President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has ordered the construction of fish ports in 11 coastal provinces in the country to address the challenges faced by Filipino fisherfolks.

Marcos made the directive during a sectoral meeting on Tuesday, March 14 in Malacañang.

The President ordered concerned government agencies to prioritize fish port construction in 11 coastal provinces "to capacitate and empower fisherfolks towards resiliency."

He also ordered the rehabilitation of 20 identified municipal fish ports tagged as traditional landing ports in the country.

The move, he said, is aimed at decreasing post-harvest losses through the construction of cold storage facilities in fish posts nationwide.

He also ordered the agencies to provide small-scale fisherfolks ice-making machines and intensive training, and distribute equipment to bring down post-harvest losses.

According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), among the challenges faced by the fisheries sector is the declining fish catch, high poverty incidence and post-harvest losses, which is currently at 25 to 40 percent losses along the value chain.

The agency presented to the President strategies to increase fish production through aquaculture at 10 percent annually in six years to contribute to food security while easing out pressure from capture fisheries and enabling resources to recover.