Pricier fish seen as Palawan fishing grounds closure looms

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) anticipates an easing in fish supply in the final six months of the year due to the impact of adverse weather conditions coinciding with the closure of fishing areas around Palawan in November.
Fish catch in the third quarter alone is seen lower to only 822,000 metric tons (MT) against demand of 825,000 MT. Fish supply in the fourth quarter when holidays and merrymaking abound is projected at 769,000 MT versus demand of 827,000 MT.
The BFAR said this near term fish production outlook is precisely the justification used by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to craft the guidelines to the memorandum circular (MC) allowing the importation of 35,000 MT of frozen fish from October to December this year.
The imports will augment local fish supply when the fishing grounds are closed in northern Palawan from November to January nest year.
Under MC No. 36 – 2023 signed by DA senior undersecretary Domingo Panganiban on Tuesday, imported frozen fish allowed entry during the period include round scad, big eye scad, mackerel, bonito and moonfish.
The commercial fishing sector is allowed to import 80 percent of the 35,000 MT maximum importable volume (MIV), or 28,000 MT, based on the fish landings of each of the commercial fishing operators.
For fisheries associations and cooperatives, 20 percent of the MIV or 7,000 MT is allocated as imports based on the immediately preceding import period.
The DA said importers must have proof of cold storage facility or cold storage warehouse leases before they are issued so-called SPSICs.
Importers are also obligated to comply with food safety standards and must source their supply from “respectable sources” to guarantee they are not derived from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Transfer of import allocations are also not allowed as importers are encouraged to immediately trade the imported fish to ensure against overlapping with the local catch at the resumption of the fishing season.
Based on latest monitoring of public markets in the National Capital Region, the retail price of the bell weather galunggong ranges from P220 to 280 per kilo while imported galunggong is sold at P200 per kilo as of Wednesday.