Fish deliveries down on harsh weather, seasonal ban

Unfavorable weather conditions and a temporary ban at one of the fishing grounds led to a decrease in the delivery of fish products at regional ports in June.

In a report, the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) said local ports unloaded 50,862.42 metric tons (MT) of fish in July. Data from last year’s fish unloading was unavailable, but the volume was 14.2-percent lower than the 59,259.88 MT recorded a month ago.

The PFDA attributed this to inclement weather and the closed fishing season in Davao Gulf from June 1 to Aug. 31.

The government implements a three-month fishing ban in major fishing grounds annually to conserve various marine species and address overfishing and climate change concerns.

The General Santos Fish Port Complex made up 49.6 percent or 25,205.76 MT of the total. This was 14.9 percent lower than 29,635.67 MT in June.

The Navotas Fish Port Complex, the first regional fish port in Luzon and the largest in the Philippines, delivered 17,765.673 MT to clients, equivalent to a share of 34.9 percent.

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Iloilo Fish Port Complex unloaded 3,053.05 MT; Lucena Fish Port Complex, 1,793.07 MT; Bulan Fish Port Complex, 1,785.20 MT.

Amid the closed fishing season, the Davao Fish Port Complex supplied 182.377 MT.

“[Local fish ports] continuously do what they can to supply their clients and stakeholders with enough and appropriately priced fishery products, despite occasional difficulties brought on by closed fishing seasons and inclement weather,” the PFDA said.