This is true of the nation’s 15 other island provinces as well, not to mention several coastal provinces. It is a nationwide problem.
The Facts
The volume of fisheries production in Catanduanes dropped at an average annual rate of 10.9 percent from 2015 to 2019, falling from 6,800 metric tons to just 4,300 metric tons over that five-year span, according to the Philippine Statistical Authority. That’s a steep and sustained contraction.
Small Boats, Mostly
The industry is overwhelmingly municipal in character. A “municipal fishery” is one in which fishing boats are confined to 15 kilometers from a city’s limits.
Municipal fisheries — which also consist only of small boats of 3 gross tons or less — accounted for an average of 93.5 percent of total fisheries production from 2015 to 2019.
Commercial fisheries contributed just 5 percent of the catch on average, with aquaculture at 1.5 percent, says the PSA. In other words, Catanduanes is a province of small-scale fishers, not big industrial fleets found in Tawi Tawi.
Key Species
Nevertheless, the waters around Catanduanes support a surprisingly diverse catch. The province is particularly known for blue swimming crab, spiny lobster, and mangrove crab.
A 2023 study of crabbers in northern Catanduanes found that blue swimming crabs dominate the catch in that area, with peak season running from May to July, during the Habagat monsoon season, and the lean season running from October to February. Estimated annual production of blue swimming crab in northern Catanduanes alone reached 697 metric tons during peak season, with 119 metric tons in the lean season, according to the International Network for Natural Sciences.
As for spiny lobster, a 2023 assessment of the spiny lobster fishery in northern Catanduanes identified five species, with Panulirus penicillatus the most dominant. Fishers harvest an average of 80 kilos per day during January to May, the peak season, using free diving, compressor diving, traps, nets, and spearguns, according to a report by the International Network for Natural Sciences. The study raised some concerns, however: catch sizes were predominantly juvenile and undersized, and females dominated the take — warning signs of overexploitation.
Catanduanes has long called itself the “Crab Capital of the Philippines,” and mangrove crab — or mud crab, Scylla serrata — has been central to that identity. In 2022, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources turned over 12 mangrove crab nursery sites to fisherfolk in the province, establishing seed banks and nurseries across ten municipalities including Virac, Bato, San Andres, and Pandan.
The project was projected to yield over 1.2 million crablets annually, covering 90 percent of the province’s crablet requirements, with projected profits of over ₱31 million for the local industry. As recently as January 2024, inspections were underway for a new mangrove crab hatchery and sanctuary in San Andres, with the stated aim of reclaiming the province’s reputation as Crab Capital of the Philippines, according to a website of the Municipality of San Andres.
Regarding freshwater species from inland waters, the top catches include tilapia, with 19.9 metric tons over the study period, as well as eel, freshwater shrimp, mullet, and snail, reports the PSA.
Lagonoy Gulf — A Key Fishing Ground
On its west side Catanduanes faces Southern Luzon, including Mount Mayon, the nation’s most active volcano, and the Lagonoy Gulf, which is among the most important fishing areas surrounding the province.
Lagonoy Gulf — bordered by Albay, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes Provinces — is highly productive for large tuna, mackerel, sailfish, blue marlin, wahoo, dolphinfish, sharks and rays, and reef-dwelling fishes. Many of these are pelagic species that find the Gulf to be productive feeding grounds. Handlines and gillnets comprise 75 percent of the gear used in the area, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Tuna: A Strategic Priority
Recognizing the decline in traditional sectors, provincial planners have added tuna as the sixth priority commodity in Catanduanes’ Provincial Commodity Investment Plan, alongside existing priorities for abaca, mangrove crab, swine, native chickens and dairy cattle, according to reports in this newspaper. This signals a deliberate strategic shift toward developing the commercial tuna fishery as a growth area.
The Bottom Line
The Catanduanes fishery is small by national standards — under 5,000 metric tons annually — and trending downward due to overfishing pressure, illegal fishing methods, weather events, and inadequate post-harvest infrastructure.
Its strengths are biodiversity — crab, lobster, valuable tuna in the Lagonoy Gulf — and an active government effort to rebuild stocks through hatcheries and nurseries.
Lobsters are a favorite among tourists, but the lobster data in particular suggest a small and declining catch due to unsustainable harvest practices that could accelerate decline if unchecked. The crab recovery program is the most organized intervention currently underway, and its success or failure will be a telling indicator of whether the province can reverse the current trajectory.
Bryce McIntyre, PhD, resides in San Andres. He holds a doctoral degree from Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA.
Claude AI was employed in research for this article.