Large and small boats, ranging from tuna purse seiners weighing more than 250 gross tons, to pump boats from which handline fishermen hook giant tuna destined for fresh and frozen sashimi processors, unload their catch daily at the fishport in General Santos City. The Philippines’ tuna industry generates more than $300 million in exports annually and provides more than 120,000 jobs, according to an industry study by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM). Over 80 percent of production from the eight canneries based in Mindanao is exported to the USA and the European Union
