GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Aided by an eight percent increase in imports, tuna and other fish landings in the city continue to grow in 2019, according to the Philippine Fishport Development Authority here.
A new record total of 250,815.17 metric tons were landed at the fishing port complex in General Santos City last year, up from 247,637.20 metric tons in 2018.
The 2019 figures saw the share of frozen tuna landings jumped to 153,185.71 MT, of which 139,217.31 metric tons were imported which were used for canning.
Local production however dipped by 8 percent as total local landings were only 97,629.46 MT tons compared to the 2018 local production of 105,965.68 MT.
Big yellowfin tuna landings also increased last year at 16,381.65 MT tons, up from 14,760.69 also in 2018.
Total fish landings in General Santos City however continue its upward trend over the last 10 years.
In 2010, total fish landings were just 143,139.17 metric tons compared to the 2018 figure of 247,637.20 MT.
But local fish landing was marginally down last year, from 107,368.86 MT in 2017 to just 105,965.68 MT last year after a decade of continued growth.
The Socsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industry (SFFAI) earlier said the spike in frozen imports was driven by increased demands from local canning plants.
Local productions are no longer meeting the high volume of fresh tuna landings needed to sustain the operations of local canning plant.
Local production is also expected to further drop this year following the COVID-19 global pandemic that also hit the country.
As of this writing, fresh yellowfin tuna exports to the US and other parts of the world remain closed as commercial flights remain suspended throughout the country.
More than 85 percent of total fish landings at the General Santos City fishing port complex are yellow fin and tuna-like species, earning the city the moniker as the Tuna Capital of the Philippines.
Six of the country’s eight tuna canning plants are located in this southern port city where more than 80 percent of the tuna landings are canned and processed for export.
