Wild-caught blue swimming crab in the Philippines

Currently, all blue swimming crab from the Philippines is rated red by Seafood Watch due to concerns over the environmental impacts of the fishery. Our standards for environmental sustainability are helping to guide improvement projects in the region.

Why the Philippines?

The Philippines is the fourth largest producer of blue swimming crab (BSC) and the second largest exporter of this species to the U.S. In 2020, exports to the U.S. were valued at $46 million. Globally, the U.S. drives demand for BSC, which is an inexpensive alternative to other crab products. The Visayan Sea produces around 40 percent of the country’s harvest and contains nearly half of the country’s crab picking stations, which supports an estimated 10,000 workers. However, all BSC from the Philippines is currently rated red.

Areas for improvement

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and bycatch of endangered, threatened, and protected species present significant challenges. Overfishing and the harvest of juvenile crabs and egg-bearing females has also resulted in BSC population declines, prompting conservation concerns in the Visayan Sea.

Project goal

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is collaborating with the Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and other members of the Public Private Community Partnership (PPCP) to implement and scale the new Blue Swimming Crab National Management Plan. Members are conducting targeted research, providing input about proposed management initiatives, participating in and hosting workshops to build and strengthen relationships between industry and government, and co-creating solutions to key barriers preventing progress to a yellow or green rating.

Roadmap

The Aquarium invests in ongoing research initiatives and improvement efforts to address key barriers to BSC harvest in the Philippines.

Top countries fishing wild blue swimming crab

(Percent of global production)

Green

Yellow

Certified

Red

Unrated

Indonesia

40% (100% red)

China

28% (100% red)

Thailand

16% (100% red)

Philippines

10% (100% red)

Iran

2% (100% unrated)

Project scope

Visayan Sea, Philippines
Blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus)
Pots, gillnets, and lift nets
Equal to about 13,000 metric tons (40 percent of the Philippines' annual production of blue swimming crab)

Partnership Assurance Model members

The Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Philippine Association of Crab Processors Inc., the USAID Fish Right Program, Saravia Blue Crab Inc., and the Aquarium are working together to improve this fishery.

Updates as of March 2025

2024: We co-hosted a data mapping workshop to build an understanding of each stakeholder’s role and interests in data management. The event was attended by more than 20 representatives from universities and local and national governments

In September, our partners launched a BSC Adopt-a-Village Program in Manapla, Negros Occidental province. Manapla is the second Model Village selected in the Visayan Sea BSC fishery, where the Adopt-a-Village program is implementing improvements to protect both the environment and the livelihoods of local crab fishers. Achieving a Seafood Watch yellow or green rating is one of its indicators of progress.

As a result of a domestic markets scoping report conducted by MBA,The first BSC Model Village in Concepcion, Iloilo province has entered a domestic market partnership with Courtyard by Marriott–Iloilo City hotel. In October, the partnership was formally announced in October at the Philippine Sustainability Movement Event, which was attended by international governments, environmental groups, and hotel and culinary representatives. Since then, the Model Village fishers have supplied BSC to the hotel every week at favorable prices.

View previous updates

2023: We collaborated with partners to ensure the successful implementation of the BSC management plan and associated model village concept (PDF), with the goal of supporting holistic changes that will lead to improved ratings and livelihoods. A new work plan was established in October. In December, the Aquarium signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the PPCP for the local implementation of the Blue Swimming Crab National Management Plan (BSC-NMP) through the Adopt-a-Village Project in Iloilo City.This PPCP marks a major step towards collaborative implementation of the BSC-NMP.

We collaborated with partners to ensure the successful implementation of the BSC management plan and associated model village concept (PDF), with the goal of supporting holistic changes that will lead to improved ratings and livelihoods. A new work plan was established in October.

2022: A new national management plan for BSC was created at the end of 2022.

Data source summary: Blue swimming crab trade data were taken from the Aquatic Resources Trade in Species dataset (2020). Wild blue swimming crab production data are from the FAO (2022). Seafood Watch ratings data are up to date as of February 4, 2025.