DESPITE the recent fishkill which again struck the Caquipotan Channel in western Pangasinan, the National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center (NIFTDC) is not recommending an outright moratorium on aquaculture in the area.

NIFTDC, which is under the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), has instead recommended the reduction of fish cages and the total dismantling of all fish pens in the area.

Dr. Westly Rosario, NIFTDC chief, said what is needed is tighter regulation from the concerned local government units (LGUs).

A moratorium, Rosario pointed out, can be disastrous to the fishing industry since it is the source of livelihood for thousands of people in the two towns and western Pangasinan is a major supplier of fish for Metro Manila.

Rosario called on the LGUs of Anda and Bolinao to remove all the illegal structures.

He also suggested that the legitimate fish cages be re-arranged to ensure that these do not block the flow of water from one end of the channel to the other.

Rosario was emphatic in his recommendation to the local government of Anda that fish pens constructed as wall-like structures impede the flow of the water on the surface and underneath be demolished immediately.

“We thought there were only fish cages in the channel. But when the channel was cleared, we were surprised to see the fish pens that had mushroomed over the years, he said.

The recent fishkill along the Caquipotan Channel was estimated to have cost the industry at least P300 million.

The fish cages are located in the deeper portion of the channel while the shallow portion has been filled with fish pens competing with the fish cages in raising milkfish.

RE-STOCKING

Rosario told newsmen on last week that after the fishkill, only one percent of the fish cages remain in operation. The rest are empty and waiting to be re-stocked.

He said the time to re-stock is a decision that must be left to the LGUs.

The BFAR team conducting a daily monitoring of the water quality in the area was already pulled out after the dissolved oxygen in the surface water of the channel reached the normal level.

The quality of the water is expected to further improve once all the dead fish floating in the area are removed.

Rosario also suggested that the shallow portion of the channel be used for raising biological species like oysters and mussels which function as filter feeders that consume excess population of micro- algae.

At the same time, Rosario announced that the NFITDC is ready to provide free bangus fry to marginal fishermen affected by the fishkill at the request of the LGUs.

The agency can initially provide about 500,000 fry each in two areas.–LM

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