PSA updates Western Visayas aquaculture farm list

The Philippine Statistics Authority Regional Statistical Services Office 6 will conduct the 2026 Updating of List of Aquaculture Farms from June 29 to Aug. 7, 2026, covering aquafarms in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo.

The operation, known as ULAF, is part of a nationwide effort to maintain a comprehensive and up-to-date inventory of aquaculture farms in the country.

PSA said the listing operation will help ensure that its quarterly aquaculture surveys are supported by reliable, timely, and accurate sampling frames.

The updated farm list is expected to improve the quality of fisheries statistics used for evidence-based policymaking, program development, and sector planning.

The 2026 ULAF will cover all provinces with existing aquaculture farms based on the 2023 ULAF frame, including all cities and municipalities within those provinces.

In Western Visayas, PSA provincial statistical offices have hired 176 enumerators to update and interview 21,525 aquafarms based on the 2023 ULAF.

The enumerators will also add new aquafarms identified during the field enumeration.

PSA said the operation will involve the simultaneous listing and geotagging of aquafarms.

Only aquafarms that are currently operational or temporarily closed will be geotagged and interviewed.

The agency urged aquaculture farm operators and other respondents to provide honest and accurate information during the enumeration.

PSA said public cooperation is crucial to successfully updating the status of Philippine aquafarms reported in 2023.

The activity comes as aquaculture remains a key component of the country’s fisheries sector, with PSA’s fisheries statistics covering commercial, municipal, and aquaculture production at the national, regional, and provincial levels.

PSA earlier said the 2026 ULAF census component is intended to support data-driven policy and planning in the aquaculture sector.

The agency’s OpenSTAT database also maintains fisheries datasets, including aquaculture value and production data by geolocation, aquafarm type, species, year, and quarter.