BFAR raises alarm over disappearing endemic fishes

MANILA, Philippines—Native Philippine fishes are vanishing from the country’s inland waters due to bad fishing practices and the proliferation of introduced alien species, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said on Tuesday.

Citing data from the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, BFAR said a “minimal but consistent drop” in indigenous and endemic fish catches has been observed in the country’s lakes and reservoirs over the years.

“Fish species such as biya (goby) and ayungin (silver perch) are slowly losing their niche in wet markets and on the Filipino family’s table as production hits low in the recent years,” BFAR said in a statement.

It attributed the decline in catch of native fish to “poor and abusive fish stocking and proliferation of alien and invasive species in our major lakes.”

In particular, BFAR said, the presence of the predatory knife fish has caused drawbacks in Laguna de Bay, the country’s biggest inland body of water with a surface area of 911 square kilometers.

“This species is [a heavy eater], feeding on fingerlings and fry of other fish species, resulting in significant decrease in their population,” it said.

BFAR cited anecdotal evidence that most of the indigenous species fishermen used to catch in Laguna de Bay might have already gone extinct.

“Out of the many indigenous species like martiniko, igat (eel), and dalag (mudfish) that used to inhabit the lake, only a few remain,”  it said.

BFAR said it continues to monitor the population of high-priced fish species such as ludong and pigek.

Ludong, which is caught in the rivers of northern Luzon, is called the “President’s Fish” for its high market price of P5,000 per kilogram, the agency said. Pigek,  a valued fish “with taste similar to lapu-lapu (grouper),” is now in danger of becoming extinct due to rampant overfishing in rivers in Cotabato, where it is endemic, it added.

To protect the country’s indigenous fish, BFAR said it was undertaking studies to formulate “breeding and grow-out protocols” for endemic and indigenous aquatic species for the bureau’s national and regional centers.

In addition, BFAR plans to establish a “Freshwater Biodiversity Center” in the  Liguasan Marsh in Central Mindanao, make an inventory of all endemic and indigenous species in the country, and undertake research to ensure the survival of the species.