NSO Report on Fisheries Census

Special Release 159 National Statistics Office, April 18, 2005

The entire Philippine archipelago has a long coastline and bounded by vast territorial marine waters rich with aquatic resources. It has also inland fishery resources consisting of bodies of fresh water and swamplands. The fishery sector together with the agriculture sector contributed 14.8 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2003, amounting to P 635.5 trillion at current prices.

Moreover, based on January to December 2003 Foreign Trade Statistics of the NSO, tuna was included in the top 15 commodities for export, contributing $95.9 million out of the $35.8 trillion total exports.

According to the 2002 Census of Fisheries, there were 1.8 million municipal and commercial fishing operators. This showed a three-fold increase from 584 thousand fishing operators recorded in 1980. Municipal fishing dominated the fishing industry in terms of number of operators. In 2002, 1.781 million operators (99.6 percent) were engaged in municipal fishing while only 7.8 thousand were into commercial fishing operation.

MUNICIPAL FISHING

Legal Form of Organization

A vast majority of municipal fishing operation, numbering to 1.752 million (98.4 percent) were operated by individual operators. Ranking for second are the 19 thousand municipal fishing operators under partnership. Two or more competent persons who associated themselves in common ownership and management of fishing operation controlled this latter type of organization.

Fishing Gears Used

The most common fishing gear used by municipal fishing operators in 2002 was hook and line with 9.45 million sets of fishing gears. Other types of fishing gears including cast net, cover pot, crab hook, among others, numbering to 4.51 million followed next. Gill nets were the third most common fishing gears (1.19 million nets) utilized by municipal fishing operators.

Boats/Vessels Used

Municipal fishing operators generally made use of boats weighing three (3) tons or less and rafts. Fishing boats weighing three (3) tons or less which were used by them doubled in number after two (2) decades, from 388.2 thousand in 1980 to 777.7 thousand in 2002. Likewise, rafts used during the same period (32.5 thousand) increased by more than twice the number accounted for in 1980 (13.6 thousand).

Details also showed that a total of 351.0 thousand boats/vessels with engine were used by municipal fishing operators, an increase of 217.2 percent from 110.6 thousand boats/vessels in 1980. Most of these boats numbering to 140.7 thousand had an engine capacity of 5.0 to 9.9 horsepower, of which, 116.8 thousand were with outrigger.

Demographic Characteristics of Municipal Fishing Operators

Reaching 1.7 million, male operators accounted for 94.5 percent of the total municipal fishing operators in the country in 2002. Municipal fishing operators had a median age of 41 years. This means that half of them were below 41 years old. On the other hand, female municipal fishing operators were older than the male operators. The median age among female operators was 46 years.

Household Members Engaged in Municipal Fishing Operation

Household members of the fishing operators were asked if they were engaged in fishing operated by other household members and/or by other households.

In 2002, roughly 1.1 million household members were engaged in municipal fishing activities. Of this total, 902.5 thousand (86.3 percent) worked in own fishing operation, 82.8 thousand (7.9 percent) in other fishing operation and 60.8 thousand (5.8 percent) simultaneously in their own fishing operation and in other fishing operation. Males consistently dominated the municipal fishing operation either as operators or as workers. Male non-operator household members who were engaged in any fishing activity totaled to 621.02 thousand, which was more than half the number of their female counterpart (352.83 thousand).

COMMERCIAL FISHING

Legal Form of Organization

In 2002, out of 7.2 thousand commercial fishing operations, individual proprietorship comprised a total of 7.19 thousand operators. Operation under partnership came in second with 368 (4.7 percent). In 1980, however, corporation was second in terms of number (77).

Fishing Gears Used

Hook and line numbering to 54.9 thousand sets was also the most common fishing gear used by commercial fishing operators. Second was the group of other types of fishing gears (50.6 thousand sets). Gill nets (22.7 thousand nets) came in as the third most common.

Boats/Vessels Used

The number of fishing boats/vessels used by commercial fishing operators increased three times, from 3.4 thousand in 1980 to 10.9 thousand in 2002. Most of these boats, numbering around 3 thousand (27.6 percent) had gross tonnage ranging from 3.1 to 5.0 tons. Fishing boats with gross tonnage of 5.1 to 9.0 tons (2.2 thousand) followed next.

Meanwhile, boats/vessels with engine used by commercial fishing operators increased by 202.8 percent over the past two (2) decades. Most of these boats/vessels numbering to 2.85 thousand (29.1 percent) had an engine capacity of less than 50 horsepower, of which, 2.36 thousand were with outrigger.

Demographic Characteristics of Commercial Fishing Operators

Of the total commercial fishing operators, 7.3 thousand were males (98.6 percent). The median age of male commercial fishing operators was 39 years while the female operators were older at 49 years.

Household Members Engaged in Commercial Fishing Operation

Household members of commercial fishing operators who were engaged in fishing operations totalled to 4.95 thousand persons. Among them, 4.2 thousand (84.8 percent) worked in their own fishing operation, 519 (10.5 percent) in other fishing operation and only 233 (4.7 percent) in both.

Details further showed that there were more male non-operator household members (3.2 thousand) engaged in fishing than females (1.6 thousand). This could be attributed to the nature of fishing activity that necessitates a person to be away from residence for quite a long period of time.

(Sgd.) CARMELITA N. ERICTA
Administrator

TECHNICAL NOTES

Reference period - The list of fishing and aquafarm operators with reference period January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002 served as the frame for the 2002 Census of Fisheries. Among the operators in the list, only those who were engaged in fishing activity anytime from September 1, 2002 to August 31, 2003 were included in the census.

Coverage - Includes municipal and commercial fishing operation either household or establishment-based. For the socio-demographic characteristics, only those of the operators and their household members of the household-based fishing operations were included.

Municipal Fishing - TFishing operation carried out without the use of boat or with the use of a raft or a boat of three (3) gross tons or less.

Commercial Fishing - Covers fishing operation using boat(s) of more than three (3) gross tons.

Gross Tonnage of the Fishing Boat/Vessel - The vessel?s closed-in spaces expressed in volume terms on the basis of one hundred cubic feet, which is equal to one (1) gross tons. It includes permanently enclosed spaces above the tonnage deck, also known as the underdeck tonnage.

Fishing Gears - Any apparatus, gadget, implement and other paraphernalia used in catching and gathering of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and other aquatic products.

Data Limitation - Estimates are only available at national level due to sampling design adopted for CF 2002.

Source: National Statistics Office
Manila, Philippines, April 18, 2005

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