Sardine industry banking on warmer seas
Business World
By Darwin T. Wee
February 1, 2010
While most businesses in the agriculture sector are bracing for the negative impact of El Niño this year, the Fishery bureau and the sardine industry are banking on the warmer seas in the western Pacific Ocean to bring in more catch.
"We were given the task by our central office to monitor this event," Ahadulla S. Sajili, director of the Fisheries Resource Management Program of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), said in an interview yesterday.He cited a study published earlier in Innovations Report, an online research forum based in Germany, which noted that "when a warm climatic regime [El Niño] arrives...the sardine habitat then extends towards the coast, giving the opportunity for their populations to grow."
Mr. Sajili, however, said this has yet to be seen in Sulu Sea, where hundreds of fishing vessels catch their sardines.
He particularly noted that the 1998 El Niño episode did not significantly increase catch in the area.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has warned that the onset of El Niño will "influence the country's climate through the first half of the year" starting March.
The fleets of the 20 fishing firms here are expected to resume operations in March, after being dry-docked for maintenance in November-February -- also the spawning season for sardine and other pelagic fishes.
Mr. Sajili noted that the economic outlook this year for Zamboanga Peninsula drafted by the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) projected that production of the fishery sector, considered a major pillar of the region's economy, is expected to increase by 5%, partly due to the El Niño.
In a separate interview, MEDCo chairman Virgilio L. Leyretana cited industry data showing that sardine landings dropped by about 25%-30% last year due to bad weather.
"However, in 2010, production is expected to rebound because of the effect of El Niño," Mr. Leyretana said.
Eugene C. Yap, president of the Southern Philippines Deep Sea Fishing Association (Sophil), the largest fishing group in Western Mindanao, said his group shares this projection. "It's still off-season for sardine fishing. Our group is still not catching any as of the moment. We will know by March," he said in an interview.
Sophil, which has 19 members, supplies roughly 90% of its catch to the 10 canned sardine manufacturers here. The region's sardine industry accounts for 80% of canned sardine supplied to the domestic market.
The industry contributes over P3 billion annually to Zamboanga City's economy and produces the most affordable source of animal protein for the nation's low-income families.
