March 30, 2026

 

Fisheries production in Davao Region, Philippines, dropped by 5% last year

 

 

The Philippine Statistics Authority in Davao Region (PSA-11) reported last week that regional fisheries production in 2025 reached 61,290.97 metric tonnes (MT), marking a 5% decrease from the 64,483.43 MT recorded in 2024.

 

In its bulletin, PSA-11 noted that Davao del Sur posted the steepest decline at 40.8%, with output dropping from 22,814.52 MT in 2024 to 13,517.57 MT in 2025.

 

In contrast, Davao del Norte registered the highest increase at 4.9%, rising from 3,318.07 MT to 3,480.33 MT.

 

Gains were also reported in Davao Oriental (up 4.3% to 24,966.18 MT), Davao Occidental (up 2.6% to 11,492.11 MT), and Davao de Oro (up 2.3% to 3,277.88 MT).

 

"Despite production gains in most provinces, the substantial decline in Davao del Sur largely drove the overall regional decrease," PSA-11 said.

 

By provincial share, Davao Oriental contributed the largest portion at 40.7% (24,966.18 MT), followed by Davao del Sur at 22.1% (13,517.57 MT), and Davao Occidental at 18.8% (11,492.11 MT).

 

Davao City accounted for 7.4% (4,556.90 MT), while Davao del Norte and Davao de Oro contributed 5.7% (3,480.33 MT) and 5.3% (3,277.88 MT), respectively.

 

Meanwhile, commercial fisheries production in the region surged to 10,530.17 MT in 2025, a 57.6% increase from 6,679.97 MT in 2024.

 

Davao Oriental dominated with 9,505.96 MT, up 53.8% from 6,181.59 MT. Davao Occidental also posted growth of 4.5% (192.35 MT from 184.11 MT).

 

However, Davao del Sur saw a sharp 65.9% drop (107.25 MT from 314.28 MT), while Davao City recorded 724.61 MT.

 

"Commercial fisheries cover fishing operations in marine waters beyond 15 kilometers from the shoreline by fishing boats with more than three gross tons," PSA-11 explained.

 

In terms of contribution, Davao Oriental accounted for 90.3% of the region's commercial fisheries output, followed by Davao City at 6.9%. Davao Occidental and Davao del Sur contributed 1.8% and 1.0%, respectively.

 

"This distribution reveals a strong concentration of commercial fisheries activity in Davao Oriental and Davao City, which together made up over 97.2% of the total regional output," PSA-11 said.

 

The fisheries sector comprises four subsectors: commercial, marine municipal, inland municipal, and aquaculture.

 

PSA-11 said quarterly surveys generate the volume and value of production by species at the national, regional, and provincial levels, serving as input to agriculture performance and national accounts.

 

- PNA