Fishery and ecology-related knowledge about plants among fishing communities along Laguna Lake, Philippines

Background: Ethnobotanical knowledge about plant roles in fisheries is crucial for sustainable resource management. Local ecological knowledge helps understand dynamics of the lake ecosystem. Fishers use plants based on availability and characteristics while adapting to the changes in the environment. Studying fishery related uses of plants and algae and the challenges interconnected with them from local perspectives can provide insights into their beneficial uses and impacts to the ecosystem. Methods: The study investigates the botanical knowledge of three fishing villages in Laguna Lake or Laguna de Bay (LB), Philippines, including Buhangin, Sampiruhan, and Mabato-Azufre, each with varying degrees of industrialization. The ethnobotanical study, which gathered 27 interviews between June 2022 and July 2024, included plant collection with the help of local collaborators, including local fishers as research guides. Results: Fishers in LB highlighted positive and negative plant-fishing interactions. The most frequently mentioned plant applications were fish habitat and fish hiding places. Fish food, spawning sites, conservation, and a number of challenges such as navigational concerns and aquaculture fish deaths had been previously reported in local use reports. The remaining observations provide new insights into plant-fishing interactions, including indicators of food quality and food sources for fish, the decrease in the action of waves, and how plants help in improving the quality of the water. Conclusion: These results highlight that the knowledge of fishers regarding the ecosystem in which they conduct their fishing activities provides baseline information about the positive and negative relationships between plants and fishing activities in the region, which is vital for further understanding its biodiversity and ecosystem interactions. It is crucial to consider fisher knowledge and involve them as equal partners in conservation efforts of LB.