There are several species of the family Nemipteridae in the Philippines waters but Ornate threadfin bream (Nemipterus hexodon) is one of the most common occurring in FMA 5 (Barut et al. 2017). The stock structure for Ornate threadfin bream in the Philippines is unknown. This profile covers the Ornate threadfin bream fishery in the Philippines Fishery Management Area 5 (FMA 5), covering the waters t surrounding the province of  Palawan including the Calamianes Island Group (CIG), from Mindoro Strait, Cuyo Pass, West Sulu Sea, and western Palawan waters.  FMAs were established in January 2019 (Fisheries Administrative Order 263) to focus on the ecosystem approach to fisheries management. This profile may undergo restructuring in the future as new information comes to light.

In the Philippines, the fisheries targeting nemipterids species are identified as multi-species and multi-gear fisheries. About 43 species of the Family Nemipteridae are native to the Philippines (see FishBase) and about 18 species are under the genus Nemipterus.  Nemipterids are collectively referred to as threadfin bream or “bisugo” in the trade  (see Philippine Statistics Authority or PSA; OpenSTAT).  The official catch records are reported as an aggregate value under that common name and not separated by species. In the official national fisheries statistics,  nemipterids are collectively grouped under “demersals”  (e.g., NSAP Atlas, (Santos et al. 2017)).