Yellowfin Tuna are highly migratory. They live in both tropical and subtropical waters, and conduct large oceanic migrations in search of food and favorable conditions for spawning. Yellowfin are found throughout the year in all Philippine waters but are abundant in Moro Gulf, Sulu Sea, and Sulawesi Sea off Mindanao Island. Lagonoy Gulf is considered as their spawning ground hotspot. Tuna is the Philippines’ top seafood export commodity, with almost half of seafood exports coming from yellowfin, skipjack, and frigate tuna. In 2020 alone, the country exported a collective volume of 134,412 metric tons of fresh/chilled/frozen, smoked/dried, and canned tuna products valued at USD 481 million. 

Thousands of local fishers rely on Yellowfin tuna for their livelihood. In Occidental Mindoro, tuna fishing is a way of life. Over 1000 fishing vessels benefit from the abundant marine resources of Mindoro Strait. Some seasoned fisherfolk have been fishing for tuna for over 40 years, and have witnessed the drastic change in the tuna stocks available in their waters. Some fondly recounted how tuna fishing trips in the early 2000’s used to only last a few hours a day, with fishers easily bringing home a decent catch. Nowadays, you’ll need a tremendous amount of luck to catch a single tuna. “Kung sandaang bangka kayo sa laot, mga trenta lang diyan ang makakahuli ng tuna (If there are 100 tuna fishing boats at sea, only around 30 will be able to catch tuna),” shared a tuna fisher from Mamburao.

Climate change is one of the prevalent factors affecting tuna stocks in Occidental Mindoro. Tuna are sensitive to water temperature. Cooler waters have more dissolved oxygen, which tuna need plenty of as long-distance swimmers. Warming waters brought about by climate change are forcing tuna to migrate farther from land in search of cooler waters. This leaves our fishermen highly vulnerable to food insecurity and poverty, and forces them to travel further away and risk their lives against stronger and bigger waves. 

Fifteen to twenty years ago, tuna fishers only had to travel around 60 to 70 kms from the coast to catch tuna. Nowadays, some have shared that they travel beyond Mindoro Strait, reaching around 200 kms from shore. A day trip used to be enough to bring home a decent catch during tuna’s heyday in the province. Nowadays, tuna fishing trips last a minimum of 5 days, with some even reaching up to 12 days. The longer the trips, the more supplies, like food, water, ice and gasoline, are needed to sustain the tuna fishers. In effect, they need to spend more money per fishing trip, which is even worsened by the rising prices brought about by inflation.

Each fishing trip is a financial risk for tuna fishers. After spending all that money to be able to set sail, there is no guarantee that they’ll even break even. Aside from the uncertainty of catching any tuna, another side effect of warming waters is the degrading quality of caught tuna. As experienced by most fishers, tuna caught in warmer waters were graded lower and bought for a much lower price. With the rising cost of inputs, uncertainty of bringing home catch, and low tuna prices, the money earned from each trip’s catch is insufficient, pushing Occidental Mindoro’s tuna fishers into poverty and a vicious cycle of debt.

Since 2011, the World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines (WWF-Philippines) has been working with the tuna fishing communities of Occidental Mindoro to build a strong foundation for climate change adaptation. Since then, government representation has improved, financial support was established within the communities, and sustainable fishing practices were put in place. Currently, two WWF-Philippines projects, Sustainable Tuna Partnership 2 (STP 2) and Project Buhay: Tuna Habambuhay, Dagdag Hanapbuhay, are working together to further build the resilience of tuna fishing communities against the negative impacts of climate change.

Project Buhay: Tuna Habambuhay, Dagdag Hanapbuhay, directly translated as Project Life: Tuna for Life, Additional Livelihoods, is a project funded by the European Union (EU) with a total value of €1,562,500. It aims to help tuna fishers increase the value of their catch by improving quality and reducing post-harvest losses. Through the financial support of the EU, the project will provide fishers with the necessary training and resources to properly handle tuna after being caught in order to maintain optimum quality. Given the current uncertainty of earning from tuna fishing, the project will also help communities identify alternative livelihoods to supplement their income and to fund tuna fishing trips. Equipping tuna fishers to earn more from their catch and to have other income streams would, in turn, empower them to continue sustainable fishing practices.

In truth, the solutions to climate change could take generations to take effect. In order for communities, like our tuna fishers, to participate in climate change mitigation efforts, it is essential to also focus on climate change adaptation. An example of this is helping them earn a decent living that would fulfill their basic needs. As we work to protect the planet for future generations, we continue to look for ways to help our communities survive through the current climate crisis.

This article was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of WWF-Philippines and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.