Fish, along with rice, serve as the primary dietary staples of Filipinos.
The average Filipino consumed approximately 34.28 kilograms of fish and fishery products in 2021, according to Iloilo-based Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC).
However, it is anticipated that fish consumption may decline as production continues to plunge. In 2025, the fisheries sector yielded a lower fish output compared to the previous year, as indicated by new data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
According to PSA, the total fisheries production amounted to 3,956,913.39 metric tons in 2025, representing a decrease of 2.5 percent from 4,058,692.79 metric tons in 2024 and a 4.7 percent reduction compared to the 4,260,993.59 metric tons recorded in 2023.
The fisheries assessment of the international marine protection organization Oceana Philippines showed a catastrophic 13-year decline in the country’s fisheries, with total losses reaching 591,136 metric tons of fish since 2010.
While overfishing has been identified as a major factor contributing to the reduction of fish catches in Philippine waters, some experts argue that the degradation of the country’s mangroves has played a role in this unfortunate situation.
Mangroves consist of trees and shrubs that are specially adapted to thrive in coastal intertidal areas, such as tidal estuaries, mudflats, and muddy shorelines, where the soil has low oxygen levels and the water is saline or brackish. They are integral components of coastal ecosystems, which also encompass seagrasses and coral reefs.
“Mangroves are like the kindergarten, seagrasses are the secondary schools, and coral reefs are the high schools and colleges for fishes! And, once the fishes graduate from university, they return to kindergarten to spawn,” said Khun Psit, cofounder of Thailand’s Yad Fon mangrove preservation project.
Dr. Severino G. Salmo III, Associate Professor at the Institute of Biology of the College of Science of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, agrees. “Mangroves are known habitat for various fauna, including fishes. They are excellent feeding, nursery, and rearing grounds. Most fishes spend at least a portion of their life cycle in mangroves. Fishes are therefore dependent on the presence and health of mangroves.”
On how mangroves help fish and other marine creatures, Dr. Salmo explains, “The vertical and horizontal vegetation strata of mangroves provide an excellent habitat for fishes. Mangroves are highly productive ecosystems that provide food for fishes. The turbid waters provide juvenile fish protection against predation.”
Mangroves generate food for fish mainly through the breakdown of leaf litter and the ensuing nutrient recycling. This process initiates when leaf litter descends onto the forest floor of the mangrove, where it decomposes due to the action of bacteria and fungi.
The decomposition process releases nutrients into the surrounding water, which are subsequently absorbed by the invertebrates within the mangrove ecosystem, such as crabs and shrimp.
These invertebrates serve as the initial consumers in the mangrove food web, feeding on detritus and aiding in the nutrient cycle. As these nutrients build up, they are transferred to higher trophic levels, including fish, which depend on these nutrients for their growth and development.
Despite their significant economic and ecological values, mangroves are rapidly vanishing in this part of the world. Wetlands International reports that the country has experienced a loss of over 64% of its mangrove forests, equating to roughly 284,798 hectares today.
“Historically, the primary reason was the conversion of land to aquaculture ponds,” Dr. Salmo surmises. “In the 1990s, the main cause was likely the conversion to various other land uses. However, in recent times, large-scale reclamation projects have become the predominant factor.
The disappearance of mangroves would simply mean less fish caught in the open seas. “When mangroves are disturbed or lost, it automatically translates to the reduction or loss of habitat and source of food for fishes,” Dr. Salmo points out.
Around the world, there are 54 species of true mangroves (34 major and 20 minor) and 60 mangrove associates. True mangrove species are those that strictly grow in the mangrove environment while associated species may thrive on other habitat types such as beach forest and lowland areas.
“We are known as one of the mangrove biodiversity centers worldwide,” Dr. Salmo claims. “There are commonly known species such as from the genera Avicennia, Sonneratia, Rhizophora, among others.”
A number of these mangroves are rapidly vanishing. According to the Red List – the most extensive catalog of the global conservation status and extinction risk of species – provided by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Camptostemon philippinensis has been classified as an endangered species. Ceriops decandra is singled out as near-threatened, whereas Avicennia rumphiana is considered a vulnerable species.
A global Landsat imaging done from 1990 to 2010 showed the estimated total area of mangrove coverage at 256,185 hectares in 2000. The result of the study, published in the Journal of Coastal Research, found 66 out of 82 provinces have substantial mangroves.
Palawan, the country’s last frontier, topped the provinces with the most mangrove areas as a percentage of total national area with 22.2%. Most in the top list were from Mindanao: Sulu (8%), Zamboanga del Norte and del Sur (9.8%), Surigao del Norte and del Sur (6.8%), Tawi-Tawi (4.4%), and Basilan (2.97%). Also in the top lists were Eastern and Western Samar (6.1%), Quezon (5.5%), and Bohol (3.69%).
Now, the good news. While most mangroves are disappearing, there are some bright spots where mangroves are relatively stable, according to Dr. Salmo. “There are even some provinces that have gained mangroves,” he says. “This can be attributed to localized successful conservation and restoration projects.”
Mangrove conservation and restoration is a must. “Conserving mangroves is alright but given the extent of damages, it is no longer enough. Restoration should be implemented immediately,” Dr. Salmo urges. “There is no other way! Mangroves have to be restored.
“Our growth and survival as a nation is intricately linked to the health of the mangroves,” he further states. “It is a communal resource which the society should benefit from. The society should benefit from the several ecological and socio-economic services rendered by mangroves.
“A damaged mangrove would mean reduction or loss of ecosystem services,” he continues. “The causes of degradation were mainly brought by people/industries who are not from the area, not the locals. But when mangroves are damaged, it is the locals that suffer from it.”
