Aquafarmers in the seafood capital of the Philippines are feeling the sting of the pandemic as transport restrictions have driven down prices given the difficulties in distributing their milkfish, crab, and shrimp produce. In a dialogue with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources 6 (BFAR-6) and the Aquaculture Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC/AQD), a trader lamented that their usual shipment of 10 to 12 tons of crabs per day is down to 1.5 to 2 tons, while a fishpond operator shared that prices of milkfish have gone as low as 65 pesos per kilogram. “It’s been two months that we have not sold crabs and they have just been dying inside the fishpond because we could not sell them due to Covid,” shared Edwin Mayo, chair of the Panay Aqua Farmers Cooperative (PAFC), speaking in Hiligaynon.

Dianala, R. D. (2020, July 11 - 12). Capiz aquafarmers hurt by lockdown. Daily Guardian, pp. 2, 11.