GEN. SANTOS CITY — Tuna supply in Mindanao has reached a critical level and further study is needed on how to make the supply sustainable, a fishery expert disclosed last week.

Regional Director Sani Macabalang of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Region XII based in here said there is an ongoing biological study on stock assessment to meet the problem on tuna supply.

Macabalang said the one-year biological study is the commitment of BFAR to the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) on the proper regulations, protection and management of tuna resources.

Earlier, the commission declared a two-year fishing ban, starting this year, on fishing boats like tuna purse seiners to allow the dwindling tuna stocks to regenerate, according to Macabalang.

“Our tuna resources are in a critical stage now. This is purposely the basis of this study. But the gain that we can get from this is beyond WCPFC’s two-year ban. This is to strengthen our tuna industry that constitutes more than $242 million of the total Mindanao exports in 2009,” he said.

As this developed, the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) in cooperation with the National Stock Assessment Project of BFAR in Region XII recently kicked off the Biological Assessment of the “three top export of tuna species in Philippine waters—yellow fin tuna, big-eye tuna and skipjack.

According to the BFAR Region XII director, the biological study, which will run until August 2011, aims to determine the length at first capture and spawning seasons of these tuna species. It includes sexual maturity determination, sex ratios, age and length composition and length-weight relationship.

Eunice Bognot, project leader of the Marine Fisheries Research Division of NFRDI, said the one-year study would be conducted in 10 consecutive days every month both in municipal and commercial waters.

“The team will conduct biological samplings, dissect tuna species and measure the fish in order to determine the length, weight and sexual maturity stages,” Bognot said.

Hence, Macabalang lauded the efforts of the tuna industry in Region XII for their genuine cooperation especially in providing tuna samples such as gonads for the entire study.

Moreover, Region XII has exported 34-million kilograms of frozen whole round tuna, pouched and canned tuna products to European Union (EU) markets from January to June 2010 alone as based on health certificate issued.