OVERVIEW OF

AQUACULTURE IN THE
PHILIPPINES
 25.00

0.0 MARINE RESOURCES

-200.0 Total Territorial Water Area
20.00 2,200,000 sq. km.
-1000.0
-2000.0 Shelf area (Depth 200m)
184,600 sq. km.
North Latitude (degrees)

15.00
-3000.0

-4000.0 Coral Reef Area

27,000 sq. km.
-5000.0

10.00 -6000.0 Coastline (Length)

36,289 km
-7000.0
-8000.0 INLAND RESOURCES
5.00
-9000.0 Swamplands
-10000.0 246,063 ha

Depth (meters) Brackishwater Fishpond

0.00
110.00 115.00 120.00 125.00 130.00 135.00
253,854 ha

East Longitude (degrees) Other Inland Resources

250,000 ha
Straight Baselines - Republic Act No. 3046 amended by R.A. 5446
Treaty Limits - Treaty of Paris (1898)
200 n.mi. E.E.Z. - Presidential Decree No. 1593; 1978
Kalayaan Claim - Presidential Decree No. 1595; 1979
 THE PHILIPPINE FISHERIES SECTOR IN
THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

 Ranked 5th in fish production. The 5.16 million MT production of fish,

crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants (including seaweeds). constitutes
3.06% of the total world production of 168.4 million metric tons (FAO website).

 Ranked 10th in aquaculture production of fish, crustaceans and mollusks

contributing 1.24% share to the total global aquaculture production of 59.87
million MT. The country’s aquaculture production amounted to over 1.58 billion
dollars (FAO website).

 Top 3 largest producer of aquatic plants (including seaweeds) having

produced a total of 1.80 million metric tons or nearly 9.48% of the total world
production of 19.01 million metric tons (FAO website).
 HISTORY AND GENERAL OVERVIEW

Mussel
(1955)
Oyster
(1931)
Seaweeds
(1950s)
Carp
(mid1980s)
Nile tilapia
(late1970-
Shrimp early1980s)
(1980s)
Milkfish
(1970s)
 HUMAN RESOURCES

Operation aquaculture operators

fishpond operation 126 894
seaweed farming 73 549
fish pen operation 5 325
oyster farming 3 041
mussel farming 2 422
others 14 964
 FARMING SYSTEM DISTRIBUTION

Aqua Specie Hectare Provinces

Milkfish 281 727 ha Balucan, Pangasinan, Capiz, Iliolo
and Negros Occidenta
Shrimp 77 172 ha Pampanga, Zamboanga
Sur/Sibugay, Lanao del norte,
Bataan and Bohol
Tilapia 30 221 ha Pampanga, Batangas, Bulacan,
Laguna and Sultan Kudarat
Carp 3 519 ha Rizal, Lanao del Norte, Metro
Manila, Pampanga and Bukidnon
Seaweed 21 281 ha Tawi-tawi, Sulu, Palawan,
Zamboanga City and Bohol
COMMON WATER BODIES ( Areas devoted for
HAS ) Aquaculture and
other fishery
activities (10% of the
total area)
Total 27,096,063 2,709,606.3
Inland 496, 063 49, 606 .3
- Swamplands 246, 063 24, 606.3
- Lakes 200, 000 20, 000
- Rivers 31, 000 3, 100
-Reservoir 19, 000 1, 900
Coastal 26, 600 000 2, 660, 000
 SEVEN MAJOR AQUACULTURE SPECIES
IN THE PHILIPPINES

1. Seaweed (mainly Kappaphycus and Eucheuma spp.).

2. Milkfish (Chanos chanos ).
3. Tilapia (mainly Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus ).
4. Shrimp (mainly giant tiger prawn Penaeus monodon ).
5. Carp (mainly bighead carp Aristichthys nobilis ).
6. Oyster (slipper cupped oyster Crassostrea iredalei ).
7. Mussel (green mussel Perna viridis ).
• In 2002 seaweed made up 66.9 percent of total aquaculture production. The
remainder was from milkfish (17.3 percent), tilapia (9.1 percent), shrimp (2.65
percent), carp (1.36 percent), oysters (0.94 percent), mussels (0.87 percent)
and others (0.88 percent) (Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, 2004). Seaweed,
giant tiger prawn, milkfish, oyster and mussel are endemic to the Philippines,
while tilapias and bighead carp have been introduced.
1800000

1600000

1400000

1200000

1000000

800000

600000

400000

200000

0
SEAWEED Milkfish Tilapia Tiger OYSTER MUSSEL Carp Mudcrab Others Catfish White Mudfish Endeavor Grouper Siganid Gourami Spiny
prawn shrimp prawn lobster Freshwater
prawn
 Species 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Average
SEAWEED 1505070 1666556 1739995 1801272 1840833 1751071 1558378 1549576 1566362 1404519 1638363.054
Milkfish 349740.7 350837 347587.5 349432 372580.8 386728.9 401066.4 390232.6 384425.4 398088.2 373071.949
Tilapia 241170.8 257108.5 260911.1 258839.4 257385.4 260535.7 268818.7 259198.1 261210.5 259045.6 258422.373
Tiger prawn 39825.26 45342.42 47829.92 48161.93 47494.68 48196.64 49466.92 47843.44 49527.33 49139.48 47282.802
OYSTER 20508.05 20174.82 19930.59 22525.52 21461.82 20648.37 22069.8 22355.21 20260.8 19512.36 20944.734
MUSSEL 20113.61 23017.22 19936.5 20876.79 22442.71 25660.44 22894.19 18761.77 15949.13 18774.55 20842.691
Carp 19961.7 20735.73 15691 16714.44 17340.87 17703.88 18258.67 16756.38 16872.96 16849.16 17688.479
Mudcrab 9308.56 11625.08 13729.83 14437.6 15730.91 16359.63 15794.07 16159.73 16198.51 16856.49 14620.041
Others 1500.63 2635.45 3775.68 6439 5547.3 7260.96 8738.8 8329.76 9463.26 10745.4 6443.624
Catfish 2655.12 2695.26 2857.51 2971.8 3129.06 3606.58 3761.3 3631.95 3620.99 3729.29 3265.886
White shrimp 2114.77 2070.03 2204.47 2076.5 1974.05 1878.6 1870.99 1826.66 1646.04 1673.69 1933.58
Mudfish 1321.4 1060.67 760.02 828.14 890.5 931.75 911.56 1164.69 1031.36 862.8 976.289
Endeavor prawn 715.29 786.11 801.32 689.43 689.82 778.45 757.2 1150.63 950.34 635.8 795.439
Grouper 417.26 2612.37 920.43 234.84 225.16 202.65 255 271.13 263.74 172.64 557.522
Siganid 225.47 234.42 195.25 192.96 150.39 169.34 209 207.28 223.62 186.2 199.393
Gourami 107.84 100.24 174.7 183.33 172.68 190.22 117.77 126.79 144.24 111.15 142.896
Spiny lobster 64.52 71.88 63.79 89.04 67.91 38.12 12.58 9.44 8.77 9.74 43.579
Freshwater prawn 5.69 34.49 27.45 2.8 2.86 4.53 5.75 3.44 2.51 1.63 9.115