TACLOBAN CITY – The province of Leyte has produced the highest volume of fishery production in the 4th quarter of 2018, a report from the regional office of the Philippine Statistics Authority(PSA) said.
Wilma Perante, PSA regional director, said that among the region’s provinces, Leyte produced the highest volume of fisheries at 9,585 metric tons (MT), comprising 31.5 percent of the total fishery production in the region.
Samar ranked second at 7,650 MT, accounting for 25.1 percent of the region’s total fishery production. Biliran, meanwhile registered 1,227 MT, the lowest volume of production which shared 4.0 percent only.
Perante reported that the fishing industry of the region posted a 3.9 percent increase in production during the 4th quarter of 2018.
“The total fish production in the region went up to 30,461 metric tons (MT) during the 4th quarter of 2018 from 29,306 MT in the same quarter of 2017,” she said.
Perante also reported that Eastern Visayas accounted for 2.5 percent of the country’s total fishery production during the 4th quarter of 2018.
“It ranked sixth among the regions with low fishery production in the country. Volume of production in commercial fishing went up by 6.4 percent, from 2,672 MT in the 4th quarter of 2017 to 2,844 MT in the same quarter of 2018,” she said.
Perante said that all provinces registered increases in commercial fishing, except Southern Leyte, which recorded a decline of 51.6 percent.
Leyte recorded the highest increase of 74.7 percent, from 106 MT in the fourth quarter of 2017 to 186 MT in the same quarter of 2018.
Similarly, volume of production in municipal fishing (marine and inland) registered an increase of 5.8 percent, from 18,135 MT in the 4th quarter of 2017 to 19,179 MT in the same of 2018.
“Among provinces Northern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte registered growths in production of 42.1 percent, 18.8 percent, and 6.8 percent, respectively. Decreases, meanwhile, were observed in Leyte (23.7 percent), Eastern Samar (19.5 percent), and Biliran (3.5 percent), the source said.
Leyte produced the highest volume of aquaculture at 7,294 MT accounting for 86.5 percent of the region’s total aquaculture production, she added.
On the other hand, Perante said, the volume of production in aquaculture showed a slight decline of 0.7 percent, from 8,499 MT in the 4th quarter of 2017 to 8,437 MT in the same quarter of 2018.
Among the provinces, Samar, Northern Samar, and Southern Leyte recorded increases in production at 96.6 percent, 23.1 percent, and 16.7 percent, respectively.
Eastern Samar recorded the largest decrease in production of 31.2 percent, from 198 MT in the 4th quarter of 2017 to 136 MT in the 4th quarter of 2018, she said.
More than half or 63.0 percent (19,179 MT) of the total fishery production in the region were from municipal fishing. Aquaculture contributed 27.7 percent (8,437MT), while commercial fishing accounted for 9.3 percent (2,844 MT), Perante said. (RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)
