Fisheries Country Profile: Philippines

The Philippines is an archipelago composed of 7,641 islands with a total land area of 301,000 km2 and surrounded by major bodies of water such as the Pacific Ocean in the east, South China Sea in the west, Luzon Strait in the North, and Celebes Sea in the south. The territorial waters including the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) have a total area of 2,200,000 km2 and the coastline has a total length of 36,289 km. The country sits at the heart of the coral triangle which is the global center of marine biodiversity with nearly 60 % of the world’s known fishes as well as over 300 species of corals (Carpenter & Springer, 2005).

The fisheries sector of the Philippines is categorized into commercial fisheries, municipal fisheries, and aquaculture. Commercial fisheries refer to capture fishing operations using fishery vessels of over 3 GT outside the municipal waters (beyond 15 km from the shoreline) and are classified into: a) small scale using passive or active gear and utilizing fishing vessels of 3.1–20 GT; b) medium scale utilizing active gears and vessels of 20.1–150 GT; and c) large scale utilizing active gears and vessels of more than 150 GT. Municipal fisheries refer to capture fishing operations using fishery vessels of 3 GT or less including other forms of fishing not involving the use of watercraft. Aquaculture involves fish culture activities in inland and marine waters. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) under the Department of Agriculture is the government agency responsible for the development, improvement, management, and conservation of the fisheries and aquatic resources of the Philippines.

In 2020, the contribution of the fisheries sector to the gross domestic product of the country was 1.52% at current and constant prices, respectively. In 2021, each Filipino consumed an average of 34.28 kg/year of fish and fishery products comprising 23.34 kg of fresh fish, 2.86 kg of dried fish, 3.89 kg of processed fish, 2.88 kg of crustaceans and mollusks, and 1.31 kg of others.

Total fishery production of the Philippines by quantity (MT)

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Total 4,398,589 4,413,129 4,613,074 4,312,663 4,350,761 4,645,871
Capture Fisheries 2,075,758 2,054,891 2,308,709 2,074,876 2,149,847 2,297,712
Marine Capture 1,927,343 1,900,210 2,145,735 1,911,006 1,994,338 2,094,346
Inland Capture 148,415 154,681 162,974 163,870 155,509 203,366
Aquaculture 2,322,831 2,358,238 2,304,365 2,237,787 2,200,914 2,348,159

Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2020

Total fishery production of the Philippines by value (US$ 1,000)

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Total 5,238,534 5,053,999 4,849,394 4,551,009 4,527,093 5,054,641
Capture Fisheries 2,862,502 2,779,349 2,766,892 2,550,370 2,562,633 2,919,257
Marine Capture 2,679,281 2,606,716 2,599,150 2,389,033 2,410,246 2,710,338
Inland Capture 183,221 172,633 167,742 161,337 152,387 208,919
Aquaculture 2,376,032 2,274,650 2,082,502 2,000,639 1,964,460 2,135,384

Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2020

Production of major species/groups of species from marine capture fisheries of the Philippines by quantity (MT)

Major species/group 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Tunas 520,167 530,754 532,856 541,325 509,177 560,161
Sardines 348,498 334,696 350,830 331,485 369,685 384,711
Scads 387,035 319,319 302,516 314,283 356,673 364,793
Mackerels 83,182 91,919 88,614 97,762 103,828 114,793
Squids 49,086 53,772 53,506 56,575 59,286 59,794
Carangids 52,351 51,200 51,918 53,374 60,389 64,201
Shrimps/prawns 33,823 38,495 32,879 29,325 31,416 32,984
Crabs 33,545 30,224 34,605 31,956 29,532 27,207

Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2020

Production of major species/groups of species from inland capture fisheries of the Philippines by quantity (MT)

Major species/group 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Molluscs 45,592 45,599 49,693 52,344 53,982 57,690
Tilapias 40,455 41,802 44,071 43,240 41,677 50,474
Cyprinids 14,523 17,227 17,671 16,114 14,662 30,688
Snakehead 7,476 8,276 9,666 9,512 8,829 11,754
Catfishes 4,480 5,168 5,815 5,670 5,735 6,263
Milkfish 6,472 5,038 4,988 5,260 4,567 8,313
Natantia decapods 3,851 4,957 5,123 4,087

Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2020

Production of major species/groups of species from aquaculture of the Philippines by quantity (MT)

Major species/group 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Seaweeds 1,468,653 1,499,961 1,478,301 1,415,321 1,404,519 1,566,361
Milkfish 414,489 409,906 395,130 411,103 398,088 384,425
Tilapias 263,871 279,385 277,006 267,735 259,045 261,210
Shrimps/prawns 64,153 66,560 59,588 62,422 61,682 60,881
Molluscs 72,261 61,615 55,011 42,153 38,287 36,210
Crabs 20,766 20,772 20,770 18,100 16,857 16,199

Source: Fishery Statistical Bulletin of Southeast Asia 2020

Export and import of fishery products of the Philippines by quantity (MT) and value (US$ 1,000)

Year Export Import
Quantity (MT) Value (US$ 1,000) Quantity (MT) Value (US$ 1,000)
2020 238,046 834,497 356,792 473,549
2019 216,885 838,146 464,688 626,626
2018 270,879 912,387 473,963 605,809
2017 321,989 883,537 493,535 585,047
2016 234,418 735,786 417,022 398,264
2015 225,190 805,286 384,843 369,746

Source: FAO Fishery and Aquaculture Information and Statistics Service