Fisheries output slips in 2023

MANILA, Philippines — Local fisheries production in 2023 slipped by 1.8 percent to 4.26 million metric tons from 4.34 million MT in 2022 as catch by both commercial and municipal fishers decreased, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

“Decreases in production were noted for commercial, marine municipal fisheries, and inland municipal fisheries subsectors,” the PSA said in its recent fisheries situation report.

“Only the aquaculture subsector reported annual increment in production,” the PSA said.

The PSA noted that commercial fisheries, production declined by almost five percent to 820,300 MT in 2023 from 862,690 MT in 2022. The sub sector accounted for 19.3 percent of the country’s total fisheries output last year, the PSA said.

Meanwhile, total municipal fisheries production, which contributed about a quarter of the overall output, fell by six percent year-on-year to 1.055 million MT from 1.126 million MT in 2022.

“On marine municipal fisheries, the total volume of production was estimated at 881,250 metric tons in 2023,” it said.

“This was 7.3 percent lower than the 2022 level of 950,910 metric tons,” it added while noting that the subsector contributed 20.7 percent of the total fisheries production last year.

Inland municipal fisheries production last year stood at 174.580 MT, almost flat compared to the 175,350 MT recorded volume in 2022.

PSA said domestic aquaculture, which was the lone subsector that grew during the period, expanded its output by 1.5 percent on an annual basis to 2.38 MMT. The PSA added that aquaculture constituted the biggest share of 56 percent to the total fisheries production in 2023.

The PSA reported that output reductions were observed in the following major species: milkfish (bangus, -8.9 percent), skipjack (gulyasan, -18.8 percent), frigate tuna (tulingan, -13.3 percent), fimbriated sardines (tunsoy, -33.5 percent) and threadfin bream (bisugo, -21.2 percent).

Meanwhile, the PSA added that production of the following grew last year: seaweed (5.3 percent), roundscad (galunggong, 11.2 percent), indian mackerel (alumahan, 17.6 percent) and yellowfin tuna (tambakol/bariles, 6.6 percent).

The Department of Agriculture earlier announced its plan to “revive” Laguna de Bay as one of the country’s major sources of fish supply such as goby, mudfish, ayungin, bangus, catfish, tilapia, among others.