May 23, 2024

Philippines fisheries production dips 0.5% in first quarter of 2024

Fisheries production in the Philippines saw a slight decline of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2024. The total volume registered was 987.19 thousand metric tonnes, down from 992.33 thousand metric tonnes in the same period the previous year, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

This decline was attributed primarily to a decrease in marine municipal fisheries. However, commercial, inland municipal fisheries, and aquaculture sectors reported increases in production during this period.

Commercial fisheries production reached 188.92 thousand metric tonnes, marking a 10.7% increase from the previous year's first quarter output of 170.60 thousand metric tonnes. This subsector accounted for 19.1% of the total fisheries production.

Marine municipal fisheries production was estimated at 211.33 thousand metric tonnes in the first quarter of 2024, which was 12.4% lower than the 241.37 thousand metric tonnes recorded in the same quarter of 2023. This subsector contributed 21.4% to the total fisheries production in the first quarter of 2024.

Inland municipal fisheries production increased by 17.6%, recording 40.55 thousand metric tonnes compared to 34.48 thousand metric tonnes in the same quarter of the previous year. This subsector made up 4.1% of the total fisheries production for the first quarter of 2024.

Aquaculture production was reported at 546.40 thousand metric tonnes in the first quarter of 2024, showing a slight increase of 0.1% from 545.88 thousand metric tonnes in the same period of 2023. The aquaculture subsector had the highest share, constituting 55.3% of the total fisheries production during the quarter.

Among the 20 major species, significant output reductions were noted in bali sardinella (-29.9%), milkfish (-7.6%), threadfin bream (-37.2%), blue crab (-29.5%), and seaweed (-0.4%).

Conversely, notable increments were reported in skipjack (28.3%), tilapia (8.8%), frigate tuna (29.6%), fimbriated sardines (45.1%), and yellowfin tuna (13.3%).

-      Philippine Statistics Authority