INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
The volume of fish products delivered at regional fish ports nationwide hit a record high in April, more than a month after the government had lifted a temporary fishing ban.
In a report, the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) said fish unloading volume had climbed by 34.7 percent to 60,256.88 metric tons (MT) in April from 44,721.05 MT in the same month a year ago. This marked the highest fish unloading in the recorded history of PFDA.
The April volume of fish harvests also represented a 9-percent increase from the 55,277.46 MT recorded in March.
The volume of fish unloading at regional ports has been on an uptrend since January this year.
Among the ports, the General Santos Fish Port Complex delivered 28,027.19 MT, equivalent to a share of 46.5 percent. It surged by almost 90 percent from a year prior.
The Navotas Fish Port Complex came next with a shipment of 23,344.29 MT, relatively unchanged from last year. It accounted for 38.7 percent of overall volume.
The PFDA said the General Santos and Navotas fish ports “were the leading makers of history when it came to total fish unloading delivered to their respective consumers.”
The Bulan Fish Port Complex delivered 3,152.15 MT of fish, surging by 62.6 percent while the Lucena Fish Port Complex harvested 2,030.36 MT, a decrease of 14.1 percent.
The Iloilo Fish Port Complex, the sole fish port in the Visayas, shipped 2,570.82 MT of fish, rising by 32.6 percent.
Both the Zamboanga Fish Port Complex and the Davao Fish Port Complex supplied 752.43 MT and 307.03 MT of fish, respectively.
Accounting for the remainder were the Sual Fish Port with 69.93 MT and the Camaligan Fish Port with 2.68 MT.
Most regional ports expanded their fish deliveries as commercial fishers are now allowed to fish again in major fishing grounds.
To recall, the government lifted the fishing ban in Northern Palawan.
Every year, commercial fishers are prohibited from fishing for three months in major fishing grounds to conserve marine species and address climate change concerns.