Bangus comes in blue and black too
FIRST there was silver. Now there are blue and black too.
Various colors of bangus, the most popular product of Dagupan City, have recently become a curiosity, attracting both scientists and local folks.
Last week, a group of fishery experts based in the city and representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency visited a fishpond in Barangay Bonuan Gueset owned by Ed Maramba where the black and blue bangus are being raised.
Maramba, president of the Fishpond Owners Operators Association of Dagupan City, said he noticed the unique colors of his “freak” bangus since these were still at the fingerling stage.
Dr. Westly Rosario, chief of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) center in Dagupan, said the black and blue bangus “could possibly be due to abnormality in pigmentation called albinism”, a phenomenon that also occurs among humans and other animals.
Rosario said he is particularly surprised with the blue one because for the other, the body of a fish usually turns black as an adaptation mechanism when it becomes blind.
The fish expert noted that in examining a shipment of fish, one can tell that a black-colored fish that is not naturally black is likely to be sick or has virus.
But when told by Maramba that his unique bangus are very healthy, Rosario said he is curious and would love to conduct laboratory tests.
Maramba, however, would just like to keep his rare bangus in his tightly-guarded fishpond.
The 58-year old Maramba, who has been raising bangus since age 12 and believes in hard work, said while he does not believe in “good luck” in business, he nonetheless considers the bangus to be a blessing
“Everything comes from God, this is not man-made or incidentally only. Everything comes from God,” he said.
Maramba said his friend Jun Velasco, a veteran writer, has christened one of the black bangus as “Obama bangus”.
Two other black bangus and one blue bangus are still awaiting their names.
Maramba joked that he does not want his bangus to become “superstars” because “it is hard to handle stardom”.—Eva Visperas
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