The numbers are in, and they do not lie. The Philippine Statistics Authority’s latest report from Western Visayas is a blaring siren. While the overall fisheries production has dipped, the municipal fishing sector – the lifeblood of our coastal communities – is in a freefall, plummeting by a staggering 20.5% in the first quarter of 2024. This is a staggering collapse. To see this figure alongside the far smaller dips in commercial fishing (6.8%) and aquaculture (4.4%) is to understand precisely where the crisis lies: in the 15-kilometer stretch of sea our small-scale fishers depend on for survival.

The Editorial Board. (2025, July 16). Decoding the decline: A call for smarter, firmer action on our seas [Editorial]. Daily Guardian, p. 4.