June 15, 2007

Philippines' Pangasinan province lost US$2.15 million on fish kill

A massive fishkill have cost fishpen and fish cage operators in the province in Pangasinan in central Philippines an estimated P100 million or US$2.15 million dollars in losses which has affected their bangus (milkfish) production since Wednesday (June 13).

Mayor Nestor Pulido of Anda town told the Philippine Star that extreme heat, sudden rainfall, and overstocking, which resulted in low dissolved oxygen level, were the main factors for the fishkill, the first massive incident in the town which is considered as one of the top bangus producers in Pangasinan.

The nearby town of Bolinao, also a top bangus producer, is likewise affected.

The municipal government has allowed fishpens and fish cages to be operated in  barangays ¨C Awag, Mal-ong, Dolaoan and Siapar, according to the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute in Bolinao.

There are about 250 fishpens and 250 fish cages along these coastal barangays which have suffered from the fishkill while others have prematurely harvested their produce. 

Pulido said that while he sympathizes for operators' losses, he said they should have also heeded the advice of experts in operating fishpens and fish cages, particularly in the proper feeding system and proper stocking.

An operator of one fish cage measuring about 18 metres by 18 metres with 50,000 pieces of bangus spends about P1 million for feeds over a period of five months, Pulido disclosed.

Adding burden now is how and where to bury the dead fishes, which are starting to emit foul smell, Pulido said, adding that some operators merely abandoned their dead produce, leaving the municipal government to do the clean-up.

Since Wednesday, the mayor has been looking for trucks and other large vehicles that can haul the bangus, plus masks for  Bantay Dagat volunteers helping the clean-up drive.

He said he will coordinate with Bolinao Mayor Alfonso Celeste for a common effort to clean up the mess because Anda and Bolinao share common coastal boundaries along the Caciputan Channel.