11 October 2005
New fishkill pulls bangus price down
THE price of bangus (milkfish) nosedived to as low as P30 to P40 per kilo from a high of P90 per kilo as rivers in Dagupan and parts of Binmaley were hit by a new fishkill Wednesday.
It was one of the biggest fishkill yet that occurred in Dagupan City this year, spawning fears that there may not be enough milkfish available for local consumption for the rest of the year, especially on Christmas.
Evangeline dela Cruz, barangay chairman of Calmay in Dagupan, blamed the fishkill to the sudden change in water temperature from hot to cold that disturbed the milkfish and sent them gasping for breath in the surface of the water.
She said this was the result of the slight rain that occurred in the city Tuesday night which abruptly changed the water temperature and disturbed the equilibrium of the fish being raised in captivity in pens.
Milkfish that are being raised in fishponds however still appeared safe although fish-farmers are closely monitoring because the water flowing into fishponds is coming from rivers where fishkills had just occurred.
Affected by the water phenomenon are milkfish being kept in pens belonging to different owners in barangays Pugaro, Salapingao, Lomboy, part of Calmay and Dupo near Binmaley.
The city agriculture office has not yet given any estimate on the losses from the new fishkill as fish in bulk are still arriving by motorboats in the fish market after 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Up to 300,000 pieces of bangus were estimated to have already been harvested at the same time, all of these ferried to the fish market by motorboats, for sale to traders buying the commodity wholesale.
Dela Cruz said fishpen owners had to prematurely harvest their milkfish even if they anticipated losses after seeing the fishes jumping out of the water, an indication there was not enough oxygen in the water anymore.
She believes that there could not have been any fishkill had there been prolonged rains.
It was one of the biggest fishkill yet that occurred in Dagupan City this year, spawning fears that there may not be enough milkfish available for local consumption for the rest of the year, especially on Christmas.
Evangeline dela Cruz, barangay chairman of Calmay in Dagupan, blamed the fishkill to the sudden change in water temperature from hot to cold that disturbed the milkfish and sent them gasping for breath in the surface of the water.
She said this was the result of the slight rain that occurred in the city Tuesday night which abruptly changed the water temperature and disturbed the equilibrium of the fish being raised in captivity in pens.
Milkfish that are being raised in fishponds however still appeared safe although fish-farmers are closely monitoring because the water flowing into fishponds is coming from rivers where fishkills had just occurred.
Affected by the water phenomenon are milkfish being kept in pens belonging to different owners in barangays Pugaro, Salapingao, Lomboy, part of Calmay and Dupo near Binmaley.
The city agriculture office has not yet given any estimate on the losses from the new fishkill as fish in bulk are still arriving by motorboats in the fish market after 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Up to 300,000 pieces of bangus were estimated to have already been harvested at the same time, all of these ferried to the fish market by motorboats, for sale to traders buying the commodity wholesale.
Dela Cruz said fishpen owners had to prematurely harvest their milkfish even if they anticipated losses after seeing the fishes jumping out of the water, an indication there was not enough oxygen in the water anymore.
She believes that there could not have been any fishkill had there been prolonged rains.
