The output of fish products declined by 6.2 percent to 1.02 million metric tons during the second quarter of the year from 1.08 metric tons last year, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

“Decrease in production was noted from marine municipal fisheries, inland municipal fisheries, and aquaculture, while commercial fisheries reported increment in production,” the PSA said.

It noted that the commercial fisheries production, which comprised 28.2 percent of the total fisheries, increased by 21.9 percent to 286,600 metric tons from the same quarter of the previous year’s output of 235.17 thousand metric tons.

Meanwhile, the volume of marine municipal fisheries production declined by 3.7 percent to 229.37 thousand metric tons, lower than the 238.13 thousand metric tons last year. It also shared 22.5 percent of the total.

Inland municipal fisheries production was recorded at 30.10 thousand metric tons, down by 21.3 percent from the 8.23 thousand metric tons a year ago. It contributed 3.0 percent to the total fisheries production in the second quarter of 2024.

Aquaculture production last year stood at 471.40 thousand metric tons, lower by 17.7 percent compared to the 573.06 thousand metric tons recorded volume in the same quarter of 2023. The PSA said that it contributed the biggest share of 46.3 percent to the total fisheries production.

The PSA reported that output reductions were observed in the following major species: seaweed (-25.8 percent), roundscad (galunggong, -13.6 percent), big-eyed scad (matangbaka, -22.3 percent), tilapia (-6.0 percent), and milkfish (bangus, -4.6 percent)

Meanwhile, the PSA added that production of the following grew in the second quarter: skipjack (gulyasan, 141.2 percent), yellowfin tuna (tambakol/bariles, 43.2 percent), frigate tuna (tulingan, 33.7 percent), P. Vannamei (putian, 33.6 percent), and bigeye tuna (tambakol/bariles, 94.1 percent).

Last week, the PSA reported that the value of the country's agricultural production totaled P413.91 billion from April to June, a 3.3 percent decrease compared to P427.95 billion in the same period the previous year.

“This was due to the annual decreases in the values of crops and livestock production during the period. Meanwhile, values of poultry and fisheries production posted annual increments,” the PSA said in a statement.

This decline in the second quarter was more pronounced than the 1.2 percent decrease recorded in the same quarter of 2023.

The second quarter farm output brought the country’s first-semester agricultural productions to P843.53 billion, lower by 1.5 percent compared to P856.74 billion in the same period in 2023.

From April to June, crop production, the largest contributor to the farm sector's total value, decreased by 8.6 percent to P220.04 billion in the second quarter of 2024. 

According to the PSA, the decline was primarily driven by decreases in palay and corn output by 9.5 percent and 20.3 percent, respectively.

Livestock production also decreased slightly by 0.3 percent to P63.33 billion, representing 15.3 percent of the total agricultural and fisheries production value during the same period.

Hogs, a significant component of livestock production, recorded a marginal 0.2 percent year-on-year decrease, the PSA said.

In contrast, poultry output increased by 8.7 percent to P70.15 billion from the previous year and contributed 16.9 percent to the total farm sector value.

During the second quarter, all poultry commodities showed an increase in their production value.