The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) is expecting brighter prospects on the country’s tuna fisheries sector this year after a two-year slump.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said with the lifting of a ban on tuna fishing at “Pocket 1” of the Pacific Ocean, Filipino fishermen have resumed their operations in 2012 in said area, resulting in more catch. Pocket 1 of the Pacific Ocean is bounded by Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
As a result, commercial catch of bigeye and yellow fin tuna in 2012 totaled to 7,912 metric tons (MT) and 77,730 MT, respectively, according to the DA’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS).
These were 31 and 13 percent more compared to the total catch in 2011 of bigeye tuna (6,021 MT) and yellow fin tuna (68,625 MT), respectively.
Exports of fresh and processed tuna in 2012 also rose by 41 percent to USD 411 million versus USD 292 million in 2011, said Director Asis Perez, of the DA’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).