THREE major bangus-producing areas in the province have been given special monitoring equipment to help avoid recurrence of fishkill which cost fish farmers’ huge losses amounting to millions of pesos in the past.

Distributed to the local government units (LGUs) of Dagupan City, Lingayen and Binmaley by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center (BFAR-NIFTDC) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) were water samplers and bottom grab for regular soil sampling to monitor the quality of water of rivers and coastal areas.

Dr. Westly Rosario, chief of the BFAR office in Dagupan, said making the LGUs responsible for the monitoring should make them proactive and assist them help in policy-making.

“With the local government units conducting the monitoring, they will be guided in developing policies,” Rosario said in an interview with The PUNCH.

The designated personnel of each town were trained to do soil and water quality analysis with the equipment through the BFAR-NIFTDC/JICA’s Comprehensive Fish Breeding Project.

Fishkill can occur when there is a sudden change in water temperature (from hot to cold) due to sudden rainfall (that results in lack of sunlight to produce dissolved oxygen) or during neap tide.

Fishkill may also be caused by over-stocking ponds with fingerlings, a practice resorted to by fish farmers to maximize their profits.

Rosario said the BFAR and the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute will also distribute similar equipment and conduct training in its regional offices next year to effectively monitor mariculture park areas.#

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