14 fish cage operators affected by Lake Buhi fish kill

LEGAZPI CITY — Fourteen fish cage operators have been affected by a fish kill at Lake Buhi in Camarines Sur,  after low dissolved oxygen (DO) was recorded in parts of the lake, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said Tuesday.

Wheng Bricia-Briones, BFAR information officer for the Bicol office, said water samples collected on Monday showed low DO levels in the surface and middle portions of the lake, which can stress fish when it becomes difficult for them to obtain sufficient oxygen. 

The BFAR Fisheries Integrated Laboratory Section collected samples from eight sites—Barangay Sta. Elena, the center of the Lake, Barangays Iraya, Tambo and Salvacion, the NIA (National Irrigation Administration) Control Area, and Barangays Sta. Cruz and Ipil—including areas where fish deaths were reported.

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Fish kill was first reported on Aug. 8 in the villages of Ipil and Sta. Cruz and in Salvacion the following day, according to the Buhi Lake Development Office.

Most fish cages in the lake measure 10 meters by 10 meters by 5 meters and extend from near the surface to a depth of about 5 meters, Bricia-Briones said.

Strong winds and heavy rains may have caused the lake to mix, potentially bringing low-oxygen water and decomposing materials from deeper portions of the lake closer to the fish cages, she theorized. 

But she said further monitoring was needed because the initial findings were not enough to establish that water mixing directly caused the fish kill.

BFAR advised the affected operators to temporarily stop feeding their fish and consider emergency harvesting to save unaffected stocks.

They were also told to remove and properly bury dead fish to prevent further deterioration of water quality and report their losses to the LDO for inclusion in the official assessment.

Bricia-Briones also advised consumers to ensure that tilapia are fresh and properly cleaned before eating them./coa