In the same book as (DENR, et.al., 2001, p. 2-4). The state of fisheries in the Philippines was studied. In the Philippines, as in the rest of the world, fisheries systems are collapsing or generally overfished. Global fish production has reached a plateau of 90 million tonnes/year. The Philippines' total fish production stabilized at about 2.7 million t/year in the 1990s. The performance of the fishing sector over five decades, i.e. from the 1950s to the present, shows the growth and decline of municipal fishing. The continued decline in fish catches represents a serious threat to food security and results in increased poverty and conflicts between commercial and municipal fishermen (DENR, et.al., 2001, pg.