The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Thursday assured the public of adequate fish supply as the approaching Lenten holidays typically boosts demand and cause prices to spike.
The BFAR said there will be enough supply as fishing grounds have reopened after a periodic closure that allowed fish species to reproduce.
“We are in the peak season of fishing activity, so we expect to meet the high demand for fish during the Holy Week,” said Nazario Briguera, BFAR spokesperson.
He brushed aside concerns that the oil spill in Mindoro could push fish output in the region and nearby provinces lower as a result, saying the incident definitely cannot cause a “shortage of fish on a national scale.”
But he acknowledged the cost of fuel and post-harvest losses continue to be among the major challenges the sector is facing.
“Oil prices are fluctuating. Sometimes it increases and affects fishing activities such that BFAR is implementing a subsidy program and call for payao technology use by small-scale fisherfolk,” Briguera said.
He said fish spoilage is between 25 to 40 percent due to the sorry lack of post-harvest equipment like blast freezers, ice-making machines, cold storage warehouses and fish landing sites.
But even with these challenges, the Philippines still produced 4.34 million metric tons of fish in 2022 which was 2 percent higher than in 2021 of only 4.25 million MT.
