• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
As the United States import ban on Philippine crab meat takes effect June 11, the blue swimming crab industry is bracing for massive economic losses, estimated at P6 billion to P7 billion annually, as well as job displacements, an industry stakeholder said.
Former E.B. Magalona town mayor Alfonso Gamboa, who is a crab meat exporter, blamed the country’s failure to comply with the United States Marine Mammal Protection Act, resulting in the loss of its largest export market.
About 90 percent of Philippine crab meat production is exported to the US.
The US National Marine Fisheries Service announced on May 12, 2026 that imports of Philippine blue swimming crab products would be restricted due to inadequate documentation on mandatory marine mammal protection and bycatch monitoring programs.
Gamboa, president of Saravia Blue Crab Inc., a major blue crab processing company, said the Philippines is the only Southeast Asian country that failed the US comparability assessment, noting that Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, and even China were able to comply.
“We failed because of insufficient documentation and monitoring measures concerning marine mammal protection.” he added.
Gamboa said the industry had already been experiencing difficulties since September 2025 when Philippine exporters were initially denied access to the US market.
An appeal filed in January 2026 was likewise unsuccessful.
“In other words, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) did not do its job,” he said.
Gamboa estimated that around 10,000 fishermen and an additional 4,000 to 5,000 crab meat pickers in Negros, Panay, Bicol, Samar, Leyte, and parts of Mindanao could be affected by the loss of the US market.
Major production areas include the Visayan Sea, Guimaras Strait, San Miguel Bay, Masbate, Sorsogon, Camarines Norte, and Camarines Sur.
The Philippines exports approximately 500,000 pounds of crab meat monthly to the US, with products sourced from processing facilities in Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, and other coastal communities.
Although alternative markets such as China, the European Union, Canada, and Australia remain available, Gamboa said they are too small to absorb the volume previously purchased by US buyers.
“These markets cannot absorb the displaced workers or the volume we used to ship to the US,” he said.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the province has started discussions with BFAR and industry stakeholders to address the situation.
“We will sit down again with BFAR and other stakeholders on ways to regain the confidence of the US market,” Lacson said.
Despite concerns over market access, Lacson noted there is no shortage of blue crab supply, adding that demand remains strong.
In E.B. Magalona, Vice Mayor Marvin Malacon said the immediate impact would be felt more on prices and processing plant workers than on crab supply.
“The supply is there because crab production is seasonal. The problem is the market value,” Malacon said.
He explained that when exports to the international market were strong, crabs sold for P300 to P400 per kilogram.
With the loss of the US market, prices may drop to between P150 and P200 per kilogram, benefiting local consumers but reducing earnings for industry players.
Malacon said about 500 to 600 crab meat pickers in E.B. Magalona, which hosts four picking plants where workers extract crab meat for processing and export, could be affected.
“The fisherfolk may not be the most affected sector because the supply remains. The greater concern is the pickers working in processing plants,” the vice mayor said.
While no plant closures have been reported so far, one facility employing nearly 30 workers recently sought assistance from Mayor Matthew Louis Malacon.
The mayor encouraged affected workers to organize themselves into an association so the municipal government can provide them alternative livelihood assistance. | GB
