Commercial fisheries in the Philippines are the fisheries located more than 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the coast, which are generally fished with boats larger than 3 gross tons. Commercial fishing occurs throughout the country, targeting both large and small pelagic species, especially tuna and sardines, as well as demersal species.
While fishing in the Philippines has a long history, a distinct commercial fishing industry began to emerge in the 20th century as fishing efforts intensified and new technologies were introduced. Overfishing led to increased competition, and over time coastal waters became restricted to municipal fishing for local use and smaller vessels. Current laws are based on the Fisheries Code of 1998, which distinguishes between the two forms of capture fisheries. Small commercial fishing boats can fish within the outer bounds of municipal fisheries, but only with the permission of that local government.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is responsible for managing commercial fisheries resources and maintains a registry of commercial fishing vessels. A large commercial fishing industry works out of southern Mindanao, mostly focused on tuna. Many other vessels are registered in Metro Manila, although their actual fishing grounds are often elsewhere. Philippine-registered tuna fishing vessels sometimes fish outside of Philippine waters in the Pacific, and sometimes Indian, oceans.