Majority of Filipinos believed fish and seafood products available in markets have become smaller, and more expensive, and that there is less variety compared to a decade ago, an independent pollster said Thursday.
A Social Weather Stations survey, commissioned by Oceana Philippines, found that five out of 10 Filipinos believed that catch from the seas has shrunken.
The SWS also found that some 87 percent of those polled said that fish and seafood products are now more expensive compared to a decade ago.
Most Filipinos, at 70 percent, eat fish or seafood at least five days a month.
The said survey also cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority that the catch of Filipino fishermen has continuously declined over the past four years, from 2008 to 2017.
However, only four out of 10 Filipinos believed destructive fishing is the “most important problem of our oceans,” while only two out of 10 saw overfishing as a serious danger.
The survey also noted that fish is an essential source of animal protein diet among Filipinos and majority of Filipinos believe they can do something to save the country’s fisheries and oceans.
SWS also said the regions MIMAROPA, Regions 11, and Region 13 strongly experienced high intrusions of commercial fishing vessels at “severely occurring” level, resulting in overfishing.
The survey, titled “Feasting or Fasting on Fish?” was conducted from Sept. 23 to 27, 2017 and had a total of 1,500 adult respondents nationwide, who were interviewed face-to-face.
The survey has a +/-3 percent margin of error for the national percentage with +/-4 for Balance Luzon, and +/-6 for Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said such result of the SWS survey should not be a cause for concern.
“That’s not substantial. The result is already outdated. Before, maybe [the fish were expensive],” Panelo told the Manila Standard in an interview Thursday.
He noted that the survey was conducted almost a year ago and added that the prices of food are already coming down due to government countermeasures.
