There are two Auxis species targeted in the Philippines: Auxis rochei (Bullet tuna) and Auxis thazard (Frigate tuna).  In the Philippines FMA 4, Bullet tuna (Auxis rochei) seems to be more abundant although statistical catch data is lumped for both species (see FishstatJ). The stock structure of Bullet tuna is not completely known which this profile is defined at the management unit level, the Philippines Fishery Management Area 4 (FMA 4), which covers the southeastern part of the Sulu Sea and includes  Panay Gulf, waters off of the islands of Panay, Guimaras, and western Negros, down to the  Zamboanga Peninsula, and the Sulu Archipelago. FMAs were established in January 2019 (Fisheries Administrative Order 263) to focus on the ecosystem approach to fisheries management. This profile may undergo restructuring in the future as new information comes to light.

In the Philippine Statistics Authority or PSA, production volume is reported as Frigate tuna (Tulingan) (see OpenSTAT).  In NSAP’s Philippine Capture Fisheries Atlas, stock assessments of Auxis species occur in selected sites (see (Barut et al. 2017); catch landing data however is aggregated under “neritic tuna” (Santos et al. 2017).