According to the local government official in General Santos city on Mindanao Island, southern Philippines, tuna fishing has evolved as a significant industry supporting half a million people. Fishermen said that the tuna have migrated beyond the reach of Inong’s boat – one of thousands of wooden-hulled vessels known as ‘pamariles’. They have traveled as far as 300km from our shores, and the great fish is still difficult to find.
Local fisherman Inong opined that his 15-man crew looks exhausted as they take turns hauling the fish from the cargo hold. Fish brokers will later dispatch them to traders and buyers who will then clean and ship them to markets around the world. The tuna industry contributes about 60 percent to the economy of General Santos city, generating employment for nearly 100,000 people.
City mayor Pedro Acharon told that a drop in orders from the US last year due to the financial crisis had added to the concerns. Industry groups have started looking at other markets. He also said that tuna are very mobile fish. They are also affected by the weather; if it becomes too hot on the surface they dive to depths that are difficult to reach, and if it is cool they normally surface, but that also means it is difficult to catch them because of storms and heavy rain.
