An Overview of Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Philippines

Abstract

The Philippines is one of the significant contributors to world fisheries. In 2018, the total production from three sectors, e.g., aquaculture, municipal, and commercial fisheries, was about 4.36 million MT. With this, the Philippines ranked 13th as the top fish-producing country and placed 4th as the major seaweed producer worldwide. The total export earnings of the country from the fisheries sector was US$1.6 billion. The Philippine fisheries sector is an essential contributor to the national economy, providing income from foreign exchange and livelihood sources to almost 2 million Filipino fisherfolks. This review aimed to provide an overview of fisheries and aquaculture in the Philippines.

Full text

Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences
(Anadolu Çevre ve Hayvancılık Bilimleri Dergisi)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35229/jaes.944292
JAES
Year: 6, No: 4, 2021 (475-486)
AÇEH
Yıl: 6, Sayı: 4, 2021 (475-486)
DERLEME MAKALESİ REVIEW PAPER
475
An Overview of Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Philippines
Albaris B. TAHILUDDIN1,2, Ertugrul TERZI3*
1 College of Fisheries, Mindanao State University-Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and oceanography, Sanga-Sanga, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines
2 Department of Aquaculture, Institute of Science, Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Turkey
3* Faculty of Fisheries, Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Turkey
Geliş Tarihi: 28.05.2021 Kabul Tarihi: 05.09.2021 Basım Tarihi: 31.12.2021
How to cite: Tahiluddin, A. B. & Terzi, E. (2021). An Overview of Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Philippines. J. Anatolian Env. and Anim. Sciences, 6(4),
475-486.
Atıf yapmak için: Tahiluddin, A. B. & Terzi, E. (2021). Filipinler'deki Balıkçılık ve Su Ürünleri Yetiştiriciliğine Genel Bir Bakış. Anadolu Çev. ve Hay.
Dergisi, 6(4), 475-486.
Abstract: The Philippines is one of the significant contributors to world fisheries. In 2018, the
total production from three sectors, e.g., aquaculture, municipal, and commercial fisheries, was
about 4.36 million MT. With this, the Philippines ranked 13th as the top fish-producing country
and placed 4th as the major seaweed producer worldwide. The total export earnings of the country
from the fisheries sector was US$1.6 billion. The Philippine fisheries sector is an essential
contributor to the national economy, providing income from foreign exchange and livelihood
sources to almost 2 million Filipino fisherfolks. This review aimed to provide an overview of
fisheries and aquaculture in the Philippines. Challenges faced in Philippine fisheries and
aquaculture sectors were identified. Response to the challenges and some recommendations were
also discussed.
Keywords: Aquaculture, commercial fisheries, fisheries sector, municipal fisheries, Philippines.
Filipinler'deki Balıkçılık ve Su Ürünleri Yetiştiriciliğine Genel Bir Bakış
Öz: Filipinler dünya su ürünleri sektörüne önemli katkı sağlayan ülkelerden birisidir. 2018
yılında, su ürünleri yetiştiriciliği, yerel ve ticari balıkçılık gibi üç sektörden toplam üretim
yaklaşık 4,36 milyon ton olmuştur. Bununla birlikte Filipinler, en çok su ürünleri üreten ülkeler
arasında 13. sırada ve dünya çapında deniz yosunu üreten ülkeler arasında 4. sırada yer almıştır.
Ülkenin su ürünleri sektöründen elde ettiği toplam ihracat kazancı 1,6 milyar Amerika doları
olmuştur. Filipinler su ürünleri sektörü ulusal ekonomiye önemli katkı ve geçimini su ürünleri ile
sağlayan yaklaşık 2 milyon Filipinli balıkçıya gelir sağlayan bir sektördür. Bu derleme,
Filipinler'deki balıkçılık ve su ürünleri yetiştiriciliğine genel bir bakış sunmayı amaçlamaktadır.
Filipin balıkçılık ve su ürünleri sektörlerinde karşılaşılan zorluklar belirlendi. Ayrıca, karşılaşılan
zorluklara cevaplar ve bazı çözüm önerileri de tartışıldı.
Anahtar kelimeler: Su ürünleri yetiştiriciliği, ticari balıkçılık, su ürünleri sektörü, yerel
balıkçılık, Filipinler.
INTRODUCTION
The Philippines, situated in Southeast Asia, is an
archipelagic country consisting of 7 641 islands divided
into three Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao Island groups,
where Luzon and Mindanao are the two biggest islands.
The Philippines is bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the
east, the West Philippine Sea (formerly called the South
China Sea) in the west, Taiwan in the North, and Malaysia,
Brunei, and Indonesia in the South. It has a total territorial
water area of 2 200 000 km2, including an exclusive
economic zone (EEZ), with a coastline length of 36 289 km
*Sorumlu yazar:
Ertuğrul TERZİ
Kastamonu Üniversitesi, Su Ürünleri
Fakültesi, Kastamonu, Türkiye
: ertugrulterzi@gmail.com
*Corresponding author:
Ertuğrul TERZİ
Kastamonu University, Faculty of Fisheries,
Kastamonu, Turkey
: ertugrulterzi@gmail.com
: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3237-3552
* : https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2811-6497

Tahiluddin & Terzi, (2021) J. Anatolian Env. and Anim. Sciences, Year:6, No:4, (475-486), 2021
476
(BFAR, 2019). It is seated within the Coral Triangle – a
significant hotspot for coral reef biodiversity (Carpenter &
Springer, 2005; Muallil et al., 2014).
Philippine Fisheries is acknowledged in world
fisheries as one of the major producing countries. In 2018,
the Philippines contributed to world fish production,
amounting to 1.89 million MT (2% of the marine capture
production), and ranked 13th worldwide. Similarly, the
Philippines is the 4th major seaweed producer globally
(FAO, 2020).
There are three fisheries sectors in the Philippines:
aquaculture, municipal fisheries, and commercial fisheries.
In 2018, aquaculture accounted for about 53% of the total
production with 2.3 million MT, where seaweeds, milkfish,
tilapia, and shrimps/prawns were the major cultured
species. Municipal fisheries constituted 25% of the total
production with 1.1 million MT, while the commercial
fisheries sector contributed about 946 thousand MT of
production comprised 22% of the overall fisheries
production (BFAR, 2019; PSA, 2019).
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority,
the country has a population of about 101 million in 2015.
Fish and fishery products are the principal protein source
for every Filipino consuming 37 kg year-1 comprising
about 12% of the total protein intake (BFAR, 2019).
Fisheries provides a livelihood to almost 2 million
coastal dwellers. Fisherfolks were engaged in different
fishing activities such as capture fishing, aquaculture,
vending, gleaning, fishing processing, and others. Of these,
capture fishing and aquaculture employ the most with 49%
and 11%, respectively (BFAR, 2019). Fisheries activity is
not only carried out by men Filipinos but also women .
Gender participation plays a crucial role in the fisheries
sector. For instance, in Taal Lake, Luzon, fisherfolks were
represented by 54% male and 46% female consisted of
fishers, processors, helpers, and fish cage or fishpond
owners, managers, and caretakers (Mutia et al., 2020).
Fisheries is crucial to the export earnings of the
country. In 2018, the Philippines earned about US$1.6
billion. The country's major fishery exports were tuna,
seaweeds, shrimps/prawns, crabs, octopus, grouper, round
scad, cuttlefish and squid, sea cucumber, and ornamental
fish (BFAR, 2019).
FISHERIES RESOURCES OF THE
PHILIPPINES
The Philippines, being an archipelagic country, is
fortunate to be endowed with rich fisheries resources
(Table 1). Table 2 and Figure 1 show the location and areas
of major fishing grounds in the Philippines.
Table 1. Fisheries resources of the Philippines.
A. Marine Resources
1. Total Territorial water area (including EEZ)
2 200 000 km2
a. Coastal
266 000 km2
b. Oceanic
1 934 000 km2
2. Shelf Area (depth 200 m)
184 600 km2
3. Coral Reef Area (within the 10-20 fathoms
where the reef fisheries occur)
27 000 km2
4. Coastline (length)
36 289 km
B. Inland Resources
1. Swamplands
246 063 ha
a. Freshwater
106 328 ha
b. Brackish water
139 735 ha
2. Existing Fishpond
253 323 ha
a. Freshwater
14 531 ha
b. Brackish water
239 323 ha
3. Other Inland Resources
250 000 ha
a. Lakes
200 000 ha
b. Rivers
31 000 ha
c. Reservoirs
19 000 ha
Source: BFAR (2019).
Figure 1. Philippine fishing grounds (Santos et al., 2017).

Tahiluddin & Terzi, (2021) J. Anatolian Env. and Anim. Sciences, Year:6, No:4, (475-486), 2021
477
Table 2. Areas and location of the major Philippine fishing
grounds (BFAR, 2019).
Fishing Grounds
Area (km2)
Location
SEAS
West Sulu Sea
29 992.5
Palawan
South Sulu Sea
112 642
Zamboanga del Sur/Sulu/Tawi-Tawi
East Sulu sea
9 288
Zamboanga del Norte/Negros
Sibuyan Sea
8 127
Aklan/Masbate/Romblon
Bohol Sea
7 946
Bohol
Samar Sea
3 870
Samar/Masbate/Leyte
Visayan Sea
3 096
Panay/Negros/Cebu/Masbate
Camotes Sea
2 476.8
Cebu/Leyte/Bohol
BAYS
Lamon Bay
2 838
Quezon/Camarines Norte
Tayabas Bay
2 213
Quezon
Illana Bay
2 128.5
Lanao del Sur/Maguindanao
Manila Bay
1 935
Manila/Bataan/Cavite
Sibugay Bay
1 935
Zamboanga del Sur
Iligan Bay
1 811.16
Misamis Occidental/Lanao del Norte
Imuruan Bay
1 087.8
Palawan
San Miguel bay
774
Camarines Sur
Tawi-Tawi
Bay
592.4
Tawi-Tawi
Butuan Bay
516
Agusan del Norte
GULFS
Moro Gulf
2 900
Zamboanga del
Sur/Maguindanao/Sultan Kudarat
Davao Gulf
4 024
Davao del Sur/Davao del
Norte/Davao Oriental
Ragay Gulf
3 225
Camarines Sur/Quezon
Leyte Gulf
2 724
Leyte Island/Samar Island
Panay Gulf
2 311
Iloilo/Negros Occidental
Lingayen Gulf
2 064
Pangasinan
Lagonoy Gulf
1 935
Albay/Camarines Sur/Catanduanes
Asid Gulf
619
Masbate
Albay Gulf
412.8
Albay
CHANNELS
Babuyan
Channel
3 612
Cagayan/Babuyan Island
Jintotolo
Channel
280
Capiz/Masbate
Maqueda
Channel
129
Camarines Sur/Catanduanes
STRAITS
Tablas Strait
3 870
Tablas Island/Mindoro Oriental
Mindoro Strait
3 426.2
Palawan/Mindoro Occidental
Tañon Strait
2 786.4
Cebu/Negros
Cebu Strait
1 818.9
Cebu/Boho
Iloilo Strait
1 006
Iloilo/Guimaras
PASSAGES
Burias Pass
1 393.2
Burias Island/Camarines Sur
Ticao Pass
804.75
Ticao Island/Sorsogon
PRODUCTION TRENDS
Five-year (2014 to 2018) Philippine production from
the three fisheries sectors is shown in Table 3 and Figure
2. Aquaculture production is consistent with more than 2
million MT and remains the primary Philippine production
source compared to municipal and commercial fisheries in
5 consecutive years. Municipal fisheries production is
more or less unchanged throughout the years, with more
than 1 million MT. However, commercial fisheries
production gradually declined from more than 1 million
MT to more than 900 thousand MT in the same years (PSA,
2019).
Figure 2. Fisheries production of the Philippines between 2014
and 2018 (PSA, 2019).
SECTORS OF PHILIPPINE FISHERIES
Aquaculture
Aquaculture is a significant contributor to the
country’s total fishery production. It is the lone sector
where continuous development has been achieved
compared to the municipal and commercial fisheries
sectors (Aypa & Baconguis, 2000; BFAR, 2019).
Seaweeds (mainly Kappaphycus and Eucheuma spp.),
milkfish (Chanos chanos), tilapia (mainly Oreochromis
spp.), and shrimps/prawns (Peneaus spp., Metapenaeus
sp., and Macrobrachium sp. ) are the top cultured species
produced from the aquaculture sector, comprising 91.38%
of the total production in 2018 (Table 4) (BFAR, 2019;
PSA, 2019).
Table 4. Top Aquaculture-produced species, 2018.
Species
Amount (MT)
Rate (%)
Seaweeds (Kappaphycus & Eucheuma spp.)
1 478 301
64.15
Milkfish (Chanos chanos)
303 402
13.17
Tilapia (mainly Oreochromis spp.)
277 006
12.02
Shrimps/Prawns (Peneaus, Metapenaeus,
Macrobrachium spp.)
47 060
2.04
Others
198 597
8.62
Total
2 304 365
100
Source: BFAR (2019)
Table 3. Fisheries production of the Philippines from 2014 – 2018 (MT).
Sector
Year
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Aquaculture
2 337 604.96
2 348 161.21
2 200 913.34
2 237 790.36
2 304 365.31
Municipal Fisheries
1 244 258.95
1 216 526.72
1 137 931.03
1 126 017.30
1 106 071.84
Commercial Fisheries
1 107 220.80
1 084 624.70
1 016 948.05
948 281.45
946 437.62
Total
4 689 064.71
4 649 312.63
4 355 792.42
4 312 098.51
4 356 874.77
Source: PSA (2019)

Tahiluddin & Terzi, (2021) J. Anatolian Env. and Anim. Sciences, Year:6, No:4, (475-486), 2021
478
Major Cultured Species
Seaweeds: Seaweeds are a vital marine ecosystem
component alongside the mangrove and coral reefs. They
can be seen in two viewpoints, from their ecological value
as well as their economic benefits. Among the flora in Asia
Pacific Regions, the Philippine seaweed is exceptionally
diverse (BFAR, 2010). As compiled and published by
Silva et al. (1987), seaweeds recorded to be up to more than
800 species. The Philippines' seaweed sources have been
extensively reviewed by Trono & Largo (2019),
emphasizing that Kappaphycus, Eucheuma, Gracilaria,
and Caulerpa as major cultured seaweed species.
Additionally, Codium, Gelidiela acerosa, Halymenia,
Porphyra, and Sargassum spp. are other seaweeds with
economic significance (BFAR, 2010).
Seaweeds are the top aquaculture species cultivated from
all regions (excluding National Capital Region and
Cordillera Administrative Region), with 1.48 million MT
comprising about 64% of the total production in 2018,
where BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous in Muslim
Mindanao) is a significant producer (BFAR, 2019; PSA,
2019). Philippines ranked 4th in seaweed production next
to China, Indonesia, and the Republic of Korea (FAO,
2020). Seaweeds are exported in both processed (semi-
refined chips/carrageenan and refined carrageenan) and
raw (fresh or dried seaweeds) forms. The Philippines
exported carrageenan in both semi-refined and refined
form, mainly to the USA, Mexico, Belgium, Thailand,
Denmark, Australia, Russia, Spain, France, and Brazil,
with about US$185 million in 2018. At the same time, the
major importing countries of the raw forms were Spain,
Argentina, China, the USA, and Brazil, with a value of
about US$16 million (BFAR, 2019).
Seaweed farming is the primary livelihood source
for coastal villagers, particularly in the BARMM, Southern
Philippines (BFAR, 2010; Romero, 2002). It is considered
a family venture involving nearly all family members,
including children (Romero, 2002). Seaweed farming
utilizes between 100 000-120 000 labors, where 90% are
seaweed farmers, and the rest are seaweed processors and
traders (BFAR, 2010). There are several culture methods
practiced in the country. These include fixed off-bottom or
bottom stake, bamboo raft, floating monoline, raft longline,
and hanging longline (Hurtado, 2003; Romero, 2002;
Sabdani, 2002). The harvesting period varies from region
to region, ranging from 20 to 60 days (Mundo et al., 2002;
Romero, 2002) or usually after 45 days (Samonte, 2017).
Philippine seaweed production in 2018 is shown in Table
5, where BARMM was the major seaweed-producing
region.
Milkfish: Milkfish (Chanos chanos) or locally
called Bangus, is considered the Philippines' official
national fish (Bagarinao, 1998). Farming of this fish
species has been carried out in Southeast Asia for over 50
decades and is now considered the most important farmed
fish (Sumagaysay-chavoso, 2003; Yap et al., 2007).
Milkfish is the 2nd aquaculture production species
comprising 13% of the total production (BFAR, 2019;
PSA, 2019). Milkfish is cultured in brackish water,
freshwater lakes, estuarine areas, and coastal marine waters
using various culture systems like ponds, cages, and pens
(Yap et al., 2007).
Table 5. Philippine seaweed production, 2018.
Region
Production (MT)
NCR (National Capital Region)
-
CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region)
-
I (Ilocos Region)
8.38
II (Cagayan Valley)
90.63
III (Central Luzon)
763.11
IV-A (Calabarzon)
3 303.97
IV-B (Mimaropa)
344 606.77
V (Bicol Region)
52 607.77
VI (Western Visayas)
82 503.42
VII (Central Visayas)
62 936.73
VIII (Eastern Visayas)
17 487.43
IX (Zamboanga Peninsula)
196 638.56
X (Northern Mindanao)
32 179.84
XI (Davao Region)
6 928.13
XII (Soccsksargen)
32.88
XIII (Caraga)
9 200.45
BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao)
669 013.44
Total
1 478 300.84
Source: BFAR (2019)
Tilapia: Before tilapia deemed as the second
popular cultivated fish in the Philippines, tilapia (mainly
the dark “Java” tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus) was a
disliked fish: bothersome to consumers who favored
marine and brackish water species and disdained by
fishpond operators who perceived the fish as a pest. All of
that has changed with acknowledging that Nile tilapia (O.
niloticus) is a far prevalent species for cultivation (Smith
& Pullin, 1984). The six farmed tilapia species in the
country are Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus together
with its genetic strains, Mozambique tilapia (O.
mossambicus), Blue tilapia (O. aureus), and Redbelly
tilapia (Coptodon zilli), Blackchin tilapia (Sarotherodon
melanotheron), and Red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.
hybrids) (Guerrero, 1979; Romana-Eguia et al., 2020).
These tilapia species are all introduced species. The first
tilapia species introduced in the country from Thailand in
1950 was O. mossambicus. It was then followed by O.
niloticus in 1972 and other species (O. hornorum, O.
aureus, Coptodon zilli, and S. melanotheron) (Guerrero,
2019). Tilapias are considered so versatile in various
environments that it has been referred to as “aquatic
chicken” (Acosta & Gupta, 2010). Tilapias are typically
grown using semi-intensive or intensive culture techniques
under various cultivation and environmental factors,
stocking rates, and management approach (El-Sayed,

Tahiluddin & Terzi, (2021) J. Anatolian Env. and Anim. Sciences, Year:6, No:4, (475-486), 2021
479
2019). Romana-Eguia et al. (2020) detailed the basic
concepts of tilapia cultivation in the Philippines in various
farming techniques such as cage cultivation, pond
cultivation, monosex male tilapia cultivation, saltwater
cultivation, rice-fish (tilapia) cultivation, and aquaponics.
Shrimps/Prawns: Shrimps/Prawns are the 4th
important species cultivated in the Philippines, with 47 060
MT contributing about 2% of the total aquaculture
production in 2018 (BFAR, 2019; PSA, 2019). The main
cultured shrimp/prawn species in brackish water ponds are
Peneaus monodon, P. vannamei, P. indicus, P. setiferus,
and Metapenaeus ensis. Another species of prawn,
freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii, is also
recently cultivated around 2001 (Rosario & Tayamen,
2007), but its production is negligible compared to the
above shrimp/prawn species (PSA, 2019).
Tiger prawn (Peneaus monodon) is an essential
export species cultured throughout the Philippines. This
species' cultivation was regarded as a minor species
harvested along with the milkfish. It became the
predominant species in 1951 propagated in brackish water
pond in which the source of seed stocks came from the
wild. In the 1980s, when SEAFDEC promoted the hatchery
technology, farming of this species became successful and
commercially practiced nationwide (Rosario & Lopez,
2005).
Culture System
The culture system varies according to species as
well as environments. In the Philippines, fishpond, fish
cage, fish pen, and mariculture are the major culture
systems practiced in brackish water, freshwater, and
marine environments. In 2018, mariculture had the highest
production (nearly 1.5 million MT), where seaweeds,
oysters, and mussels were the primary cultured species.
Almost 0.5 million MT was produced from the fishpond in
freshwater and brackish water environment. The fish cage
production was about 0.2 million MT, while fish pen
production was about 70 000 MT produced from the fish
pen in all environments. Farm reservoir and rice-fish
productions were 83 and 3 MT, respectively (BFAR, 2019)
(Table 6).
In brackish water, the most popular cultured fish
are milkfish, tilapia, grouper, siganid, and crustaceans such
as tiger prawn, white shrimp, endeavor prawn, and mud
crab. In the freshwater environment, major cultured species
are milkfish, carp, catfish, mudfish, gourami, and
freshwater prawn. In the marine environment, species with
high production mostly come from seaweeds, oysters,
mussels, milkfish, grouper, siganid, mud crab, spiny
lobster, and tiger prawn. Farming of fish in the rice field
and farm reservoir is also done of which tilapia, carp,
catfish, mudfish, and gourami are the species cultivated
(BFAR, 2019).
Table 6. Aquaculture production, by culture system & environment, 2018 (in MT)
Environment
Culture System
Fishpond
Fish cage
Fish pen
Mariculture
Small Farm Reservoir
Rice-Fish
Brackish water
325 504.03
1 248.79
2 877.07
Freshwater
161 519.70
103 348.99
57 644.10
83.27
3.47
Marine water
108 951.71
9 866.9
1 533 311.76
Total
487 023.73
213 549.49
70 388.07
1 533 311.76
83.27
3.47
Source: BFAR (2019).
Marine Fisheries
Marine fisheries are defined as the extraction of
wild living resources in coastal and open sea for human
sustenance or markets. Marine Fisheries resources include
various fishes as well as invertebrates like mollusks,
crustaceans, and sea cucumbers. In the Philippines, marine
fisheries is composed of two sectors, municipal fisheries or
small-scale fisheries and commercial fisheries or large-
scale fisheries (Luna et al., 2004). Marine fisheries are a
significant protein source, sustenance, and export earning
of the Philippines (Barut et al., 1997).
From municipal and commercial sectors, marine
fisheries constituted about 47% or approximately 2 million
MT of Philippine production in 2018 (BFAR, 2019). In the
Philippines, the most productive fishing grounds are the
West Palawan Sea, South Sulu Sea, Visayan Sea, Moro
Gulf, and Bohol Sea (BFAR, 2000). The most common
types of fishing gears used in the Philippines are drift
gillnet, purse seine, bag net, ring net, trawl, beach seine,
Danish seine, handline, multiple handline, longline, and
bottom set longline (Santos et al., 2017).
Municipal Fisheries
Municipal fisheries is marine fisheries where
fishing is carried out along coastal and inland waters with
or without the use of vessels of 3 gross tons or less (BFAR,
2019).
Municipal production: In 2018, the municipal
production both from marine and inland waters was mainly
contributed by Region IX-B, Region V, BARMM, Region
IX, and Region VI, as shown in Table 7. Production from
marine waters was about 942 000 MT, primarily composed
of big-eyed scad, Indian sardines, frigate tuna, round scad,
fimbriated sardines, slipmouth, squid, Indian mackerel,
yellowfin tuna, and anchovies (Table 8). On the other hand,
production from inland waters was about 164 000 MT,
mainly comprising tilapia, carp, mudfish, freshwater
catfish, milkfish, gourami, freshwater shrimp, big-head
carp, freshwater goby, silver perch, mullet, and freshwater
sardines (Table 9) (BFAR, 2019).

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480
Table 7. Municipal fisheries production, by region, 2018 (in MT).
Region
Marine
Inland
Total
NCR (National Capital Region)
8 206.63
8 206.63
CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region)
-
1 111.20
1 111.20
I (Ilocos Region)
24 236.02
1 761.98
25 998.00
II (Cagayan Valley)
19 693.70
8 378.99
28 072.69
III (Central Luzon)
38 112.39
16 364.85
54 477.24
IV-A (Calabarzon)
33 336.80
67 352.12
100 688.92
IV-B (Mimaropa)
124 905.62
2 048.85
126 954.47
V (Bicol Region)
122 076.66
4 694.68
126 771.34
VI (Western Visayas)
103 635.37
7 902.06
111 537.43
VII (Central Visayas)
63 668.73
194.06
63 863.49
VIII (Eastern Visayas)
69 550.93
560.76
70 111.64
IX (Zamboanga Peninsula)
116 123.36
942.02
117 065.38
X (Northern Mindanao)
40 242.85
4 490.03
44 732.88
XI (Davao Region)
22 876.92
243.94
23 120.86
XII (Soccsksargen)
11 547.66
19 676.84
31 224.50
XIII (Caraga)
47 178.25
4 685.31
51 863.56
BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao)
96 478.97
23 792.64
120 271.61
Total
941 870.86
164 200.98
1 106 071.84
Source: BFAR (2019)
Table 8. Marine municipal fish catch, by major fish species, 2018.
Species
Total (MT)
% Total
Big-eyed Scad (Selar crumenophthalmus)
69 556.00
7.4
Bali Sardinella (Sardinella lemuru)
65 298.70
6.9
Frigate Tuna (Auxis thazard)
53 961.30
5.7
Round scad (Decapterus maruadsi)
50 941.61
5.4
Fimbriated Sardines (Sardinella fimbriata)
42 446.43
4.5
Slipmouth (Leiognathus)
37 331.94
4.0
Squid (Teuthoidea)
36 089.04
3.8
Indian Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta)
35 703.42
3.8
Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares)
34 523.77
3.7
Anchovies (Engraulidae)
34 220.70
3.6
Others
481 797.95
51.2
Total
941 870.86
100.0
Source: BFAR (2019).
Table 9. Inland municipal fish catch, by major species, 2018.
Species
Total (MT)
% Total
Tilapia (Oreochromis spp.)
44 070.89
26.84
Carp (Cyprinus carpio)
14 659.10
8.93
Mudfish (Channa striata)
9 666.04
5.89
Freshwater catfish (Clarias batrachus)
5 814.51
3.54
Milkfish (Chanos chanos)
4 988.47
3.04
Gourami (Osphronemidae)
4 033.14
2.46
Freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)
3 373.52
2.05
Big-head carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis)
3 011.90
1.83
Freshwater goby (Glossogobius celebius)
2 892.24
1.76
Silver perch (Leiopotherapon plumbeus)
1 407.87
0.86
Mullet (Mugilidae)
1 413.74
0.86
Freshwater sardines (Sardinella tawilis)
993.88
0.57
Others
67 935.68
41.37
Total
164 200.98
100.0
Source: BFAR (2019).
Municipal fishing vessels: The total number of
municipal fishing vessels in the country was about 259 000,
dominated mainly by regions VIII, VI, VII, IV-B, and
BARMM (Table 10) (BFAR, 2019).
Municipal fishing gears: The municipal fisheries
in Lingayen Gulf mostly used line gears like handline,
multiple handline, bottom longline, spear guns, push net,
and fish trap/pot (Gaerlan et al., 2018). The fishing gears
used in the Scarborough Shoal mainly comprised of
variations of gillnets (bottom-set, drift, and ring nets) and
hook-and-line (drift, multiple, and simple handlines), as
well as speargun and jig of which the catch was dominated
mainly by Acanthuridae, Balistidae, Lethrinidae, and
Scombridae (Arceo et al., 2020).
Table 10. Number of municipal fishing vessels, by region 2018.
Region
No. of Fishing Vessels
NCR (National Capital Region)
718
CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region)
308
I (Ilocos Region)
8 780
II (Cagayan Valley)
9 895
III (Central Luzon)
8 684
IV-A (Calabarzon)
13 166
IV-B (Mimaropa)
29 201
V (Bicol Region)
21 555
VI (Western Visayas)
29 227
VII (Central Visayas)
29 075
VIII (Eastern Visayas)
31 548
IX (Zamboanga Peninsula)
17 061
X (Northern Mindanao)
10 184
XI (Davao Region)
10 680
XII (Soccsksargen)
9 708
XIII (Caraga)
7 862
BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao)
21 304
Total
258 956
Source: BFAR (2019).
Commercial Fisheries
The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 defines
commercial fishing as taking fishery species by passive or
active fishing gears for trade, business, or profit beyond
subsistence or sports fishing. Fishing is done using vessels
of more than 3 gross tons (BFAR, 2019; Luna et al., 2004).
Commercial production: In 2018, commercial
production was about 946 000 MT. The major fish species
were primarily represented by skipjack, Indian sardines,
yellowfin tuna, frigate tuna, fimbriated sardines, big-eyed
scad, eastern little tuna, Indian mackerel, slipmouth, and
indo-pacific mackerel (BFAR, 2019.)
Tunas, family Scombridae, are being fished
throughout the country’s waters. A recent study by
Nepomuceno et al. (2020) emphasized that Philippine
waters, particularly the West Philippine Sea and Batanes-
Polillo waters, have the most bountiful tuna species in
species diversity.

Tahiluddin & Terzi, (2021) J. Anatolian Env. and Anim. Sciences, Year:6, No:4, (475-486), 2021
481
Table 11. Commercial fish production, by major fish species, 2018.
Species
Total (MT)
% Total
Skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis)
229 348.87
24.2
Bali Sardinella (Sardinella lemuru)
193 835.77
20.5
Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares)
120 364.80
6.3
Frigate Tuna (Auxis thazard)
57 954.97
6.1
Fimbriated Sardines (Sardinella fimbriata)
45 131.38
4.8
Big-eyed Scad (Selar crumenophthalmus)
41 368.73
4.4
Eastern Little Tuna (Euthynnus affinis)
21 362.01
2.3
Indian Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta)
20 071.18
2.1
Slipmouth (Leiognathus)
10 619.37
1.1
Indo-pacific Mackerel (Rastrelliger brachysoma)
10 614.93
1.1
Other Species
135 852.19
14.4
Total
946 437.62
100.0
Source: BFAR (2019)
Tunas are the top export commodities of the
Philippines. In 2018, 39% (approximately 430 000 MT) of
the commercial production was composed of tuna species
like skipjack (K. pelamis), yellowfin tuna (T. albacares),
frigate tuna (A. thazard), and eastern little tuna (E. affinis).
About 170 000 MT of tuna products, both fresh and
preserved, amounting to roughly US$500 million, was
exported to the UK, Japan, Germany, Spain, the USA,
Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Israel, Portugal, Cyprus,
Indonesia, Switzerland, and other countries (BFAR, 2019).
Commercial fishing vessels: Commercial fishing
vessels in the Philippines had more than 8 000, with more
than 3 000 fishing operators. The NCR had the highest total
number of commercial fishing vessel operators (2 362)
with 6 422 commercial fishing vessels in 2018 (Table 12)
(BFAR, 2019).
Commercial fishing gears: Commercial fishing
gears operate across the country’s waters are Danish seine,
purse seine, trawls (commercial trawl, pair trawl, and
midwater trawl), ring net, drift filter net, bag net, handline,
multiple hook and line, and troll line (Santos et al., 2017).
Table 12. Number of commercial fishing operators and fishing vessels, by region, 2018.
Region
No. of Operators
No. of Fishing Vessels
Large scale
(>150 GT)
Medium-scale (20.1
-150 GT)
Small scale
(3.1-20 GT)
Subtotal
NCR (National Capital Region)
2 362
524
2 949
2 949
6 422
CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region)
-
-
-
-
-
I (Ilocos Region)
72
18
110
119
247
II (Cagayan Valley)
9
1
4
17
22
III (Central Luzon)
47
1
16
53
70
IV-A (Calabarzon)
146
-
55
183
238
IV-B (Mimaropa)
70
-
39
77
116
V (Bicol Region)
74
2
37
100
139
VI (Western Visayas)
7
-
5
6
11
VII (Central Visayas)
43
3
49
68
120
VIII (Eastern Visayas)
51
-
17
72
89
IX (Zamboanga Peninsula)
66
35
158
109
302
X (Northern Mindanao)
10
-
5
8
13
XI (Davao Region)
7
-
7
11
18
XII (Soccsksargen)
87
18
174
185
377
XIII (Caraga)
6
-
5
4
9
BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao)
1
-
4
1
5
Total
3 058
602
3 624
3 962
8 198
Source: BFAR (2019).
CHALLENGES IN THE PHILIPPINE
FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE
Challenges in the Philippine Aquaculture
The aquaculture sector in the Philippines faces
many challenges despite large volume of production in
recent consecutive years. The most common challenges are
pests and diseases, water quality degradation, the
occurrence of harmful algal blooms, and lack of capital and
government support.
Pests and Diseases: Significant losses in seaweed
production have been attributed mainly to pests and
diseases (Ward et al. 2020; Faisan et al. 2021). The most
common pests and diseases affecting seaweed farms in the
country are ice-ice disease and epiphytic filamentous algae
(Faisan et al. 2021). Ice-ice disease is generally caused by
biotic (pathogenic bacteria and marine-derived fungi) and
abiotic (light, temperature, salinity, nutrients) factors,
where the infected branches of the seaweeds appeared as
white and soft, which can disintegrate easily, resulting in
losses in the farms thereby causing a severe production

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482
decline (Largo et al., 1995a; Largo et al., 1995b; Mendoza
et al., 2002; Solis et al. 2010; Tahiluddin and Terzi, 2021).
Another problem in seaweed farming is the epiphytic
filamentous algae. These pests, which are prevalent in the
country, are attached using their holdfast in the host plants;
and the infected branches of the seaweeds show epiphytes
penetrating the cortex and growing within the medullary
(Faisan et al., 2021). Epiphytic filamentous algae are also
responsible for a significant decline in carrageenan quality
and production biomass of farmed Kappaphycus and
Eucheuma species (Ward et al. 2020).
Tilapias are also affected by diseases, especially
bacterial and viral diseases, despite being a nearly hardy
fish. The most commonly reported bacterial diseases are
streptococcosis, motile Aeromonas septicemia, and
Pseudomonas infections (Duremdez and Lio-Po, 1988;
Yambot, 1998; Reyes et al., 2019; Limbauan, 2018;
Legario et al., 2020). In addition, Tilapia Lake Virus, a
viral disease that emerged recently, threatens tilapia
aquaculture in the country as well as worldwide (Aich et
al., 2021; OIE, 2017).
Disease outbreaks in shrimp aquaculture have
resulted in substantial production decline over the last
decades, which has become more challenging for the
country to claim back the title as the global shrimp leader.
Shrimp diseases can be viral, bacterial, and protozoan.
Among the most common diseases which have significant
impacts are white spot disease (WSD), white feces disease
(WFD), early mortality syndrome (EMS),
hepatopancreatic microsporidiosis (HPM), luminous
vibriosis, filamentous bacterial disease, shell disease,
ciliate Infestation, black gill disease, and chronic soft-shell
syndrome (Hays, 2020).
Water quality degradation: Water quality
degradation in ecosystems that support aquaculture is still
a main issue in the Philippines, especially in Luzon. For
example, in Taal Lake, concentrations of phosphates,
nitrates, and total dissolved solids were significantly higher
in aquaculture cage sites than in areas without aquaculture
activities (Querijero & Mercurio, 2016; Cruz et al., 2019).
Furthermore, the current status of Manila Bay revealed that
the levels of PO4 -3 (1.02 mg/L – 2.42 mg/L) and NH3-N
(0.90 mg/L – 2.35 mg/L) were unsuitable for fish culture,
although other important parameters like temperature,
dissolved oxygen, pH, etc. were within the safe levels
(Baldoza et al., 2020). Moreover, high water temperature
(>32 °C) was the major challenge that has a significant
impact on tilapia aquaculture, particularly in Luzon and
Mindanao (Guerrero, 2019).
Harmful algal blooms (HABs): Harmful Algal
blooms (HABs) have been a country's problem for the last
decades affecting the aquatic environment, aquaculture
sites, infected farmed species, country’s economy, and
even a human’s life. For instance, in Laguna de Bay, due
to human activity such as disposal of nutrients (nitrate and
phosphate), under favorable environmental conditions,
algal blooms can be expected degrading water quality like
low oxygen and toxin production. This is the main cause of
fish kill in most Luzon in recent years (De Vera-Ruiz,
2021). HABs occurrence also has a great impact on the
national economy of the country as well as threatening
public health. For example, from 1983 to 2002, there were
2122 cases of paralytic shellfish poisoning with 117 deaths.
Moreover, in the same year duration, HABs resulted in; a)
economic losses and damages amounting to 2.2 million
pesos, b) extensive economic damages, c) problem in the
international trades, d) unemployment of many shellfish
industries, and e) displacement and losses of livelihood for
thousands of fishers (BFAR, 2021).
Lack of capital and government support:
Farming of seaweeds is usually dependent on the
availability of capital (funds) in order to start farming
(Romero, 2002). In Tawi-Tawi, Southern Philippines, one
of the problems that hindered farmers from intensifying
seaweed farming was the lack of capital and government
support, which resulted in low socio-economic status
(Tahiluddin and Delasas, unpublished). In tilapia
aquaculture, lack of capital and government support has
been identified as one of the prime causes of low tilapia
production (Guerrero, 2019).
Challenges in Philippine Marine Fisheries
Overfishing, destructive and illegal fishing, and
weak law enforcement are among the prevalent challenges
in marine fisheries in the Philippines.
Overfishing: Overfishing in the Philippines has
been observed in the 1990s and may have been started in
the 1980s (Israel & Banzon, 1997; Camacho, 1999). In the
20th century, small pelagic fishes in the country were
overfished (Dalzell & Ganaden, 1987), and recently some
fisheries officials blamed overfishing in Samar and Bicol
for rotting sardines in Bulan, Sorsogon province (Toledo,
2021). Also, sea cucumbers in some provinces are
overexploited, evident from previous studies (Olavides et
al., 2010; Jontila et al., 2017; Ajik et al., 2021), although
the Philippines remains as the second major sea cucumber-
producing country in Southeast Asia (Alejandro, 2019).
According to the chief of the Fish Right Program in the
Philippines of the United States Agency for International
Development (USAid), 70% of fishing grounds in the
country are currently overfished (Aguirre, 2019).
Destructive and illegal fishing: Dynamite (blast)
fishing, cyanide fishing, and using destructive fishing gears
are considered damaging to habitats and aquatic resources
(Camacho, 1999; Erdmann et al., 2000). In addition,
Philippine coral reefs have been damaged by the use of

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483
destructive fishing methods (Alcala & Russ, 2002). Even
in this pandemic, illegal fishing was reported to spike
during the lockdown from March to May 2020 (Espenilla,
2020). In 2019, illegal fishing from municipal and
commercial fisheries comprised 27-40% of the total
production amounting to 42-63 billion pesos (BFAR,
2020). In addition, unreported, unregulated, and
unregistered fishing are also significant challenges in the
marine fisheries sector of the country (BFAR, 2020).
Weak law enforcement: Weak law enforcement
has resulted in the rampant use of destructive and illegal
fishing in the country, leading to overfishing. For example,
in Calamianes Island, Palawan, weak law enforcement
prevails, and local fishers are even accused of corruption
in fisheries governance, such as a strong link between the
law enforcement agent and unscrupulous operators/traders
(Fabinyi, 2007).
RESPONSE TO THE CHALLENGES AND
RECOMMENDATION
The challenges mentioned above have been a long
hindrance to the sustainability of Philippine fisheries and
aquaculture. Pests and diseases in aquaculture, particularly
in seaweed farming, must be given attention in future
research like looking and further understanding the water
parameters of the farm as well as the role of pathogenic
microorganisms. Our previous paper (Tahiluddin and
Terzi, 2021) reviewed the causes, occurrence, and some
control measures of ice-ice disease of Kappaphycus and
Eucheuma species may be beneficial to minimize this
disease and can be used to further investigate for proper
disease management. In general, biosecurity measures and
aquatic disease surveillance must be imposed and
enhanced to reduce pests and diseases in aquaculture. In
addition, future researches may also focus on investigating
the potential environmental-friendly and efficient ways of
reducing, eliminating, or treating pests and diseases in
aquaculture.
To monitor and maintain water quality, there
should be a regular assessment or future researches of
water quality, especially in aquaculture sites nationwide. In
order to attain water quality standards, strict compliance
with the Code of Good Aquaculture Practices must be
imposed (Baldoza et al., 2020).
Although HABs monitoring in the Philippines is
regularly monitored by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources (BFAR), especially in the area where laboratory
equipment is available, coverage areas should be expanded
to cover more areas where shellfish farming is being
practiced and monitoring and surveillance should be
improved. The development of a rapid test for detecting
HABs would also be helpful for fast detection, early
warnings, and avoidance of great losses both HABs-
infested species as well as consumers’ life. Likewise,
researchers must consider and explore HABs through
extensive research in many parts of the country.
The government must prioritize farmers and
fishers in giving and providing assistance/support to
improve the country’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
Overfishing, destructive and illegal fishing are all liked to
weak enforcement of existing laws pertaining to proper
utilization and management of Philippine fisheries
resources. Hence, to boost fish production, there is a need
for stronger enforcement measures to attain seafood self-
sufficiency and sustainable fisheries in the country.
CONCLUSION
Philippine fisheries comprise three sectors;
aquaculture, municipal fisheries, and commercial fisheries.
Aquaculture consistently maintained high production for
consecutive 5 years from 2014 to 2018, around 2.2 to 2.3
million MT, mainly from the mariculture of seaweeds,
fishpond, and the fish cage of milkfish and tilapia.
Municipal fisheries contributed nearly 1.1 to 1.2 million
MT in the same years, primarily from big-eyed scad, Indian
sardines, and frigate tuna. From about 1.1 million MT in
2014 to about 950 000 MT, commercial fisheries
production gradually decreased, which may be due to
overexploitation. Skipjack, Indian sardines, and yellowfin
tuna are the major species from the commercial sector. The
fisheries sector provides both foreign exchange and
employment to the country despite the existing challenges.
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