The Department of Agriculture has approved the importation of 35,000 metric tons of various types of fish, including “galunggong” or round scad.
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources spokesperson Nazer Briguera said the importation will cover the expected shortage due to the annual closed fishing season in Palawan from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31.
“We need to fill the gap in supply in our wet markets that is why we approved the importation, Briguera said.
Aside from galunggong—which used to be the favored fish of poor Filipino families—other fish to be imported include mackerel, bonito, and bigeye scad, among others.
Briguera said imports are set to arrive in October.
All imports should also arrive before January 15, 2024.
“We want the supply to be just enough. We do not want to flood the markets, we only need what is enough to meet the demand during the closed fishing season,” Briguera added.
In June, Briguera said the fish catch in the West Philippine Sea saw a decline of 7 percent last year at 275,872 metric tons (MT) from 295,332 MT in 2021.
Data from BFAR showed the WPS accounted for 7.28 percent of the total fisheries production in the country, producing an average of 318,040 metric tons annually from 2016 to 2020.
The area also serves as a fishing ground for 318,297 fisherfolk from Region I, Region II, National Capital Region, Region IV-A, and Region IV-B.
“Whatever hindering factors are happening right now if it will be gone, this means we can better take advantage of the resources in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.
“Is it possible that the production in WPS will increase if not for these issues? I would say, yes,” Briguera added.
