Local fish catch improved in November

Ending the slump seen in the previous three months caused mainly by severe weather conditions, regional fish ports saw a 22.45-percent increase in fish catch volume in November, the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) said.

Data from the PFDA showed that fish unloading volume reached 32,091.03 metric tons (MT) in November from 26,208.13 MT in October.

The General Santos Fish Port Complex transported 17,900.32 MT of fish products, a gain of 56.18 percent, accounting for more than half of the aggregate volume of all ports in November.

The Bulan Fish Port Complex recorded the largest increment of 150.4 percent as it shipped 1,201.13 MT to clients and stakeholders.

On the other hand, the Sual Fish Port recovered from the past month’s decline and posted an increase of 62.2 percent to end the month at 206.08 MT.

The Lucena Fish Port Complex’s shipment rose by 6.77 percent to 1,927.26 MT, its highest volume since February last year.

All regional fish ports in Mindanao saw an uptrend in their respective unloading volumes: Zamboanga Fish Port Complex (806.54 MT, 21.28 percent higher) and Davao Fish Port Complex (371.61 MT, up by 52.4 percent).

Meanwhile, the Navotas Fish Port Complex unloaded 8,304.86 MT while the Iloilo Fish Port Complex distributed 1,373.23 MT.

Fish volume recorded by regional fish ports hit a record high in July 2022 but declined from August to October of the same year.

Earlier, the PFDA said its central office and six regional ports had retained their International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 certifications after Socotec  Certification Philippines Inc. completed the surveillance audit. These are the Navotas Fish Port Complex, Iloilo Fish Port Complex, Lucena Fish Port Complex, Davao Fish Port Complex, General Santos Fish Port Complex and Zamboanga Fish Port Complex.

“The ISO 9001:2015 recertification of the PFDA shows its capability to consistently serve the needs of its clients and comply with legal and regulatory requirements. Through the continuous implementation of a quality management system, this certification safeguards customer satisfaction,” the PFDA had said.