P50 M lost in Bolinao fishkill
BOLINAO–When will fish farmers and local government units ever learn their lesson?
Some P50 million worth of milkfish died in a new fishkill that broke out along the Caquipotan Channel between Bolinao and Anda due to low dissolved oxygen in the water mainly caused by the congestion of fish cages and pens in the area.
The calamity struck Sunday morning, timed in with the occurrence of neap tide that was influenced by the gravitational pull of the moon, resulting in slow movement of the water.
Dr. Westly Rosario, chief of the National Fisheries Technology Development Center (NIFTDC), led a team that rushed to Bolinao on Wednesday and found that the Caquipotan Channel was, indeed, really vulnerable for another fishkill.
He noted that there are more fish cages and pens dotting Caquipotan Channel than during the first big fishkills that were recorded in 2001 and in 2008.
Rosario reiterated his recommendation to local government units to reduce the number of cages and pens along the Caquipotan Channel to make fish farming more sustainable.
Most of the fish that died were already in their marketable sizes, quantified at three pieces of bangus to a kilo.
Some fish farmers were able to save some of their produce as they started harvesting the fish as soon as they saw some were already beginning to float on the surface.
Some of the salvaged fish reached the market of Dagupan, forcing a sharp decline in the price of bangus on June 20 to 23.
However, the fishkill has significantly affected the bangus supply in Metro Manila.
OXYGEN LEVEL
Using modern technology from Norway, Rosario’s team found that the dissolved oxygen in the water on Wednesday was 1.7 part per million in the surface and from 2.3 to 2.4 ppm in the bottom. He hinted that it could have been even lower at the height of the fishkill.
The normal D.O. count conducive to the growth of fish is 5.0 per million.
Rosario said the situation in the area has improved due to some heavy rainfall, but he still advised farmers to use water aerators as a temporary solution to the scant dissolved oxygen in the water.
At the same time, he called on fish farmers not to restock their cages and pens until after 30 days to ensure that the new batch of fingerlings will live and grow.–LM
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