Dead cat raises alert for cyanide in fish
ZAMBOANGA CITY—A cat that died of possible poisoning had raised a red flag here that prompted authorities to double efforts to stop the use of cyanide in fishing and the entry of illegally caught fish into the city.
Citing an official report, Mayor Ma. Isabelle Salazar said the death of the cat was linked to illegal fishing after investigation revealed it had been fed with fish from the city market.
The case being cited was that of Rosemary Hernando, of the village of Cabatangan, who on May 9 reported to police that her cat suddenly died after she fed it with pieces of barracuda that she had bought from the market.
Her complaint was referred to the Office of the City Agriculture and to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for further study.
Tests confirm cyanide
Diosdado Palacat, city agriculturist, said the City Fishery Enforcement Team conducted an investigation and retrieved samples of the fish that was fed to Hernando’s cat for tests by the BFAR laboratory.
Isidro Velayo Jr., BFAR regional director, said the barracuda that Hernando bought from the Zamboanga City public market tested positive for cyanide.
“The samples we received and processed for analysis yielded positive results for cyanide,” Velayo said.
He said the “result of testing on the barracuda samples indicated that perhaps, a noxious substance may have been used in the catching of the fish, thus resulting in its being contaminated by cyanide.”
Palacat said his office quickly conducted a random inspection and testing of fish sold at the market and interviewed fish brokers.
Source of fish
“The sources of the fish sold in our market were the southern fishing grounds of Mindanao from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” he said.
Marina Rubio, division chief of the Fisheries and Regulatory Services, said barracudas came from either Sulu or Tawi-Tawi.
Mayor Salazar said that generally, fish sold in the city market was safe for consumption. She made the statement after random inspection and tests showed no other contaminated fish.
But no official could say how the contaminated fish ended up in the city market. Velayo said tests were continuing.
The BFAR, Velayo added, was stepping up the campaign against illegal fishing. “This includes the use of noxious chemicals,” he said. —JULIE ALIPALA
