BFAR imports 25K MT galunggong amid Palawan ‘closed’ season
AT least 25,056.27 metric tons (MT) of galunggong have been imported since the three-month closed fishing season in Palawan was implemented last November 2022.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said that the importation has stabilized the prices of galunggong despite the ongoing implementation of the closed season, which started on Nov. 1, 2022, and will end this Jan. 31.
The BFAR disclosed that the local galunggong is valued at P280 per kilo while imported galunggong ranges from P220/kilo to P240/kilo.
The agency added that the importation of frozen round scad, bigeye scad, mackerel, bonito, and moonfish for wet markets is consistent with the certificate of necessity to import signed by the DA (Department of Agriculture) on Nov. 10 last year and is effective until Jan. 31 this year.
The current 13,856.64 MT of imported fish augments the market demand for galunggong, whose supply is expected to be limited due to the annual implementation of the galunggong closed fishing season in the Northeast of Palawan.
The galunggong closed fishing season in the Northeast of Palawan has been implemented since 2015 by virtue of Joint Administrative Order No. 1 issued by the DA and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to give the species time to reproduce and grow during its spawning season and to ensure sufficient supply of galunggong in the country.
Since 2015, the periodic closure of commercial fishing activities in Palawan has continuously yielded significant positive outcomes in the production of galunggong. In 2021, the National Stock Assessment Program (NSAP) recorded an annual catch of 1,146 MT using a ring, purse seine, and bag net–an almost triple increase from the 453.89 MT annual catch logged in 2015.
The proportion of spawners also increased from 15 percent in 2015 to 44 percent in 2021, while the percentage of round scad catch in the overall catch in Palawan also grew from 15 percent in 2015 to 44 percent in 2021.
The NSAP also noted an increase in the catch of high-value carnivore fish species like tuna as a result of the abundance of their food, which includes round scad and other small pelagic species.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) reported an increasing trend in the volume of unloading of round scad (galunggong) from Palawan waters from 2016 to 2022.
The province of Palawan is a major supplier of galunggong in Metro Manila, with 89 percent of galunggong catch landed at Navotas Fishport Complex in 2022.
Throughout the closed fishing season, DA-BFAR’s regional office in Palawan conducted continuous patrol operations in the conservation area. In three months, DA-BFAR IV-B recorded only two violations–one in December 2022 and another on January 20–indicating improved compliance and support of commercial industries.
