A TUNA ONCE CONSIDERED EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO BREED IN CAPTIVITY HAS SPAWNED NATURALLY IN THE PHILIPPINES

A TUNA ONCE CONSIDERED EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO BREED IN CAPTIVITY HAS SPAWNED NATURALLY IN THE PHILIPPINES

This is the kind of good news that I am looking for.

A tuna that was considered extremely difficult to breed in captivity has actually spawned naturally in the Philippines.

The fish is mackerel tuna, or kawakawa (Euthynnus affinis), locally known as tulingan. Researchers at the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) in Tigbauan, Iloilo recorded the first spawning in July 2025, with repeated spawning through September. The fish produced viable eggs and larvae—without hormone injections.

This is good news for food security.

It is good news for livelihood.

And yes, it is good news for national pride.

Never mind that SEAFDEC is an international organization rather than a Philippine government agency. What matters is that the breakthrough happened here, in the Philippines, and Filipino fisheries scientists were part of the research team.

In fact, the project has been led since 2020 by SEAFDEC/AQD researcher Irene Cabanilla-Legaspi, with other researchers including Leobert de la Peña and Dan Baliao. The work was supported by the Japanese Trust Fund. 

Why is this important?

Because tuna is an important source of food and income, while fishing pressure remains a concern. The Philippines reported more than 201,000 metric tons of WCPFC-managed tuna catch in 2024, making us a major tuna producer. 

But let us be careful with the word “overfishing.” The condition varies by tuna species and stock. FAO reports that most major tuna stocks are now considered biologically sustainable, although fishing pressure, fleet capacity and management remain continuing concerns.

That is precisely why captive breeding could become important.

If kawakawa can eventually be raised from egg to adult and back to spawning, we could reduce dependence on wild-caught juveniles. SEAFDEC itself says more years of research are needed before this can be replicated consistently and scaled commercially. 

But there is another lesson here.

We must clean our oceans.

What good is learning how to breed more fish if we continue dumping plastic into the same waters where fish live?

Our universities are already documenting microplastics in Philippine rivers, lakes, sediments and aquatic organisms.

The plastic we throw away does not simply disappear.

Some of it eventually finds its way into our waterways and oceans. Some becomes microplastic. Some is ingested by marine organisms.

So here is my simple suggestion:

Let us look at tuna breeding, ocean cleanup and solid-waste management as one food-security issue.

We need more fish.

We need healthier fish.

We need fishermen who can make a better living.

And we need consumers who can eat seafood without worrying about what we have dumped into the ocean.

If we can make a tuna spawn naturally in captivity, surely we can also make our people understand one simple principle:

What we throw away today can come back to us tomorrow—on our dinner plate.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres  iseneres@yahoo.com  senseneres.blogspot.com  09088877282/09-13-2027