Year-on-year fisheries production in Region 12 declines

A fisherman hauls tuna at the fishport in General Santos CIty. The fishing industry in this city usually sends big vessels to the high seas. MindaNews file photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 6 March) – Fisheries production in Region 12 or Soccsksargen region plunged by 13.2 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority – Region 12 (PSA-12) showed.

The year-on-year performance of the fisheries sector in the region showed that production went down from 336,462 metric tons (MT) in 2024 to 292,150 MT last year.

Maqtahar Manulon, PSA-12 director, said the reduction was largely influenced by decreases across all subsectors — commercial, municipal fisheries, and aquaculture.

Marine municipal fisheries suffered the major blow with a decline of 66.6 percent, followed by municipal fisheries at 49.3 percent.

“Commercial fisheries remained the dominant contributor to the regional fisheries output,” Manulon said.

In 2025, commercial fisheries accounted for 85.4 percent of the regional fisheries output at 249,563 MT. Last year’s production was lower by 4.9 percent from the 262,360 MT caught in 2024.

Commercial fisheries involve fishing operations in marine waters beyond 15 kilometers from the shoreline by fishing boats with more than three gross tons.

In 2025, municipal fisheries output totaled 26,782.81 MT, down 49.3 percent from the 52,799 MT in 2024. Municipal fisheries cover fishing operations in marine waters within 15 kilometers from the shoreline by fishing boats with three gross tons or less.

For marine municipal fisheries, production declined to 11,897.57 MT, representing a 66.6 percent decrease from the 2024 level of 35,576.17 MT.

Marine municipal fisheries refer to the industry devoted to the catching, processing, or selling of fish, shellfish, or other aquatic species. Fish are caught in seawater or saltwater using synthetic fiber nets or mechanized fishing.

This segment has grown in size and sophistication in the last 50 years, and fish are caught in nets or on lines, sorted on board a fishing vessel, and then brought back to shore, Manulon explained, adding that popular marine fish varieties include mackerel, tuna, sardines, and bombay duck.

For inland municipal fisheries, the region produced 14,885.24 MT last year, down by 14 percent from the 17,220 MT the previous year.

Inland municipal fisheries cover fishing operations performed in inland bodies of water either using fishing vessels of three gross tons or less or no fishing vessel at all, Manulon said.

In 2025, Region 12’s aquaculture production reached 15,804.39 MT, down 26 percent from the 21,310 MT the previous year. Aquaculture includes fishpond or fish pen farming.

Region 12 comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani, and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong and Kidapawan. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)