GenSan tuna industry seen to slow down in Q1, says business exec
By Judy G. Quiros
DAVAO CITY, Jan. 25 (PNA) - The tuna industry in General Santos City is expected to suffer a 20-percent drop in the first quarter this year, SOCKSARGEN Federation of Fishing Association president Marfenio Tan said.
In a press forum here Monday, Tan said the slump will result from the recent closure of the high seas in the Pacific Ocean where Philippine purse seine vessels routinely operate.
The closure of the high seas was ordered by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) for two years starting January 1.
Tan said General Santos’ tuna industry generates an annual export of 400 metric tons (MT) valued at $ 380 million.
“For our projects this year, the tuna catch will lie low by 20 percent during the first quarter because fishermen who are affected by the closure of the high seas will look for other fishing grounds. Also, catch is usually scarce during the lean months or first quarter and will pick up starting April to May up,†he said.
Tan said some 150,000 persons on board about 200 big and small fishing boats will be affected by the closure.
Catch by purse seiners are mostly for export to the European Union and the United States in canned form, Tan said.
But Tan said he is confident the situation will be temporary, provided government will make some interventions.
He said the industry is counting on the pending Mindanao Economic Development Authority (MEDA) bill which is about to be signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, saying it will help the country’s tuna industry.
The tuna sector is hoping MEDA, once approved, will come up with new bilateral agreements with other countries in terms of the fishing business, Tan said.
He said the tuna sector is also urging the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to implement the Tuna Management Plan and to make a full assessment of the fishing boats operating in the Pacific Ocean in order to avoid the problem of overfishing.
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