BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – The total value of fisheries production in Western Visayas has reached P8.44 billion in the second quarter of 2024, according to statistics released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Region 6.
Despite the number, the fisheries production volume decreased about 12.7 percent, or P1.23 billion lower compared to the P9.67-billion value of productivity in the same quarter last year.
The same preliminary statistics found that the volume of production from municipal fisheries and aquaculture decreased by 19.1 percent and 23 percent, respectively, while production from commercial fishing increased by 18.5 percent, or about P381 million compared to the same period last year.
In the second quarter of 2024, the municipal fisheries had also the largest share among subsectors to the region’s fisheries value production at 37 percent followed by aquaculture fisheries at 34 percent and commercial fisheries at 29 percent.
The same figures also showed that municipal fisheries shared 98.4 percent, while inland municipal fisheries contributed the remaining 1.6 percent.
The region’s total fisheries production was estimated at 79,902 metric tons, registering a 14.9 percent decline, or about 13,974 metric tons less, compared to the total volume of fisheries production in the second quarter of 2024.
Such a decrease was attributed to the aquaculture, marine municipal, and inland municipal fisheries subsectors with 21.6 percent, 21.4 percent, and 25.7 percent drop, respectively. The commercial fisheries, however, increased by 14.6 percent.
Two provinces in the region contributed to 21.6 percent of the region’s aquaculture fisheries production in the second quarter of 2024 from the same quarter of 2023.
Antique, which posted an 18.3 percent share of the total production, decreased by 65.5 percent; and Capiz with a 60.4 percent share, decreased by 1.5 percent.
On the other hand, Negros Occidental, which contributed an increase of share by 12.6 percent, hiked by 55.4 percent;
Meanwhile, Iloilo, which posted a 4.0 percent share, increased by 108.8 percent; Aklan, which had a 3.4 percent share, also increased by 38.6 percent; and Guimaras, which registered a 1.4 percent share, increased by 51 percent.
The region’s inland municipal fisheries production posted a 25.7 percent decrease or about 144 metric tons lower from 562 metric tons in the second quarter of 2023.
Capiz contributed the largest share to the region’s municipal fisheries volume of production for the second quarter of 2024 with about 135 metric tons or 32.3 percent of the total production, and a decrease of 50.1 percent.
Aklan and Guimaras dropped by 54.3 percent and 68 percent, respectively.
Likewise, Negros Occidental, which has a 27.6 percent share, increased by 30.4 percent; Iloilo, with a 13.5 percent share, hiked by 260.9 percent; and Antique, which had an eight percent share, also grew by 169.9 percent.
The region’s commercial fisheries production in the same quarter of 2024 increased by 14.6 percent or higher by about 2, 533 metric tons compared to the second quarter of 2023. This increase was contributed by higher production in all provinces except Capiz.
Negros Occidental with a 23.7 percent share, increased by 28.6 percent; Iloilo with a 20.5 percent share, expanded by 12.1 percent; Aklan with a 19.9 percent share, increased by 162.5 percent and Antique with a 17.4 percent share grew by 2.8 percent. On the other hand, Capiz with about 18.6 percent share of the total municipal fisheries production reduced by 28.9 percent. Meanwhile, Guimaras is the only province in the region with no commercial fisheries landing center./PN
