Philippine Statistics Authority

 

Fisheries is one of the major industries in the agriculture sector. It is composed of three subsectors, namely: commercial fisheries, municipal fisheries and aquaculture. Based on the recent national account estimates (2014), fisheries sector contributes 19.6 percent of the total Gross Value Added (GVA) in agriculture and 1.8 percent in the total GDP. The Philippines ranked 7th among the top fish producing countries in the world in 2012. However, since 2010, its economic contribution has been declining. To continuously monitor the performance of fishing industry in the country, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) conducts quarterly surveys on fisheries.    

 

Fisheries surveys provide quarterly information on: (1) volume and value of fish catch, (2) aquaculture production and value by aquafarm type; by species, at the national, regional and provincial levels.

 

The first quarter round of the fisheries surveys was done in March 2015 and results of these surveys were released on May 15, 2015. The succeeding rounds will be conducted in July, October and December 2015 for the second, third, and fourth quarters respectively. Survey results for the corresponding quarters will be released within forty-five (45) days after the reference quarter.

 

 

(QMFS Approval Number: PSA-1532-01 to 02, expires on May 31, 2016)

(QCFS Approval Number: PSA-1527-01 to 02, expires on April 30, 2016)

 

The Quarterly Municipal Fisheries Survey (QMFS) is conducted to monitor the inflow of fish catch at municipal landing centers. Municipal fishing is fishing within municipal waters using fishing vessels of three (3) gross tons or less, or fishing not requiring the use of fishing vessels.

To cover all regions of the Philippines (except Cordillera Administrative Region), the survey also makes use of administrative records available from the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), as well as local government unit (LGU) - managed landing centers to complement the sampling frame of the QMFS. Municipal fishing is the 2nd contributor of fish production among the fisheries sectors in the country contributing about 33.8 % of the total value of fish production of the country as of 2014. 

 

Quarterly Commercial Fisheries Survey (QCFS) on the other hand, collects information on the volumes and prices of fish brought into commercial (traditional) landing centers. Commercial fishing refers to catching of fish with the use of fishing boat with capacity of more than three (3) gross tons for trade, business or profit beyond subsistence or sports fishing. Among the fisheries sectors, commercial fishing is the 3rd contributor of fish production in terms of volume and value across the years. In 2014, it contributed 23.6 % in terms of volume and 27.4% in terms of value.   

QMFS and QFCS aim to generate statistics on the quantity of fish unloading and price per kilogram of fish unloaded, disaggregated by species. In addition, the QCFS also determines the reasons for high or low volumes of fish unloadings.

 

The QMFS will be administered to 813 municipal fish landing centers from 67 provinces, while the QCFS will be distributed to 290 commercial landing centers from 57 provinces across the country. These surveys are done quarterly covering monthly data.

 

(Approval Number: PSA-1526, expires on April 30, 2016)

 

Inland fishing refers to the catching of aquatic animals and plants in inland waters like lakes, rivers, dams, and marshes, using simple gears and fishing boats, some of which are non-motorized with a capacity not exceeding three (3) gross tons. This also includes fishing activities that do not require the use of fishing boats.

 

The 2015 QIFS will collect information from 1,285 inland fishing households from 76 provinces in the country and will generate national, regional, and provincial-level data on the quarterly volume and value of fish catch by species.

 

(Approval Number: PSA-1528-01 to 07, expires on April 30, 2016)

 

Aquaculture involves the rearing of marine species under controlled conditions in fresh, brackish, and marine water areas. The QAqS aims to generate information on the quarterly production/volume of harvest, area, and price of aquafarm produce at the national, regional, and provincial levels.

 

The 2015 QAqS will be administered to 6,900 aquafarms from 80 provinces nationwide and Metro Manila.

 

The above-mentioned surveys were granted approval numbers under the Statistical Survey Review and Clearance System (SSRCS), a mechanism instituted by the PSA to ensure that statistics generated from government surveys are reliable, accurate, comparable, and conform to prescribed statistical concepts and standards. The system likewise ensures economy in the conduct of these statistical data collection activities.

 

In light of this, the public, particularly the fish farmers, fishing households, traders, and brokers, are enjoined to participate in these surveys.

 

 

 

 

Deputy National Statistician

(Officer-in-Charge)