By Nova Mae Francas
THE CITY’S fish production in upland and municipal waters is insufficient to feed the population, the City Agriculturist Office (CAgrO) reported Thursday.
Aimee C. Evora, Fishery Resources Management Services Division senior aquaculturist/acting head, said production last year fell short of the city’s demand.
Evora reported that a total of 63.9 metric tons of tilapia and 916.34 metric tons of hito were produced in 2025. For the aquaculture area in Punta Dumalag, the production reached 2,143 metric tons.
“Kung basehan ang production, dili enough to feed atong population diri sa city,” Evora said during the iSpeak media forum.
She recognized that local fishers could not supply the market’s needs, which is why the city still depends on nearby municipalities.
For instance, the city sources its fish from Davao Oriental, General Santos City, and even as far as Zamboanga.
According to Department of Science and Technology data, the annual fish consumption per capita in the country is 34.27 kilograms per year. This means each person requires 34.27 kg.
“The population of the city is 1.8 million. For instance, only 1.5 million people consume fish, multiplied by per capita, so the city needs 51,000 metric tons in a year,” she said.
However, the city only produces 5,461 a year, including the upland, the municipal, and cultured production.
She said the area in Punta Dumalag is an aquaculture livelihood area zone based on the zoning ordinance, so no policies and regulations exist to further develop it.
“In terms of policies, (the next step) once it’s declared as part of an ordinance is to create an Executive Management Board,” she said.
The Board will comprise various government line agencies for the regulation and oversight of the mariculture area to ensure sustainability. The city has been eyeing an additional mariculture park in Lasang where production of high-value species such as lapu-lapu (grouper) and talakitok (trevally) is prioritized.
Evora said the proposed mariculture in Lasang will be around 100 hectares, while the Punta Dumalag is 25 hectares.
The number of fish cages per park will depend on the type, whether circular or Norwegian.
Norwegian fish cages have a larger stocking density compared to square-type bamboo cages. One Norwegian fish cage can stock up to 15,000 bangus. Meanwhile, 10×10-sized bamboo cages can stock up to 10,000 bangus.
