DA chief highlights key role of tuna industry in Philippine growth, food security

GENERAL SANTOS CITY— Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. on Wednesday (Sept. 4) underscored the important role played by the tuna industry in generating investments, creating jobs and ensuring the country’s food security at the start of the 24th National Tuna Congress and Trade Exhibit in this southern city, hailed as the tuna capital of the Philippines.

In his keynote address at the National Tuna Congress, Secretary Tiu Laurel acknowledged the collective efforts and successes of the industry while emphasizing the need to confront significant challenges such as climate change, overfishing, and illegal fishing practices that threaten tuna stocks.

“The success of the Philippine tuna industry is a testament to our collective efforts and cooperation, our friendly and constructive competition. However, we must also confront the challenges we face. Climate change affects stock distribution and fishing efficiency, while overfishing, resource depletion, and illegal fishing threaten our tuna resources. We must enhance our industry’s competitiveness and resilience to navigate these challenges,” said the DA chief, who spent decades in the international fishing industry before joining President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Cabinet last year.

Secretary Laurel detailed several key initiatives aimed at strengthening the industry. These include the adoption of a National Tuna Management Plan, introduced in 2018, on sustainable management and combating illegal fishing activities and the reconstitution of the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Technical Working Group on Tuna Fisheries to ensure the plan’s effective implementation.

He said the government’s strategy to support the industry also comprise the Fisheries Management Areas initiative, designed to improve fish stock distribution and address overfishing; the National Payao Program and the Lambaklad Program which provide technical support and financial assistance to enhance fishing practices and increase incomes for local fisherfolk; establishment of the Tuna Conservation and Management Zones to protect tuna resources by regulating fishing and safeguarding spawning grounds.