23 September 2005
Worried fishpen owners prematurely harvest
A NEW fishkill here spawned premature harvesting of milkfish (bangus) from various fishpens, forcing a slight decrease in the price of the commodity from P70 per kilogram to as low as P50 to P60 per kilogram.
Close to 100,000 pieces of bangus of marketable sizes were harvested overnight by fishpen owners of barangay Salapingao here since Tuesday morning after they noticed their milkfish jumping from the surface of the water as if gasping for breath.
Officials monitoring the situation initially blamed the fishkill to the sudden change in water temperature as a result of latest sudden heavy rains over the Dagupan City area that disturbed the water in various rivers.
They advised fishpen owners to use aerators in their pens to save their remaining milkfish as the water in various rivers is now almost stagnant and appeared not flowing anymore.
With aerators, fresh air is injected into the water for the fish to breath, they said. They advised pen owners to continue the process till the water quality improves.
A radio report said eight fishpen owners prematurely harvested their milkfish which they unloaded at the same time at the Dagupan City Fish Market, creating a temporary oversupply of the commodity.
The office of City Agriculture Officer Emma Molina has dispatched teams to the city’s island villages that are teeming with fish pens to find out if other fishpen owners were also affected. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was also asked to conduct an environmental investigation in various rivers to ascertain the exact cause of the fishkill.(PNA)
Close to 100,000 pieces of bangus of marketable sizes were harvested overnight by fishpen owners of barangay Salapingao here since Tuesday morning after they noticed their milkfish jumping from the surface of the water as if gasping for breath.
Officials monitoring the situation initially blamed the fishkill to the sudden change in water temperature as a result of latest sudden heavy rains over the Dagupan City area that disturbed the water in various rivers.
They advised fishpen owners to use aerators in their pens to save their remaining milkfish as the water in various rivers is now almost stagnant and appeared not flowing anymore.
With aerators, fresh air is injected into the water for the fish to breath, they said. They advised pen owners to continue the process till the water quality improves.
A radio report said eight fishpen owners prematurely harvested their milkfish which they unloaded at the same time at the Dagupan City Fish Market, creating a temporary oversupply of the commodity.
The office of City Agriculture Officer Emma Molina has dispatched teams to the city’s island villages that are teeming with fish pens to find out if other fishpen owners were also affected. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was also asked to conduct an environmental investigation in various rivers to ascertain the exact cause of the fishkill.(PNA)
