New fishkills reported in Taal Lake towns

BATANGAS CITY—Another fishkill blamed on overstocking of fish cages in the Taal Lake was reported in Agoncillo town by provincial agriculture officials on Thursday.

Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto said she had ordered the fielding of a backhoe and other equipment to the affected areas to retrieve the dead fish and to dig holes for burial.

About 45 tons of “bangus” (milkfish) and tilapia were lost, Ginette Segismundo, provincial information officer, reported. Twenty tons were killed in Barangay Bilibinwang and 25 tons in Barangay Subic Ilaya, she said.

The Task Force Taal Lake has limited the number of fish cages in the lake to 6,000 in August following the massive fishkill in late May and early June, but some fish growers have again doubled the stocks, Segismundo said.

Six cages in Barangay Bilibinwang were affected while those in Subic Ilaya were still being verified, she said.

Another fishkill was reported in the Talisay town side of the lake but it was “very minimal,” said Leah Villanueva, inland research chief of the Bureau of Fisheries.

Villanueva attributed the phenomenon to low oxygen level brought about by bad weather. “The water condition (in Taal Lake) is unstable due to changes in the weather,” she said.

She stressed that even if the fish cage owners were “vigilant” and follow proper stocking procedures, they still expected another fishkill due to the inclement weather.