ANDA–The national government has promised to extend help to the towns of Anda and Bolinao in the wake of another massive fishkill that cost the bangus industry millions of pesos in losses.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap assured officials of the two towns that help is now underway for the beleaguered fish cage and pen operators and their caretakers affected by the fishkill in June 10-15.

Yap, upon instruction of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, flew here Tuesday along with Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources National Director Malcolm Sarmiento to see for himself the affected areas in the Caquiputan Channel.

Among the priority actions that the Department of Agriculture will take is to help improve aqua-culture in the area by correcting the bad practices of fish farmers in violation of existing rules and regulation promulgated by the local government units of Anda and Bolinao.

The same ineffective culture methods employed by fish farmers are believed to have caused the bigger fishkill that happened in the same area in 2002.

Yap held a dialogue with Mayors Nestor Pulido and Alfonso Celeste of Anda and Bolinao towns, respectively, and First District Provincial Board Member Alicia Pulido, barangay captains and the affected cage and pen operators.

It was learned that most of the floating cages and pens teeming in the Caquiputan Channel were operating without any permit.

Yap also blamed the operators who deliberately overstocked each cage and pen with fingerlings to maximize production and profits.

Investigation showed that cages and pens built to accommodate only 30,000 fingerlings were stocked with from 50,000 to 60,000 fingerlings, resulting in congestion.

Cage and pen owners, who were also told by authorities to maintain a 20-meter space between each contraption so the flow of water in the Caquiputan Channel will not be obstructed, ignored the directive.

Yap said more extension services will be conducted by BFAR in Anda and Bolinao to teach pen and cage operators, including their caretakers how to grow fish in cages and pen in a more sustainable way.

FISH FEEDS

Meanwhile, Yap also offered to help the local communities in setting up feed mills that can manufacture fish feeds from local raw materials available.

Most of the farmers here still depend on highly priced feeds imported from Peru.

One operator who lost P35 million from the fishkill pointed out to Yap that the high cost of fish feeds left no other option but to maximize production in order to recover their big investments.

The BFAR also pledged to build an ice-maker using salty water that can produce two tons of ice daily for use of bangus producers to keep their new harvests fresh for delivery to Metro Manila.

Mayor Celeste said the bangus producers need a big volume of ice daily and have a problem sourcing them in nearby Alaminos City to as far as Urdaneta City in eastern Pangasinan.

Yap said in addition to these, the DA will also help fish farmers boost their income by teaching them to raise other crops, such as vegetables and ruminants (goats) for meat and dairy.

The DA secretary also announced that his office has set up 16 “bagsakan” centers in Metro Manila, like in Pasig and Marikina, where bangus producers can bring their products and cut off the middlemen. —LM

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