Capture fishery production in the Philippines dropped by an average of 45 million kilograms of fish annually, or roughly 45,000 metric tons (MT), between 2010 and 2023 due to weak law enforcement and governance failures, according to marine conservation nonprofit Oceana.
In a report titled “Net Loss: How Governance Gaps are Sinking Philippine Fisheries,", Oceana estimated that the average annual losses translated into 591,136 MT of cumulative production decline over the 13-year period. Oceana warned that continued inaction could push the country’s fisheries toward collapse.
Citing government data, the report said that 88 percent of assessed fish stocks were overfished or depleted as of 2017, while total fish catch fell 26.9 percent to 1.9 million MT in 2023 from 2.6 million MT in 2010.
The authors of the study, comprising academics from the University of the Philippines Visayas, said the fisheries sector has been in long-term decline despite the existence of legal frameworks intended to restore fish stocks for future generations. They attributed the trend to weak enforcement by the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
The findings were discussed at a forum attended by government officials, researchers, and fishing communities, where participants called on the government to take action to reverse the fisheries crisis, Oceana said.
“This is a national food security emergency,” Oceana Vice President Von Hernandez said in a release. “Our fisheries are being emptied and, with them, the livelihoods and food sources of millions of Filipinos. We call on [Philippines] President [Ferdinand] Marcos Jr. to reverse this alarming trend by investigating and holding to account the government officials and vested interests responsible for this gross neglect.”
The decline has had significant social consequences, according to the study, with roughly 15 percent out of around 2.5 million fishers and family members affected by the downturn classified as poor, according to Oceana.
Additionally, the report highlighted the aging profile of the fishing industry, with the average Filipino fisher now in their late 40s to early 50s. It said younger workers are leaving the sector due to low monthly earnings of between PHP 2,500 and PHP 7,000 (USD 42.20 and USD 118.70, EUR 35.90 and EUR 101).
