Tuna industry in southern Philippine city has badly felt the pinch from the twin problems, global warming and economic crisis. General Santos, renowned as the country’s “Tuna Capital,” provides thousands of tons of tuna fish every year for local and international markets. In less than 24 hours after being unloaded by fishermen from their vessels docked in this city’s world-class fish port, the fresh tuna will turn into pink sushi in finest foreign bistros thousands of kilometers away.
Recently the fishermen of the city found their catch decreasing because of the global warming and oil price disturbances. Marfin Tan, a tuna company owner engaged in the industry for two decades, told that his catch has dropped significantly in recent years, adding that less tunas can be found within nearby waters. It is found that last year the industry saw a slide of 22 percent in its production.
A Filipino scientist, Noel Barut, who works as deputy executive director of Manila’s Fisheries Research Development Institute, opined that global warming is one of the major reasons why the Philippines’ tuna stocks keep going down. He further said that there are indications of continuing migration of tuna species into cooler parts of the oceans.
Barut explained that if the climate change will continue, tuna will also continue to look for temperatures they like and it will be difficult for our part. As a result Filipino traders are planning to set up tuna-breeding facilities in the country. Philip Ong, fisheries committee chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that although they still have supply of tuna for our exports, time will come, maybe in the next 20 years, when they will experience shortage.
The surge of oil prices last year was another reason leading to the loss of production. Lamberte told that the fishing industry is fuel intensive. Meaning if the cost of fuel is high, the fishermen’s effort to catch fish will be lessened.
