LA UNION, PHILIPPINES — Lourdes Doctolero has been at her stool since 7 in the morning, unwinding nylon threads from wooden boxes. She is making “kitang,” a fishing bait used by independent fishers. Beyond barely making ends meet, Doctolero and her community face a greater threat: the loss of their fishing area to commercial fishing companies. Organizations representing the small-scale fishing community have filed appeals to intervene, which raises questions over whether the Supreme Court decision is final. Commercial fishing companies largely export their catch, which amounts to 23% of total production by value, according to the 2023 Philippine fisheries profile by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.