An international ocean conservation advocacy group warned on Wednesday that the Philippines is now facing a growing crisis in its fisheries sector, as production of commonly consumed fish continues to decline sharply. If not averted, the situation may dent the country’s food security. Oceana’s July 2025 newsletter pointed out that data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reveal significant drops in the catches of staple species such as Bali sardinella (tamban), frigate tuna (tulingan), yellowfin tuna (tambakol/bariles), and round scad (galunggong)—a trend attributed to persistent overfishing, destructive practices, and the unchecked rise of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.

Mayuga, J. L., & Pelonia, A. (2025, July 17). Fisheries crisis seen to deepen as production of common fish plunges. BusinessMirror, pp. A14, A10.