MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Friday said that a lack of cooperation between local officials and fish pen owners resulted in the massive fishkill that was now threatening the fish industry in Batangas and Pangasinan.
“The plight of the bangus industry in Batangas and Pangasinan shows that if local authorities and fish pen owners do not closely cooperate in ensuring the sustainability of the bangus industry, nature will inflict its own corrective mechanisms, leading to even greater disruptions, which should not be repeated,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a statement.
Lacierda said the government would be helping affected fish pen owners by providing bangus fingerlings for the restocking of bangus stocks.
“But this can be done when the water quality is restored, and can be maintained, to allow fingerlings to develop properly,” Lacierda said.