ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanews/05 May) – Fish production in the three Zamboanga provinces decreased by 137,659.21 Metric Tons (MT) or 18.18% last year compared with 2010, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said.
NSCB Regional Director Mewchun Pamaran said this came about as the commercial, municipal and aquaculture fishery sectors registered a downward trend in production , with only 619,556.99 MT last year compared to 757,216.20 MT in the previous year.
Pamaran said fish production by commercial fishers last year was lower by 125,314.52 MT from 339,750.97 MT in 2010 to 214,436.45 Metric Tons (MT) in 2011.
Pamaran said the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga City registered production shortfall in commercial fisheries, which constitute about 34.
6 percent of the total fishery production in the region.
The commercial fishery data of the three areas are as follows: Zamboanga del Norte went down by 1,036.54 MT from 20,999.20 in 2010 to 19,962.66 in 2011; Zamboanga del Sur decreased by 2,516.39 MT to 31,622.48 MT in 2011 from 34,138.87 in 2010; and, Zamboanga City was lesser by 117,213.84 MT to 158,473.97 MT in 2011 from 275,687.81 MT in 2010.
Pamaran said the decrease in the commercial fishery production was largely attributed to lesser number of fishing activities and number of unloading due to weather disturbances that occurred during the period.
The total production for municipal fishery, which accounts for 20.8 percent of the region’s total fisheries production, was pegged at 129,037.
87 MT in 2011 or lower by 7,028.94 MT compared to that in 2010 production of 136,066.81 MT, Pamaran said.
All of the areas in the region–Zamboanga City, and the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay–have marked a downward trend in municipal fishery production in 2011 compared to that in the previous year.
Of the four areas, Zamboanga del Norte registered the highest municipal fishery production shortfall of 3,289.45 MT to 37,061.47 MT in 2011 from 40,350.92 MT in 2010.
The municipal fishery production of the other areas in the region are: Zamboanga del Sur down by 2,634.
64 MT from 25,677.22 MT in 2010 to 23,042.58 MT in 2011; Zamboanga City from 42,225.15 MT in 2010 to 41,526.46 MT in 2011; and, Zamboanga Sibugay from 27,813.52 MT in 2010 to 27,813.52 in 2011.
Pamaran said that the region’s aquaculture production also exhibited a downward trend though three areas in the region namely Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte provinces and Zamboanga City registered an increase in production.
As a whole, Pamaran said the region’s aquaculture production is lesser by 5,315.76 MT from 281,398.42 MT in 2010 to 276,082.66 MT last year since the increase in the production of the three areas were not sufficient the offset the shortfall of Zamboanga del Sur that reached 10,838.52 MT.
The aquaculture production of Zamboanga del Sur last year went down to 44,297.36 MT from 55,135.88 MT in 2010.
The aquaculture production of the three areas that marked an increase are: Zamboanga Sibugay from 132,581.82 in 2010 to 135,650.46 MT in 2011; Zamboanga City from 60,006.46MT in 2010 to 62,064.87 MT in 2011; and Zamboanga del Norte from 33,674.25MT in 2010 to 34,069.98 MT in 2011.
Aquaculture accounted for about 44.6 percent of the total fisheries production of the region.
Seaweed farmers produced 254,521.10 metric tons last year, lower by 3,610.2 MT than 258,131.30 MT in 2010, according to Pamaran. (MindaNews)
