The country’s tuna catch increased by 14.6 percent to more than 230,000 metric tons (MT) in 2025, with skipjack tuna remaining the most sought-after species, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Citing data from the 18th Annual Catch Estimates Review Workshop, the DA said last year’s tuna catch increased to an estimated 230,347 MT from 201,034 MT in 2024.

The DA said the tuna catch estimate for last year was consolidated based on fisheries data from various government agencies, such as the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA).

As part of its membership in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), the Philippines reports tuna catch estimates annually as part of the group’s efforts to uphold the sustainable conservation and management of fish stocks.

“Through the comparison and validation of various datasets and estimation methods, participants finalized the country's annual tuna catch estimates, which are reported by species and fishing gear in accordance with WCPFC reporting requirements,” the DA said.

Of last year’s tuna catch, skipjack tuna remained the most dominant species, accounting for more than 58 percent of the total.

Yellowfin tuna ranked second with approximately 39 percent, followed by bigeye tuna at about three percent and albacore tuna at less than one percent.

Among fishing gears, the DA said purse seine fisheries represented more than 46 percent of the total estimated tuna production.

By region, Soccsksargen recorded the highest volume of tuna landings in the country.

Data from the PSA showed that the total volume of fisheries production in 2025 reached 3.96 million MT, down by 2.5 percent from 4.06 million MT in the previous year.

“Decreases in production were noted in commercial fisheries, marine municipal fisheries, and aquaculture. Only inland municipal fisheries posted increments in production during the year,” the PSA said.

By species, skipjack tuna accounted for 263,760 MT, or 6.7 percent of total fisheries production. This represented a decline of 7.3 percent from the previous year’s catch of 284,659 MT.

Yellowfin tuna increased by six percent to 97,280 MT from 91,739 MT, while bigeye tuna improved marginally to 18,361 MT from 18,241 MT in the previous year.

As part of the workshop, the DA said industry stakeholders recommended strengthening catch reporting by including fishing grounds in the annual data, in addition to species and fishing gear.

It was also proposed to enhance data coverage and alignment with WCPFC standards, standardize gear classifications, and incorporate distant-water catches into electronic reporting systems.