Guimaras’ fish production up by 6.12% in Q1 2019

Guimaras’ fish production improved by 6.12 percent from its 2,287.61 metric tons (MT) in the first quarter of 2018 to 2,427.59 MT in the same period this year.

The better yield is due to positive outputs in marine municipal fisheries sub-sector which contributed 64.77 percent to the provincial total.

Municipal fisheries include fish catch in marine waters with the use of fishing vessels of 3 gross tons or less, or fishing not requiring the use of fishing vessels, fish catch in inland bodies of water such as, rivers, lakes, dams, marshes, etc.

Meanwhile, aquaculture fishing chipped in the remaining 35.23 percent.

Fisheries outputs in three comparative quarters of the years 2017-2019 have been erratic. The yield peaked to 2,507.26 MT in Q1 2017, before falling to 219.65 MT or 8.76 percent in Q1 2018.

Production bounced back after gaining approximately 140 metric tons in the first quarter of 2019.

Municipal fisheries posted positive output in the first quarter of 2019 at 1,572.38 MT, with 14.11 percent proliferation over its production in the same quarter of 2018.

But the output was lower by 10.77 percent compared to Q1 2017.

Volume of aquaculture production, nevertheless, dropped by 5.99 percent during Q1 of 2019 with an estimated output of 855.21 metric tons, translating to 54.46 metric tons deficit over its Q1 2018 output of 909.67 metric tons.

“Despite of the 5.99 percent decrease in aquaculture, total fish production in Guimaras province managed to improve by 6.12 percent brought about by the 14.11 percent increment in marine fishing which contributed almost two-thirds (2/3) to the province’s total fish production,” said Nelida B. Losare, Provincial Statistics Officer of PSA-Guimaras.”

According to the gathered data, the total aquaculture production in 2019 was mainly shared by milkfish and seaweeds comprising 57.14 percent and 41.69 percent, respectively.

Milkfish cultured in brackish water fishpond, fish cage and fish pens produced 488.66 MT, while seaweeds shared 356.55 MT, and tilapia captured from both brackish and freshwater environments produced 6.02 metric tons. On the other hand, catfish, mudcrab, white shrimp, endeavour prawn, oyster, grouper and spiny lobsters production were classified in lump as others.