TAMBARA 25 (2008): 7-30

Aquaculture in Mindanao: Transcending

the Barriers
Lauro Tito C. Ilagan

With earth’s burgeoning human populations

to feed, we must turn to the sea with new
understanding and new technology. We must
farm it as we farm the land.

Jacques Cousteau

Introduction

F isheries is a major industry in the Philippines, accounting for

forty-three percent of the country’s total fish production, as well
as around twenty-three percent of the total gross value added
(GVA) in agriculture, fisheries, and forestry. It is both a source of food
and foreign exchange.
Mindanao, on the other hand, is the leading fisheries producer in the
Philippines, contributing forty-three percent to national production (Table
1). It is also home to the country’s major commercial fishing industries,
namely, the tuna industry in General Santos City in Region Twelve and the
sardine industry in Zamboanga City in Region Nine. Generally, these two
industries comprise the bulk of fish production in Mindanao.
Government statistics points to the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM) as having the highest volume of fish production,
but it should be qualified that most of ARMM’s fisheries production is
actually in seaweeds, which is categorized as an aquaculture industry.
While not discounting the seaweed industry’s value to Philippine
Export, its inclusion in fisheries statistics has the effect of distorting
8 lauro tito c. ilagan

the real situation of the aquaculture industry. As this paper focuses

on actual fish production, it underscores this distinction and submits
that the main fishery products from Mindanao – and consequently, the
Philippines – are those that actually are fish. Tuna is one of Mindanao’s
top five export products while canned sardines is a major domestic
commodity. In total, Mindanao provides fifty-four percent of all fish in
the country caught by commercial fishing.
Aquaculture in Mindanao, however, is not as developed as in other
parts of the country. Despite the presence of major corporate aquaculture
players, such as the Sarangani Province-based Alsons Aquaculture
Corp., Mindanao Aquaculture – sans seaweeds – actually contributes
only around twenty-one percent to total aquaculture production.

Table 1. Total fish production from Mindanao (2003-2007)

Region 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
9 458,770 515,525 574,562 571,216 612,140
10 101,283 125,420 127,401 126,840 143,575
11 53,838 54,524 55,095 57,830 69,359
12 241,838 270,777 238,477 258,032 287,094
ARMM 559,364 637,842 674,955 738,540 800,801
CARAGA 93,462 93,997 94,195 98,270 108,987
Total 1,508,555 1,698,084 1,764,685 1,850,728 2,021,956
Mindanao
% to 42% 43% 42% 42% 43%
National

National 3,619,282 3,926,173 4,161,870 4,408,472 4,711,769

Source: BFAR

Philippine aquaculture experienced its heyday during the mid-

eighties to early nineties, when the country was a major producer of
black tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon). The Philippines was the third most
important shrimp producing country after Thailand and Indonesia, with
a production of over 90,000 metric tons, primarily of the delectable black
tiger (Table 2). The crash of the prawn industry in the 1990s due to the
unchecked spread of disease ultimately led to Philippine aquaculture’s
downfall, causing the industry to collapse to half its production levels.
As with other agricultural industries in the country, talk is rife about
how the Philippines once had a headstart in aquaculture, having the best