Several fishermen in General Santos City have stopped fishing temporarily due to the skyrocketing prices of petroleum products.

Despite favorable weather conditions, some tuna fishing boats have remained idle for days along the shore of Sitio Malok in Barangay Labangal.

Fishermen cited the lack of starting capital as one of the main reasons due to continued increases in fuel prices.

A fisherman, Armando Torrejos, said at least five boats from different operators have already put up for sale or have ceased operations due to high fuel costs.

He said a fishing trip consumes around 3,000 liters of diesel and 2,000 liters of gasoline.

“Ang ubang mga owner sa bangka ginabaliigya na lang nila  tungod kay dili na makaya sa presyo sa krudo. Unya ang uban dili na makaya sa starting sa ilang bangka tungod kay mu-starting ka sa og 300,000 (pesos) times 2 mahimo na og 600,000 ( pesos) unya sa fishport usab usab ra ba ang presyo samantala ang atuag lana pataas nga pataas,” Torrejos said.

“Mga amo namo run murag alangan na mag-starting tungod sa kamahal sa gasolina’t krudo. Karon standby sa mi,” another fisherman, Ian Sabiono, added.

They said they will just wait for their employer’s call on when they can return to fishing.

Meanwhile, some are finding other ways to earn a living such as selling food with their spouses while others are repairing their boats in preparation for selling them.

“Ibaligya pud nako kay daan daan na,” Torrejos said.

Small-scale fisherfolk contribute in sustaining the city’s tuna industry. However, if fuel prices continue to skyrocket, the industy and the livelihood of those who depend on it will be affected severely.

Fishermen are now appealing to the government for assistance and are hoping their plight will be addressed.

“Mapukaw unta inyong kasing-kasing ba kame diri nagsakripisyo sa dagat  bisan ulan init o balod,, unsa man kamahal sa krudo kay kamo man  ang gisaligan pag ingun sa election pag boto, nagsalig mi sa inyuha,” a fisherman, Jupiter Balbon, said.

The Office of the City Agriculturist said it is profiling fishermen affected for possible aid programs, as of this writing.