Central Visayas’ seaweed industry—once a pillar of the region’s coastal economy—has nearly collapsed, with output plunging by about 90% in the last decade. The crash has forced government agencies, scientists, financiers, and industry groups to band together for an emergency revival plan that they admit is long overdue.
The decline hits hardest in Cebu and Bohol, where thousands of families rely on Eucheuma seaweed, or guso, the country’s key raw material for carrageenan exports.
Production Falls Off a Cliff
National seaweed output slipped from 1.63 million metric tons in 2023 to 1.46 million in 2024, but Central Visayas absorbed the most severe blow. The region’s harvest dropped from around 130,000 metric tons to barely 10,000, according to BFAR Region 7 Director Mario Ruinata.
Communities that once powered the trade are left with idle farms, dwindling income, and young workers leaving their hometowns to look for jobs elsewhere.
What Went Wrong
Experts point to a mix of climate stress and long-standing management failures:
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Stronger storms and rising sea temperatures have slowed growth and triggered widespread “ice-ice disease,” which turns seaweed pale, brittle, and useless within weeks.
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Illegal fishing practices, including blast and cyanide fishing, continue to damage marine habitats where seaweed farms thrive.
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Poor coordination among agencies and LGUs led to years of fragmented projects that barely made a dent in the problem.
The result: farmers are gambling more and earning less in an industry once known for stable income.
Coastal Economies Feeling the Pain
Bien Unido, once hailed as the “seaweed capital of the Visayas,” has seen its once-dominant harvest all but vanish. Mayor John Felix Garcia says tax collections from seaweed farming have plummeted, and whole communities—like those in Hingotanan Island—are now migrating in search of work.
Ruinata warns that the collapse of the sector echoes directly into household income and food security. “When seaweed is strong, the community is strong,” he said. “When it’s not, everyone struggles.”
A Regional Roadmap, At Last
To stop the bleeding, a new Technical Working Group (TWG) has been formed under a sweeping memorandum of agreement. The coalition includes:
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4 national government agencies
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3 major financial institutions
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3 academic institutions
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multiple LGUs
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seaweed processors, traders, NGOs, and farmer groups
Their task: build a single, unified Seaweed Revitalization Program to replace years of scattered, short-lived interventions.
The plan aims to rebuild livelihoods, protect marine ecosystems, and position Central Visayas as a model for sustainable, climate-resilient seaweed production.
Science, Enforcement, and Scale
Immediate actions center on two fronts:
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Science-driven farming — BFAR will establish facilities for seaweed tissue culture to develop more resilient strains, moving away from traditional cuttings that can no longer cope with warming waters.
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Stricter enforcement — LGUs and law enforcement agencies will crack down harder on destructive fishing that undermines farm areas.
More than 10,000 hectares of potential farm sites have been mapped in Cebu and Bohol, with projections that a revived industry could support 1,500 to 2,000 fisherfolk and strengthen a supply chain tied to global food and cosmetics industries.
More Than a Crop
For stakeholders, saving “guso” is about more than keeping carrageenan factories supplied. It’s about protecting a livelihood that has sustained coastal families for generations—and ensuring that Central Visayas can adapt to the accelerating impacts of climate change.