If you happen to eat tuna for your breakfast or lunch and dinner today, you might just been eating the pride of the Philippine waters. Tuna is one of the major fish product of the Philippines. It is very abundant in the country's water surrounding the archipelago. It is best known to nest and proliferate in the southern part of the country, specially in General Santos City and Zamboanga in Mindanao.
General Santos City is the Tuna Capital of the Philippines. It is located in the province of Cotabato in the Mindanao Island. It is one of their main industry, though through the passing of years, there are other economy that governs the city. Because of bearing and boasting about foshes catch that goes for 10-15 tonos of tuna a year, the local government constructed the world class Fishport Complex. It has a 750-meter quay, 300-meter wharf for GT reefer carriers, refrigeration facilities with cold storage capacity, 60 tons/day ice plant, brine, air blast and even contact freezers.
The Pacific Ocean, the Sulu and the Celebes Sea are the main breeding ground of these tunas. But getting it isn't easy. I've seen a documentary before about fishing tuna and it lead me to conclude that buying tuna for a little sum of money is nothing compared to the risk fishermen took, it costs them their lives.
They will leave their families for 15 days and sail on the no-land wide pacific ocean. All you can see is water, with sharks, whales, sun sun fish, marlins, swordfish, and of course, tuna. I saw one time they are hurdling a tuna as big as them, around 8-9 foot long.
I have a photo shoot in General Santos City this coming week that's why I am making this entry. From Cebu, it will be a 1hr plane flight. So I will just update you more and talk about more of General Santos and its tuna industry next time.