MANILA, Philippines – Surging fuel prices are forcing more fishers to stay ashore, cutting into daily catches and squeezing coastal communities already struggling with rising costs.

“Our fishing operations today are operating at the edge,” said Kenrick Teng of Socsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Incorporated during a Senate hearing on Wednesday, April 8.

Representatives from fishers’ organizations, tuna manufacturers, shrimp aquaculture sector, agricultural groups, are among those who attended the Senate hearing on the impact of the global oil crisis to farmers and fishers.

While the government’s retail price monitoring show only slight changes, the impact of the crisis are already felt in the producers’ side of the supply chain.

“When the boats stop, supply goes down,” said Teng. “And we all know what follows: pressure on food security.” According to Teng, more than 69,000 fishers and over 279,000 auxiliary workers depend on the fishing sector in the region.

Meanwhile, almost half of the fishers they surveyed last week from Cavite, Bataan, Zambales, Pangasinan have halted fishing, said Jayson Cainglet of agricultural group Sinag.

“Those who can still set sail get between five to 10 kilos because they can’t go far,” said Cainglet in a mix of Filipino and English.

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Threat to tuna exports, canneries

The impact extends beyond fishers to the post-harvest sector.

Francisco Buencamino, executive director of the Tuna Canners Association of the Philippines, said the daily output of tuna dropped from 830 metric tons to 580. According to Buencamino, two cannery firms have already suspended operations.

He said tuna exporters need protection from the government, as lesser production could put contracts at risk.

“The problem with export tuna is if we cannot deliver on our contract commitments, we start losing our supply,” Buencamino said. “And when you lose that it’s very hard to get them back because they’ll shift to other sources.”

Tuna accounts for the largest share of both municipal and commercial production, according to the country’s fisheries profile in 2024. It is the top export commodity of the Philippines from the fisheries sector, with 2024 exports valued at over $470 million.

– Rappler.com