Fish cage owners warned vs fish kill in Taal Lake

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) warned fish cage owners against another fish kill in Taal Lake, a phenomenon that usually occurs in the lake during the cool months of the year.

In an advisory issued on Dec. 12, the BFAR said a fish kill might result from “sulfur upwelling,” a natural phenomenon wherein the lake’s toxic chemicals, like hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, rise to the surface and deplete the amount of the water’s dissolved oxygen. Marine animals survive on dissolved oxygen in water.

According to the BFAR, this phenomenon, which is brought about by the northeast monsoon, or “amihan,” usually occurs from November to February.

Esmeralda Paz Manalang, BFAR director in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), advised municipalities around Taal Lake (Talisay, Laurel, Agoncillo, San Nicolas, Cuenca and Mataas na Kahoy) to stay alert and keep fish cage operators informed.

In the advisory written in Filipino, Manalang said fish cage operators should not stockpile fingerlings and should harvest their fish stock early.

In January, about 50 tons of tilapia, worth P35 million, were lost to a fish kill in the lake.

Mario Balazon, spokesperson for Taal Lake Aquaculture Alliance Inc., said fish kills usually occur in the villages of Aya, Quiling and Tumaway, all in Talisay town.

Balazon said one sign of an impending fish kill is the loss of appetite of the fish. “This usually happens a week before a fish kill occurs,” he said. Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon