First quarter fishery production in Eastern Visayas grows by 15.7%

By PSA-8
August 19, 2019

TACLOBAN CITY – The fishing industry in Eastern Visayas’ expanded as the region’s total fish production went up to 30,907 metric tons (MT) during the first quarter in 2019 from 26,704 MT in the same quarter in 2018, posting an increase of 15.7 percent.

In the first quarter of 2019, Eastern Visayas ranked sixth among the regions with low fishery production in the country with 3.0 percent contribution to the country’s total fishery production.

Among provinces, Samar recorded the highest volume of fish production at 13,675 MT, comprising 44.2 percent of the total fishery production in the region. Leyte ranked second at 7,520 MT, accounting for 24.3 percent of the region’s total fish production. Southern Leyte, meanwhile, had the lowest volume of production at 1,219 MT which shared only 3.9 percent.

Volume of production in commercial fishing went up by 44.8 percent, from 3,684 MT in the first quarter of 2018 to 5,336 MT in the same quarter of 2019. Samar and Biliran contributed to the increase in the production in commercial fishing with growths posted at 102.1 percent and 24.8 percent, respectively.

The rest of the provinces registered decreases with Southern Leyte posting the biggest decline of 52.8 percent. Northern Samar, meanwhile, retained its volume of production in the first quarter of 2018 at 477 MT.

Similarly, the region’s total volume of production in municipal fishing (marine and inland) registered an increase of 31.4 percent, from 14,776 MT in the first quarter of 2018 to 19,416 MT in the same quarter of 2019. All provinces registered increases in municipal fishing, except Northern Samar, which recorded a slight decline of 0.5 percent. Leyte recorded the highest increase of 156.5 percent, from 2,272 MT in the first quarter of 2018 to 5,829 MT during the first quarter of 2019.

Among provinces, Leyte posted the highest contribution to the total municipal fishery (marine and inland) production in the region with 30.0 percent share or 5,829 MT. Samar ranked second with 5,463 MT accounting for 28.1 percent. Southern Leyte, meanwhile, registered the lowest contribution with 5.8 percent share or 1,127 MT during the first quarter of 2019.

Meanwhile, volume of production in aquaculture recorded a decline of 25.3 percent, from 8,244 MT in the first quarter of 2018 to 6,155 MT in the same period of 2019. Eastern Samar and Northern Samar exhibited growths in production with Eastern Samar registering the highest increase of 28.6 percent. The rest of the provinces registered decreases with Leyte recording the highest decline of 49.2 percent.

More than three fifths or 62.8 percent (19,416 MT) of the total fishery production in the region were from municipal fishing. Aquaculture contributed 19.9 percent (6,155 MT), while commercial fishing accounted for 17.3 percent (5,336 MT).