This paper is a result of a quantitative evaluation of community based coastal resource management, at six sites, located in Cebu and Negros Oriental, Philippines. The goal was to determine factors influencing the success and sustainability of community-based coastal resource management projects. Several lessons were learned including early and continuous participation of beneficiaries in the project is related to positive evaluation of success; positive cultural attitudes toward collective action and job satisfaction among fishers, suggesting the development of supplementary, not alternative, employment opportunities.