveillance plane carrying journalists over the Scarborough Shoal.
In response, the Philippines has sought to bolster defense ties with its allies, including the United States and Japan.
Meanwhile, the fishermen in Masinloc remain steadfast.
"We will continue to advocate to make it known to the world that Scarborough Shoal is within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone," Cuaresma said.
"We will defend our sovereignty because fishing is the only life we know."