June 12, 2006

Fish farms in Philippines lost 35 tonnes of fish to fishkill

A fishkill in two fish-farming villages in Philippines' Batangas province destroyed more than 35 tonnes of tilapia worth almost 2.75 million pesos (US$51,800) , a local paper reported Friday (Jun 9).

The incident occurred almost a month after typhoon "Caloy" ravaged the neighbourhood of San Nicolas and Agoncillo towns in Batangas.

San Nicolas Mayor Napoleon Arceo said more than 30 tonnes of tilapia, including fingerlings inside 10 fish cages were destroyed when the fishkill started on Thursday.

Residents reportedly saw dead fishes suddenly appearing on the surface of the water, Arceo said, adding that a sudden change in temperature caused the fishkill.

Agoncillo Mayor Glorioso Martinez said five tonnes of tilapia in two fish pens in Barangays Pansipit and Pook were lost

He said a sudden discharge of hydrogen sulfide caused the fishkill, adding that the discharge of hydrogen sulfide was a natural phenomenon caused by change in wind patterns, he said.

This fishkill was especially devastating because people have yet to recover from the destruction brought by typhoon "Caloy", Martinez said.

He said P650 million (US$12 million) worth of fish stocks were destroyed by the typhoon.

150 fish cages in San Nicolas were destroyed when "Caloy" wrought havoc last month.

Early this year, a fishkill destroyed a total of 161 million pesos (US$3 million) worth of fishes in the vicinity.