GUIMARAS – The fish yield of Guimaras province has continuously dropped for three years, the latest report of the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
The island province recorded a 34.88 percent decline from 7,940.37 metric tons of yield in 2020 to 5,170.71 metric tons in 2023. On a year-on-year basis, a 29.67 percent drop was observed in 2022.
“The reduction in yield was due to the reduced productivity of aquaculture and the municipal fishing industry; there was no commercial fishing in Guimaras province,” Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare said.
Losare further discussed that aquaculture production climbed up by 4.81 percent, translating to about 95.61 metric tons more in 2023 compared to the 2022 level.
In contrast, the production of municipal fisheries continued to drop from 2021 until 2023.
There was a reduction of 12.53 percent in 2023, showing a 442.33 metric tons decrement when compared to the 2022 level, while the 2022 production recorded a drop of 30.17 percent, or 1,525.07 metric tons, compared to the 2021 fish yield. The lesser shortfall was in 2021, with a 1.38% decrement, equivalent to 70.88 metric tons fewer than the 2020 yield.
The municipal fishing industry in Guimaras is comprised mainly of marine (89.9 percent) and inland municipal fisheries (1.9 percent), on average.
Meanwhile, the top 5 marine species in the province are milkfish, round herring, anchovies, cavalla, and fimbriated sardines, with milkfish having the highest production from 2020 to 2023.
“Among the top five marine species, only milkfish and fimbriated sardines exhibited increased production in 2023, while the three others declined. Milkfish grew by 7.51 percent, or 134.34 metric tons, over its 2022 yield, while fimbriated sardines improved by 2.69 percent, or 7.97 metric tons, in 2023”, Losare said.
“Anchovies, cavalla, and round herring decreased in their 2023 yield by 37.48 percent, or 171.12 metric tons; 24.75 percent, or 71.95 metric tons; and 27.99 percent, or 32.83 metric tons, respectively,” she added. (PSA)/PN
