MAP Insights

Our country has more seawater than land. It is time we focus more on the sea as a means to sustain our lives through aquaculture, on top of agriculture.

 

Look at the difference of Philippine territories expressed in terms of kilometers covered by seawater versus land in our approximately 7,107 islands.

 

For seawater, we have 2,200,000 million kilometers; versus Land at 299,735 kilometers. The difference between the two is 1,900,265 million kilometers. Additionally, within each land or island are lakes, rivers, dams, swamps, reservoirs.

 

Rapid urbanization and development of residential, commercial and industrial industries contribute to further reduction of agricultural land.

 

There is a compelling urgency that we embrace the phenomenon of change. It is time to veer from the traditional focus on agriculture to the realm of aquaculture.

 

Aquaculture has long existed in the Philippines and involves many species and culture systems. For instance, each of these species can be independently grown, harvested and become a significant economic driver. These are bangus, carps, oysters, shrimps, crabs, tilapia, seaweeds, encheume, gracilaria, prawn, rabbitfish, seabass, groupers.

 

To quote the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations: “In spite of the recent production setbacks in fisheries, the industry continues to play an important role. The country’s archipelagic nature is only one of the reasons for its importance. The other reason is the Filipinos’ great liking for fish. No meal is complete without fish. As a result, the Philippines has one of the highest per capita fish consumption in the world at 36 kg per year of fish and fishery products (BFAR, 1997).”

 

FAO in 2020 estimated that Asia accounted for 85 percent of the total global number of persons engaged in fisheries and aquaculture production (total 50.38 million).

 

China, the country with the highest number of fishers and fish farmers, had an estimated 13 million engaged in fisheries in 2004, accounting for 31.4 percent of the world’s total. Could this be one other possible reason why China is aggressively claiming our sea territories?

 

Today, a leading 1st class Hotel is importing sea food from the USA. On record, they are importing lobsters from USA allocating an annual budget of P52 million.  This is only for lobsters. Imagine how much other leading hotels are likewise allocating funds to import lobsters from the USA. Ironically, Philippines has all the natural resources to raise lobsters.

 

And in today’s Renewable Energy Sector, “Floating Solar” is the future path of utility-scale solar plants due to shrinking land space as a consequence of evolution in residential, commercial and industrial sectors.

 

If we do shift our focus to developing the entire seawater territory, there could be an inevitable rise in another growth sector. The outcome carries a “domino effect” on the tourism industry.

 

The moment we protect and nurture the coral reef or marine life to spur fishing, we can all see the inevitable beautification of the ocean floor. Thus, we may just be witnessing another seeming “multiplication of bread” (but this time of the fishes). This beauty can be replicated in all 7,107 islands. Can you imagine how our country can transform itself into the tourist capital of the world?

 

Tourism is recognized as a major contributor to the economy of the Philippines, contributing 6.2 percent to the Philippine GDP in 2022, through generation of income, employment, and foreign exchange earnings. The Philippines is an archipelagic country composed of 7,107 islands. But the beauty of our seaside is what spurred tourism in our country.

 

Once the seashores have coral reefs to spur the fishing industry, fish sanctuaries will multiply a thousand fold. Our beaches will now serve as one of the most popular and tourist destinations in the country. The Philippines may then attract tourists who are in search of a vacation paradise.

 

While it fell behind its 7.7 million arrival target, the country’s inbound visitors in 2024 still hit 5.94 million, at least 9.15 percent higher than the 5.45 million foreign visitors in 2023. The Philippines recorded higher tourism arrivals after the Department of Tourism launched a widely publicized marketing campaign titled “It’s More Fun In the Philippines”.

 

Where did most of these tourists go? To beach resorts.

 

It is unfortunate that the Philippines has the highest unemployment rate in Southeast Asia. But if we can spur the economy around by focusing on the sea and enhancing the marine environment, the fishing and tourism industries can commensurately create more jobs, thus reduce the unemployment rate.

 

Our country’s population in 2024 just reached the 119,106,224 million mark and continues to rise by 1.51% from 2023. Our land will inevitably see the rise of urbanization in the next decades. Since land continues to shrink due to urbanization, we must critically revisit the logic of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Act, awarding a minimum of 5 hectares of land to a destitute farmer. Rice production is shrinking, turning us into a net importer of rice. Emotionally loaded attention to land distribution must cease. More attention must be made to encourage the populace to look to the sea, or aquaculture, instead of just agriculture.

 

Today, the Philippines is the 31st largest economy in the world, according to Goldman Sachs. By 2050, or 27 years from now, the Philippines may be the 14th largest economy. We do not have to wait that long. We can shorten the lead time.

 

In Asia, the Philippines surpassed Vietnam and Malaysia to become the fastest growing economy in Asia in 2023, driven by consumption, services and investments.

 

In 2020, the aquaculture sector made up 41.82% of the total value of Philippine fisheries, directly employing 233,725 people. In 2021, there were 1.34 million tons of seaweed produced, 3.82% of global production, 4th largest in the world. 93% of the 913.40 tons of brackish aquaculture production in 2020 was milkfish.

 

The three major aquaculture species in the Philippines are: Seaweed (mainly Kappaphycus and Eucheuma spp.). Milkfish (Chanos chanos ). Tilapia (mainly Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus).

 

In terms of aquaculture production, the country ranked 11th in the world with 826.01 thousand MT or 1.01% share of the total global aquaculture production of 82.10 million MT. The total value of the country’s aquaculture production, including fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. is US$1.89 billion (FAO, 2020).

 

In order to sustainably feed the world’s growing population with a healthy, lean protein, aquaculture’s role is of the utmost importance. The primary responsibility of aquaculture is to efficiently complement wild-caught fish options to increase the amount of seafood available worldwide.

 

Regarding Unemployment Rate, out of 49 countries is Asia, Philippines is the 20th rated at 3.1%. But if we can spur the economy around by focusing on the sea and enhancing the marine environment, the fishing and tourism industries can commensurately create more jobs, thus reduce the unemployment rate.

 

In sum, if the Philippines were to focus more on the sea, through Aquaculture, rather than just land through Agriculture, both the fishing and tourism industries would rise phenomenally. And so will our economy.

(This article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or MAP. The author is Chair of MAP Environment Committee, member of MAP Energy Committee, Treasurer and Board Member of Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Development Institute (SAIDI) School for Doctorate and Masters degrees on Organization Development, Board Advisor in Basic Energy Corporation (BEC), Treasurer and Board Member of Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Sports Club and President of the Advance Renewable Energy Inc. (AREI). Feedback at map@map.org.ph and rtcasas0211@gmail.com. For previous articles, please v