THE total fisheries production in Western Visayas increased by 14.1 percent in the first quarter of this year.
Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Regional Statistical Services Office 6 showed that the region’s total fisheries production was estimated at 59,786 metric tons (MT) from January to March 2025 – 7,371 MT higher than the 52,415 MT volume of production in the same quarter of 2024.
PSA-6 said the growth was attributed to aquaculture and inland municipal fisheries with 37.6 percent and 19.9 percent, respectively. On the other hand, commercial and marine municipal fisheries subsectors reduced by 16.6 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively.
Of the region’s total fisheries production, aquaculture fisheries shared 59.8 percent. Municipal fisheries, which includes marine and inland subsectors, contributed 21.4 percent, while commercial fisheries contributed 18.7 percent.
Four provinces also contributed to the 37.6 percent increase in the region’s aquaculture fisheries production in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. Antique with a share of 63.7 percent to total production, rose by 41.2 percent; Capiz with 22.6 percent share inclined by 17.3 percent; Iloilo with 9.7 percent share grew by 135.7 percent; and Aklan with 2.2 percent share increased by 54.8 percent. On the other hand, Guimaras with 1.8 percent share dropped by 33.4 percent.
Meanwhile, compared with the first quarter of 2024, the region’s marine municipal fisheries production in the same quarter of 2025 dropped by 1.9 percent or lower by about 236 MT. Antique with 36.0 percent share contracted by 19.4 percent and Guimaras with 6.6 percent share likewise dropped by 17.6 percent. Iloilo with 22.2 percent share posted an increase of 28.1 percent; Capiz with 17.9 percent share grew by 11.5 percent; and Aklan with 17.2 percent share posted an increase of 9.3 percent.
For inland municipal fisheries production, it posted a 19.9 percent increase or about 56 MT more than the 280 MT in the first quarter last year. Aklan with 36.9 percent share shot up by 167.5 percent; Iloilo with 7.0 percent share escalated by 3.7 percent; Antique with 4.8 percent share inclined by 25.6 percent; and Guimaras with 3.6 percent share expanded by 77.2 percent. However, Capiz with 47.7 percent share reported a decline of 16.4 percent.
Moreover, in the first quarter, commercial fisheries production of Western Visayas was lower by 16.6 percent or about 2,224 MT less compared with the first quarter of 2024.
Also, the total fisheries value of production escalated in all subsectors of fisheries in the region except in commercial fisheries. With a total value of P4.73 billion in the first quarter of 2025, this is 4.9 percent or about P222 million higher compared to the P4.51-billion value of production in the first quarter of 2024./PN
