WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEPTEMBER 2025 25 Aquatic Resources 2023). According to the latest 2023 fisheries statistics, approximately 4.26 million tonnes of fishery products were produced, albeit being a bit lower than the previous year with about 4.3 million tonnes (Philippine Statistics Authority 2023). Its success, however, is primarily attributed to the nation’s aquaculture capability, which is evident in the aforementioned statistics when compared to other types of fisheries production such as commercial and municipal (Philippine Statistics Authority 2023). The industry is flourishing, as the country contributed a notable percentage of fisheries production (1.01% in 2018 and 3.82% in 2021) on a global scale from aquaculture alone (BFAR 2021, 2023). Despite being dominated by milkfish (Chanos chanos) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), Philippine aquaculture is also known to produce shrimp, crabs, lobsters and molluscs, as well as seaweed. Aside from establishing food security, more than 230,000 people are directly employed by this sector, with many laborers working for powerful landowners, although some employees own their output. Despite the seemingly promising benefits of aquaculture, it In the early 2000’s, catfish farming in the Philippines was predicted to boom in both production and income, and was hailed as one of the future products of aquaculture in the country (Surtida and Buendia 2000; Santos-Recto et al. 2022). Today, the catfish farming industry has shown a remarkable contribution to the local economy, contributing about Php 1.18 B (USD $20.6 M) of the country’s aquaculture production value in 2022, cultivated in over 2700 farms laid out in 670 hectares of aquatic areas (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources 2023, 2024). These numbers demonstrate the significance of catfish farming in the Philippines, highlighting its important role in ensuring food security, driving economic growth, and contributing to the national food-production plan, as stated by Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources 2024). The Philippines, a nation encompassing thousands of islands, is unified by its surrounding seas. Given its geography, the Philippines naturally relies on its diverse bodies of water, both inside and outside its territories. The country’s vast aquatic resources cover approximately 2 million square kilometers (Bureau of Fisheries and Native No More? The Catfish Dilemma in the Philippines Alexis Faye A. Olarte, James Darren R. Pelaez and Janice A. Ragaza (CONTINUED ON PAGE 26) FIGURE 1. Adult African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) from Compound Bondoc Farm. Photo credit: A. Olarte.
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