The Fisheries Industry

As of 2026-08-30 · Updated 2026-08-30 · Section: Economy, Industry & Business · 日本語版

The Philippines' fisheries sector rests on three pillars: "tuna," "seaweed," and "aquaculture." Yet total production has fallen for three straight years, and fishing households remain among the poorest of the poor. In 2026, a Supreme Court ruling striking down mandatory vessel monitoring for fishing boats put the relationship with the EU market back in the spotlight.

1. The Big Picture — Key Numbers

注 Consumption figures differ by nearly double depending on the source. Supply-based figures (USDA, FAO) include losses and feed use, while the household survey (DOST) is closer to actual intake. "Filipinos eat a lot of fish" is true — but be careful which number you use to back it up.

Four production sub-sectors

  Aquaculture              ── Largest. Seaweed, bangus, tilapia
  Municipal fisheries      ── Within 15km of shore. Small-scale fishers. Long-term decline
  Commercial fisheries     ── Vessels over 3 gross tons
  Inland municipal         ── Lakes and rivers

In Q2 2026, aquaculture produced 460,930 tons (a 44.9% share), down 4.7% year-on-year, while commercial and coastal fishing grew instead — the reverse of the usual seasonal pattern (BFAR).

2. General Santos City — the "Tuna Capital of the Philippines"

A city in southern Mindanao adjacent to South Cotabato province, commonly called "GenSan."

• General Tuna Corporation (GenTuna) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Century Pacific Food, the Philippines' largest OEM tuna exporter, with a plant in Barangay Tambler.
• Philbest and Celebes belong to the RD Group (RD Corporation), which also runs RD Tuna Canners in Papua New Guinea.
• The fish port involves more than 20,000 business-permit holders and employs 12,000–13,000 people (PFDA, 2025).
• In July 2025, President Marcos visited the fish port and held a dialogue with fishers.

注 The "200,000 jobs" figure comes from labor-group estimates, not government statistics. A House bill's explanatory notes cite a figure of "about 120,000" instead. Treat it as an order-of-magnitude range, not a precise count.

A defining feature: handline fishing

GenSan's tuna fishery leans heavily not just on purse-seine boats but also on handline fishing from small outrigger vessels, which lands large, sashimi-grade yellowfin one fish at a time and feeds directly into the fresh and frozen sashimi markets bound for Japan and the United States. It's essentially a two-tier structure: canned product is mostly skipjack, sashimi is mostly yellowfin.

3. Tuna Production and Exports — the Sharp 2023→2024 Jump

(PSA/BFAR/PFDA; figures cited in a House bill's explanatory materials)

Catch under the WCPFC (Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission) framework

In 2024, tuna catch managed under the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) framework exceeded 201,000 tons (BFAR preliminary estimate).

About 7% of the entire WCPO catch, ranking 6th in the world over the past decade. In December 2025, the Philippines hosted the WCPFC's 22nd Annual Meeting.

The Philippines is Asia's second-largest canned-tuna processor, after Thailand. It is also the top supplier of yellowfin to the EU (mainly Germany and the UK).

Export markets and tariffs

注 GSP+ status is conditional on compliance with international conventions on human rights, labor, the environment, and governance. Members of the European Parliament have repeatedly called for GSP+ to be suspended, so "duty-free canned tuna" always carries a degree of political risk.

The National Tuna Congress

Organized by the SOCSKSARGEN Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries, Inc. (SFFAII), an umbrella body of 7 organizations and over 100 companies.

The congress is customarily held every year in early September, timed to coincide with General Santos City's "Tuna Festival" week. (Details of the 26th edition in 2026 are not yet confirmed.)

4. Seaweed — the Top-Producing "Fishery Product"

What is grown

• The main species are Kappaphycus alvarezii (locally "guso" or "tambalang") and Eucheuma denticulatum.
• The main end use is carrageenan, a thickening and gelling agent for food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Over 90% of exports are carrageenan-related.
• The main growing areas are the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), MIMAROPA, and the Zamboanga Peninsula.

Slipping down the world rankings

  Around 1990    The Philippines supplied roughly 80% of world demand
  2007–08        Overtaken by Indonesia (which now produces roughly 5x as much)
  Today          3rd in the world for Kappaphycus / semi-refined carrageenan (after Indonesia and China)
  The Philippines' global seaweed-production share is about 4.2%, ranking 4th (2026, Department of Agriculture)

Reasons for the slump: diseases such as ice-ice disease, a shortage of propagules (seed stock), rising sea temperatures (industry group SIAP puts the ideal temperature below 26°C, and says some areas lose up to 50% of output once that's exceeded), and weak logistics and power supply.

2026 — the country's first seaweed bioreactor

A related "Philippine Seaweed Industry Roadmap 2027–2031" is also underway, with BFAR now operating 12 tissue-culture labs and 68 nurseries nationwide.

5. Aquaculture — Bangus, Tilapia, and Shrimp

Bangus is the "national fish" and, as of 2023, was the single largest item by value, accounting for 13.9% of fisheries production value (₱45.9 billion). In Q2 2026 it fell back 7.1% year-on-year, while tilapia grew 13.1%.

Structural weaknesses in the bangus industry

  Fry shortage ── against a required 2.7 billion fry, 1.2 billion (54%) are missing
  Indonesian fry cost ₱0.13 apiece, versus ₱0.30 for domestic fry
  Survival rates trail too: 30–80% in Indonesia versus roughly 50% domestically
  Feed costs eat up 76% of operating expenses (Davao-region survey)
  Many fishponds and mariculture parks sit underused

Main producing areas: Pangasinan, Bulacan, Iloilo, Capiz, Pampanga, Rizal, Batangas, Quezon, Negros Occidental, Davao del Sur.

Shrimp — an industry that once collapsed

• Production peaked at 120,000 tons in 1992 (mainly black tiger shrimp, locally "sugpo," Penaeus monodon). For the following 20 years, combined monodon and vannamei output never reached 60,000 tons.
• Total production in 2020 was 70,475 tons (black tiger: 42,453 tons; vannamei: 20,633 tons).
• The main cause of the collapse was white spot disease (WSSV). More recently, Taura syndrome virus (TSV) has turned up in vannamei farms in Bulacan, Batangas, Bohol, and Cebu, raising concern about cross-border infection carried by imported post-larvae and broodstock.
• Good-quality domestic seed stock and broodstock remain scarce, and vannamei broodstock is expensive.

6. Fisheries Law — RA 8550, RA 10654, and Two Supreme Court Rulings

How section numbers are handled (confirmed in the 2026-08-26 revision check). RA 10654 is not a stand-alone statute but an amendment to RA 8550. When citing a provision, cite it by the RA 8550 section number as amended, not as "RA 10654, Section X."

RA 10654 section	What it amends/replaces
Section 1	Amends RA 8550 Section 2 (declaration of policy) — "Section 2 of Republic Act No. 8550... is hereby amended, as follows:"
Section 2	Amends RA 8550 Section 3 (definitions)
Section 3	Amends RA 8550 Section 4
Sections 4–6	Amend RA 8550 Sections 6/7/8
Section 7	Amends RA 8550 Section 14
Sections 8–11	Amend RA 8550 Sections 30/31/32/33
Section 12	Amends RA 8550 Section 38
Section 13	Deletes RA 8550 Section 42 and replaces it with a new Section 42
Section 14	Amends RA 8550 Section 44
Sections 15–16	Amend RA 8550 Sections 62/65
Section 17	Repeals RA 8550 Chapter VI (Prohibitions and Penalties) in full and replaces it with a new Chapter VI — "Chapter VI of Republic Act No. 8550 is hereby repealed and replaced with a new Chapter VI to read as follows:". Penalties should accordingly be cited as RA 8550 §86 (fishing without a license), §87 (unauthorized fishing activity), §88 (prior authorization for distant-water fishing), and following
Section 18	Inserts a new Chapter VII (Administrative Adjudication) after Chapter VI
Section 19	Renumbers old RA 8550 §108 as §141, and inserts a new §142 after it
Section 20	Renumbers old RA 8550 §§109–133 en bloc as §§143–167
Sections 21–24	IRR (within 6 months) / separability clause / repealing clause / effectivity (15 days after publication)

(Coverage of Sections 2–16 and 18–24 was added in the 2026-08-26 re-check. The earlier draft covered only Sections 1 and 17, and in particular was missing the "renumbering" carried out by Sections 19 and 20.) 注The single biggest trap: renumbered sections. LawPhil's page for RA 8550 carries the original 1998 enactment text, so citing "§109," "§120," and so on from that page means citing, under their old numbers, sections that under current law correspond to §143, §154, etc. Whenever quoting §109 onward from the 1998 original text, always confirm that it has been "renumbered to §143 onward by RA 10654 §20."

Source: cross-checked against the full text of RA 10654, Sections 1–24, as reproduced at lawphil.net (ending: "Lapsed into law on FEB 27 2015 Without the signature of the President, In accordance with Article VI, Section 27 (1) of the Constitution."). 注 No Republic Act amending RA 10654 itself could be confirmed as of August 26, 2026 (none appears in LawPhil's 2023–2026 RA listings, and ECOLEX's record for RA 8550 also lists only RA 10654 as an amending law. 注The 2015–2022 annual lists were not fully reviewed, so this remains weak evidence of "no amendment.") Moreover, the force of these provisions has since been undercut by the court rulings below.

What RA 10654 introduced

  Explicitly defines IUU fishing as a clear illegal act
  Sharply raises fines to ₱1 million–₱45 million (commercial fishing)
  Introduces a vessel monitoring system (VMS/VMM)
  A traceability and catch-certification regime
  Citizen suits, and a ban on harassment suits against enforcement officers
  Restricts lower courts from issuing injunctions
  Introduces ecosystem-based management (EAFM) and the precautionary principle

注 Two Supreme Court rulings are shaking the system's foundations

(1) The Mercidar case (Mercidar Fishing Corporation) — opening up the 15km coastal zone

At stake: whether commercial fishing vessels may operate within 15km of shore, and whether local government units (LGUs) have authority over coastal waters. The courts have taken the position that jurisdiction rests with the national government. 注 The tuna industry has also voiced concern that this could cost it international sustainability certification.

(2) The FAO 266 case — vessel monitoring ruled unconstitutional (2026)

FAO 266 was originally created as a response to the EU's yellow card. Its invalidation has prompted concern that it undermines the basis for exports to the EU.

7. The EU's IUU-Fishing "Yellow Card" — a Timeline

From 2018–2021, the Philippines' EU-bound seafood exports averaged ₱12–13 billion a year.

注 "The yellow card has been lifted" is not the end of the story. Both domestic and international observers warn that the suspension of VMM (vessel monitoring), the opening of the 15km coastal zone, and weak enforcement could all become grounds for re-evaluation.

8. Overfishing and Climate Change — the Oceana Report (February 2026)

A report commissioned by the environmental NGO Oceana Philippines from researchers at the University of the Philippines Visayas, titled "The Philippine Fisheries Assessment: A Glimpse of RA 10654's 10-Year Implementation" (released February 2026 at UP Diliman).

Total production (about 4 million tons) only looks flat because aquaculture is masking the decline in the wild catch. It is a mistake to read this as "the Philippines' fish stocks aren't declining."

Climate and environmental pressure

• Record-high sea-surface temperatures since 2023 have driven the worst global coral bleaching event on record, and it is still ongoing (NOAA Coral Reef Watch; more than 80% of the world's reefs affected). The Philippines is no exception.
• Mangrove cover has fallen from roughly 450,000 ha around 1920 to about 227,808 ha as measured by satellite in 2019 (a government/Forest Management Bureau estimate instead puts it at 311,400 ha). 注 (2026-08-25 cross-check) The starting figure of "roughly 450,000 ha in the early 20th century" has been assessed by the sector reference "Forestry and Forests," §7-1, as unable to be confirmed against primary sources. It should not be presented as a settled figure, and its source should always be identified. What that same reference could confirm from primary sources was that Manila Bay's mangroves fell from over 74,000 ha in the early 1900s to 1,350 ha by 2015 (a roughly 98% decline) (Mongabay, October 8, 2025), driven mainly by conversion into fishponds. From the fisheries side too, it's worth keeping in mind that fishpond construction is one of the main culprits behind mangrove loss.
• Seagrass beds are reported to have lost 30–50% of their area over the past 50 years, and some studies suggest coral reefs have lost over a third of their area in just a decade.
• Intensifying typhoons and rising sea levels directly damage boats, gear, aquaculture cages, and fishpond dikes.

Closed fishing seasons

Sardines make up about 15% of the total catch, making them one of the most accessible sources of animal protein. 注 In the Zamboanga Peninsula, the closed season has boosted catches for small-scale fishers, while in the Visayan Sea catches have kept falling — the effect is far from uniform.

Closed seasons and imports move together

To fill the supply gap during closed seasons, the Department of Agriculture issues Certificates of Necessity to Import (CNI) for small pelagic species (round scad, mackerel scad, mackerel, frigate tuna, moonfish, and others).

• 2025: Memorandum Order No. 47-2025 authorized importing 50,000 tons of frozen small pelagics, limited to October–December.
• 2024: 30,000 tons were authorized (to cover the October 1–December 31 closed season).
• Skipjack is the single largest item in the Philippines' fisheries imports, at 31% (USDA, 2025) — raw material for canning.

注 The fisherfolk group Pamalakaya has pushed back, arguing that "the shortage is caused by the closed season itself — the fix is to rethink the closure, not to import," making imports a recurring political flashpoint every year.

9. The South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) and Fishing Grounds

• Chinese vessels have started radioing Philippine boats to leave, citing the "environmental protection zone."
• Fishers from Masinloc, Zambales, report being hit with water cannon and having their anchor lines cut, and say it has grown too dangerous to fish at the shoal, so they now work closer to shore instead.
• The government has introduced support measures that deliver fuel and ice at sea and buy catch on the spot, so fishers can keep working without returning to port.
• Security analysts describe the reserve designation as "lawfare" — an attempt to use domestic law to legitimize maritime claims that run counter to international law.

The fishing-grounds dispute is a matter of "food" and "employment," not just "security." For fishers on Luzon's west coast, losing Scarborough Shoal means a direct loss of livelihood.

10. Current Policy and Support (2025–2026)

11. 注 Easy Things to Get Wrong

  Seaweed is NOT "minor" ── it is the single largest item, making up a third of fisheries production
  Bangus is NOT a "wild fish" ── it is almost 100% farmed, and its fry supply depends on imports
  Tuna is NOT just "sashimi" ── the biggest export earner is canned tuna sold to the EU
  The EU's yellow card is NOT "a thing of the past" ── the 2026 Supreme Court ruling could reignite it
  Total production is NOT flat ── aquaculture is simply masking the decline in the wild catch
  The South China Sea is NOT just "a diplomatic issue" ── it is a matter of fishers' daily income
  Canneries are NOT "all in GenSan" ── 6 are in GenSan, and 2 are in Zamboanga

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