August 10, 2007

Philippines' Taal Lake lose P2.1M in fish kill

At least 31 tonnes of tilapia vanished to a fish kill in Taal Lake in the province of Batangas, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources¡§CInland Fisheries Research Station (BFAR-IFRS).

Based on a PHP70 per kilogramme farm gate price, the fish kill had caused losses P2.1 million (US$45,926) in the villages of Banaga in Agoncillo and the villages of Leviste and Buso-Buso in Laurel.

The BFAR-IFRS estimated the fish kill affected 34 tilapia cages.

But the latest fish kill was not massive compared to 3,700 tonnes lost in 2005 and 1,700 tonnes in 2000, according Leah Villanueva, BFAR-IFRS centre chief.

She said that fish kills in the lake were usually common during the rainy months and operators are prepared to handle the situation.

Villanueva said fortunately, BFAR had warned fish cage operators of the fish kill which made them harvest fish before it can be entirely wiped out. She said the level of hydrogen sulfide in Agoncillo, Laurel and Talisay towns was high which could have caused the toxic gas emissions that can deplete the lake's oxygen supply, killing the fish. Decomposing organic matters, such as unconsumed tilapia feeds and domestic wastes, contributed to the high level of hydrogen sulfide, she added.