Aquaculture is the primary source of Fishery products in first quarter 2019

The total fishery production in La Union in first quarter 2019 was 1,625.46 metric tons. By subsector, aquaculture had the biggest share in all the fishery production both in first quarter 2018 and 2019 at 1,010.28 metric tons (58.61%) and 1,046.73 (64.40%) respectively.

Municipal fishery subsector ranked second with a share of 23.42 percent (403.8 metric tons) in first quarter 2018 and 18.95 percent (308.03 metric tons) in first quarter 2019. The municipal fishery subsector is divided into two categories namely: marine municipal fisheries and inland municipal fisheries. Both categories revealed a negative growth in first quarter 2019 at 23.70 percent for marine and 23.86 percent for inland. Municipal fisheries data were gathered from administrative records of the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), LGU-managed landing centers and traditional landing centers.

Commercial fisheries subsector had the least proportion on the fishery volume of production with 18.49 percent (318.74 metric tons) in first quarter 2018 and 16.65 percent (270.70 metric tons) in first quarter 2019. Data for commercial fisheries were obtained from LGU-managed fish landing centers, privately-managed fish landing centers and traditional fish landing centers.

Value of fishery production improved by 3.79 percent in first quarter 2019

The total value of all fishery production in La Union in first quarter 2019 went up by 3.79 percent from Php182,484.51 in first quarter 2018 to Php189,401.55 in first quarter 2019.

Aquaculture leads the three sectors in terms of value of production in first quarter 2019 having a share of 64.99 percent of the total value of fishery production in the province. The remaining 35 percent of the provincial total value of production was shared by municipal fisheries with Php36,042.94 (19.03%) and commercial fisheries with Php30,275.63 (15.98%). Among the three subsectors, only aquaculture fishery showed an increase in the value of fishery production compared with the same period last year. It recorded an increase of 29.08 percent from Php95,351.10 in first quarter 2018 to Php123,082.90 on the same period in 2019.

Fisheries (all)

In first quarter 2019, the total volume of all fishery production in La Union estimated at 1,625.46 metric tons was lower by 107.36 metric tons (-5.71%) than the volume reported on the same period in 2018 of 1,732.82 metric tons.

     Compared with the first quarter of 2018, the major species that showed improvements in production were  milkfish and tilapia at 8.45 percent and 7.76 percent increase respectively. Of the top five species in terms of volume of production, Big-eyed scad (Matangbaka) recorded the highest decrease at 30.15 percent. By specie, Milkfish accounted for the largest contribution to the volume of fishery production in La Union at 52.83 percent. Included in the top five species were oyster with 9.63 percent share; Threadfin bream (Bisugo) with 5.51 percent share; Tilapia with 2.11 percent share and Big-eyed scad (Matangbaka) with 1.68 percent share.

Commercial Fisheries

The volume of production from commercial fisheries was posted at 270.7 metric tons in first quarter 2019. It went down by 15.07 percent compared to its level on the same period a year ago of 318.74 metric tons. This subsector comprised 16.65 percent of the total provincial fishery output in first quarter 2019.

Municipal Fisheries

Volume of production from municipal fisheries declined by 23.72 percent from the estimated production in first quarter 2018 of 403.8 metric tons to 308.03 metric tons on the same period this year. This subsector comprised 87.05 percent production from marine municipal fisheries and 12.95 percent inland municipal fisheries. Municipal fisheries contributed 18.95 percent share to the total provincial fishery production.

Aquaculture

The accumulated harvests from aquaculture in first quarter 2019 totalled to 1,046.73 metric tons. This translates an increase of 3.61 percent from the production in first quarter 2018 of 1,010.28 metric tons. The bulk of the provincial total fisheries output is attributed by aquaculture with a share of 64.40 percent.

By specie, milkfish culture accounted the biggest share at 82 percent (858.75 metric tons) in first quarter 2019. It was distantly followed by oyster production  at 14.96 percent share (156.67 metric tons) and tilapia production at 1.59 percent (16.6 metric tons). Endeavor prawn significantly increased in the volume of production from 0.91 metric tons in first quarter 2018 to 7.96 metric tons in first quarter 2019. Oyster and tilapia productions however declined by 20.18 percent and 17.86 percent respectively from the first quarter of 2018 to the same period in 2019.

TECHNICAL NOTES

• Aquaculture is a fishery operation involving all forms of raising and culturing of fish and other fishery species in fresh, brackish and marine water areas. The operation is comprised of activities from stocking to harvesting of species under controlled conditions in farming facility called aquafarm.
• Aquaculture Production refers to the volume harvested from the aquafarm. It includes those species harvested in marketable/matured size and in fresh form.
• Inland Municipal Fishing – the catching of fish, crustaceans, mollusks and other aquatic animals and plants in inland waters like lakes, rivers, dams, marshes, etc. using simple gears and fishing boats some of which are non-motorized with a capacity of less than three (3) gross tons, or fishing not requiring the use of fishing boats.
• Landing Center is a place where the fish catch and other aquatic products are unloaded and traded. Traditional landing center is a type of landing center where fishermen could unload their catch and/or dock their fishing boats without any obligation or payment for the use of the place.
• Quarterly Aquaculture Survey is a quarterly survey that generates estimates of volume and value of production per aquafarm type and species for the subsector.
• Quarterly Inland Fisheries Survey is a survey on volume and price of fish by species, caught by households engaged in inland fishing. It gathers quarterly data with monthly catch from sample fishing households. Respondents are fishermen or any knowledgeable member of the sample household.
• Quarterly Commercial Fisheries Survey (Traditional Landing Center) is a quarterly survey on the volume of fish unloading in traditional landing centers and the price of fish by species.  It gathers data on a quarterly basis but the information that is collected is about monthly fish unloading.
• Quarterly Commercial Fisheries Survey (Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), Local Government Units (LGUs), Privately-Managed Landing Centers) is the gathering of data from the records of the PFDA, LGU and privately-managed landing centers. It is done on a quarterly basis but the information being collected is on each of the three months included in the reference quarter.
• Quarterly Municipal Fisheries Survey (Traditional Landing Center) – is a survey on volume and price of fish, by species, unloaded by fishing boats three (3) gross tons or less. It gathers quarterly data for the entire sample landing center with information on monthly fish unloading.
• Quarterly Municipal  Fisheries Survey (Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), Local Government Units (LGUs), Privately-Managed Landing Centers) is gathering of data on volume and price of fish from administrative records of Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) and Local Government  Units (LGU)-managed landing centers. It is done on a quarterly basis with information from three (3) month period.

SGD. NIÑO E. TUAZON

(Supervising Statistical Specialist)

Officer-in-Charge