June 2, 2011
Philippines can meet fish production goal by end-2011
Despite the massive fish kill and the recent typhoons, the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) remains confident that the government's fish production target of 5.36 million tonnes (MMT) will be met by year-end.
The DA said losses from the fish kill as of June 1 were at around 750 to 770 tonnes a mere 0.015 percent of total production. Damage caused by Typhoon Bebeng was mostly on the crop sector.
The losses in the fish kill in Taal Lake in Batangas reached around 700 tonnes while losses in Anda and Bolinao in Pangasinan have already reached around 50 to 70 tonnes.
BFAR said the impact of these losses to total production is only 0.015 percent as target production is at 5.36 million tonnes. But affected areas are expected to incur losses at 50% apart from a decrease in farm-gate prices because of the glut.
The supply of fish in Metro Manila will not be affected as large volumes of fish also come from Region 6 [Western Visayas] and other adjacent areas, the DA said in a statement.
The agency also added the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is already implementing interventions to help affected fisherfolk in the affected areas such as shouldering the cost of cold storage for fish stocks.
The BFAR has already issued advisories to fish-cage operators in the affected areas to immediately harvest their fish stock and bring these to the nearest fish ports.
The DA also said the BFAR has also provided fish fry and/or fingerlings to affected small fisherfolk. The BFAR has created a set of criteria in determining those who are qualified for the assistance.
Meanwhile, the DA said the fish kill in Taal Lake was a result of natural and man-made causes including natural causes such as the lack of dissolved oxygen in water due to natural upwelling lakes.
Man-made causes include violations of BFAR's Code of Practice for Aquaculture and local government ordinances on proper fish-cage management.
The fish kill in Anda and Bolinao, Pangasinan was largely due to man-made causes, specifically improper fish-cage management and overcrowding of fish in the cages.
The DA explained that the prescribed density stocking density for closed water systems like lakes should be 20 fish per cubic meter but there are those who violate this prescription.
For open waters, stocking density could go up to 30 fish per cubic meter or more depending on water circulation among others, the agency added.
