Fish pens are on the way out in Pangasinan town
By Gabriel Cardinoza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:47:00 04/19/2008
Filed Under: Fishing, Regional authorities
LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN – Fish pens and mussel racks will soon be things of the past in the island town of Anda. Mayor Nestor Pulido said he has not been renewing permits to operate fish pens and he has ordered the dismantling of all mussel racks in the waters surrounding his town.
“We intend to phase out fish pens in one year. Kasi, sa (Because, with) fish pens, hindi makadaloy ang tubig (water would not flow),” Pulido said.
“Our primary goal is to keep the waters flowing kaya nag-aalis na rin ako ngayon ng mga tahongan (That’s why I am also now dismantling mussel racks),” he said.
In June last year, this town lost about P100 million worth of bangus (milkfish) in a massive fishkill at the Kakiputan Channel that separates this town from neighboring Bolinao.
Fishery officials had blamed overcrowding of fish structures that impeded natural water flow to the sea – reducing dissolved oxygen levels – and the neap tide that occurred at that time.
A neap tide is the lowest tide of the lunar month, usually occurring in the second and fourth quarters of the moon.
Pulido said he had allowed instead the operation of fish cages because, he said, water flow would be unimpeded.
“I was told by experts that even if the water is dirty as long as it moves, the milkfish will survive,” he said.
He said the mussel racks also have to go because these also prevent water from flowing freely.
Mussel growers in his town used the tulos (stake) method, where bamboo poles are staked firmly at the bottom of a body of water half meter to one meter apart.
“Pero, dikit ng dikit ang mga tahong diyan. Yong maliit na kawayan, unti-unti lumalaki iyan, hangga’t totally blocked na ang tubig (But these mussels are collected in the poles. The small bamboo poles would eventually grow bigger until the water flow is totally blocked),” Pulido said.
He said the phaseout of the fish pens would have to be done gradually so as not to hurt the town’s bangus industry.
“The town makes money out of it,” Pulido said.
Anda and Bolinao produce at least 60 tons of bangus daily.
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