Davao fishport hopes for better year for tuna industry

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Tuna industry players in Southern  Mindanao are hoping for a richer catch in the year of the water dragon despite the declining worldwide tuna harvest due to changes in the climate.

“We’re hopeful for 2012,” said Mariano Malinao, manager of the Davao Fishport, one of the major tuna landing ports in the region.

“We’re listening to our Chinese and Japanese friends and they’re saying that the year of the water dragon will be good for business, especially for tuna fishing. The industry will hopefully grow this year,” he said.

Data from the Davao Fishport showed declining tuna catch in the last five years and a declining number of foreign vessel arrivals.

Malinao said that from January to November 2011, the total tuna volume that entered the fishport was 2,567 metric tons, or a decrease of 20 percent compared with the 3,098.5 metric tons registered during the same period in 2010.

Foreign fishing vessel arrivals at the Davao Fishport also declined by 17 percent to only 295 compared to 357 last year.

“The tuna industry has noted the declining trend in the last three years not only in the Asia Pacific region but also worldwide,” Malinao said.

He said that tuna industry players will meet in Bangkok this year to draw up a plan of action in response to this worldwide trend. The decline has been attributed to changes in weather patterns, Malinao said.

Tuna catch processed at the Davao fishport reached a peak of 5,576 metric tons in 2007.

In 2008, it was down to 3,917 metric tons, or a decline of 29.76 percent, and further down by 25 per cent to 2,936 in 2009.

In hoping that the tuna industry would bounce back this year, Malinao cited the 19.71 percent increase from the 2009 figure to 3,514 in 2010.