April 22, 2008

Illegal fish pens to be demolished in Philippines' Laguna Lake

The Philippine Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) will start destroying illegal fish pens in Laguna de Bay, one of the country's most economically important bodies of water, beginning April 23.

The move is part of the government's effort to protect the country's few remaining freshwater resources.

After careful evaluation of the lake's condition, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza says the only way to save the lake from being "biologically dead" is to tear down fish pens and fish cages.

The rampant illegal construction of fishpens and fishcages in Laguna de Bay, one of the country's major aquaculture sources, is being blamed for the lake's deterioration Tilapia and milkfish (bangus) are mostly grown in Laguna de Bay, effectively contributing to the country's annual fish production.

The mushrooming of fish pens and fish cages have exceeded the lake's carrying capacity of 10,000 hectares, or equivalent to a little over 10 percent of the lake's total area.

The lake, which used to be abundant with a variety of freshwater fishes, is already polluted and was aggravated further by the intrusion of the dreaded janitor fish, invasive specie that feeds on small fishes.

Atienza said fish pens already inhabit more than one-half of the 90,000-hectare water body and are choking the lake to death. He said the cages are obstructing the flow of water and block the passageways of small fishermen.  Worse, the chemical content of the feeds being fed to the fishes being raised there has "considerably polluted its waters."

LLDA general manager Edgardo Manda will lead the said that fish-pen demolition together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other agencies.