Davao City: The Philippine Statistics Authority in Davao Region (PSA-11) reported that regional fisheries production in the first quarter of 2025 reached 16,126.40 metric tons (MT), marking a 17.8 percent increase from the 13,694.99 MT recorded in the same period last year.

According to Philippines News Agency, the fisheries sector in the region comprises four subsectors: commercial, marine municipal, inland municipal, and aquaculture. 'These statistics primarily serve as input for compiling the performance of agriculture and national accounts. The data sets are also crucial for policymaking and program implementation aimed at developing the fisheries sector,' the agency said in its report dated June 4.

Among the provinces, Davao Oriental's production notably increased by 37.3 percent, from 4,656.18 to 6,394.10 MT. Davao del Norte also saw a significant rise of 38.5 percent, with production climbing from 775.05 to 1,073.76 MT. In contrast, Davao del Sur's fish production experienced a sharp drop of 15.4 percent, declining from 4,489.08 to 3,795.78 MT. Davao de Oro also saw a decline of 13.6 percent, and Davao Occidental by 2.1 percent. Davao City had a production of 1,295.92 MT.

Meanwhile, Davao Region recorded a total commercial fisheries production of 2,321.56 MT, showing a remarkable increase of 102.0 percent compared to the 1,149.34 MT produced in the same period of 2024. Commercial fisheries cover fishing operations in marine waters beyond 15 kilometers from the shoreline by fishing boats with more than three gross tons.

Milkfish (bangus) firmly held its position as the top species in terms of production volume, increasing from 3,418.21 MT in 2024 to 4,172.90 MT. Big-eyed scad rose to second spot from third place in 2024, its production volume more than doubled from 1,131.51 MT to 2,604.30 MT making it the biggest climber among the top species. Squid, which previously held the No. 2 rank in 2024 with 2,009.50 MT, slipped to third place in 2025 despite an increase in production to 1,530.43 MT.