Tahong 2024 2021 ⇒

Mang Carding smiled, his weather-beaten face crinkling. He shoveled the mussels into the bag with a practiced hand. He looked at the water. It sparkled under the afternoon sun, no longer the grey, ominous mirror of 2021.

| Region | 2021 Status | 2024 Status (Projected/Reported) | |--------|-------------|----------------------------------| | | Bacoor Bay: Moderate harvest, occasional PSP (paralytic shellfish poison) alerts. | Bacoor Bay: Improved water quality in some areas; higher spatfall reported in early 2024. | | Region VI (Western Visayas – Capiz, Iloilo) | Major producer but hit by prolonged red tide (Aug–Dec 2021). | Red tide still present in coastal waters of Panay Island as of June 2024; intermittent bans. | | Region VIII (Eastern Visayas – Samar, Leyte) | Matarinao Bay, Cancabato Bay: PSP detected in July–Sept 2021. | Recurring PSP in San Pedro Bay (Samar) as of March 2024; many areas remain unsafe. | | Region V (Masbate – Milagros, Mandaon) | Milagros Bay declared red-tide positive (Nov 2021). | Mandaon Bay still under red tide warning as of Sept 2024 – longest closure in the country. | | Region XI (Davao Gulf) | Minimal PSP reports; low commercial harvest. | Increased mussel farming trials; harvest up 15% vs 2023. | tahong 2024 2021

2021 was a cruel year for the tahong industry. It wasn't just the virus keeping the tourists away from the local dampa restaurants; it was the water. A severe bout of red tide had poisoned the bays early in the year. Then came the typhoons, relentless and angry, tearing apart the intricate bamboo rafts that held the mussel lines. Mang Carding smiled, his weather-beaten face crinkling

| Year | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Average | |------|----|----|----|----|---------| | 2021 | ₱18–22 | ₱15–18 | ₱20–25 | ₱25–30 | ₱21.50 | | 2024 | ₱28–35 | ₱25–30 | ₱32–40* | – | ~₱31.00 | It sparkled under the afternoon sun, no longer

For many fisherfolk in Western Visayas, particularly in Capiz, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental, 2021 started with dread. In March 2021, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) raised the red tide alert to alarming levels.