And there was this also elsewhere...
Bangus fish kill also hits Pangasinan
A massive fish kill has not only hit Taal Lake in Batangas but also the waters of Bolinao and Anda in Pangasinan, reported GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali" on Tuesday.
At least 10,000 metric tons worth of bangus or milkfish have been floating dead in various fish pens for the past three days, according to the newscast. This amounts to some P3 million worth of losses for the affected fish farms.
In Bolinao’s Barangay Catubig, GMA News witnessed fishermen and workers of fish dealers hastening to harvest and salvage the floating bangus carcasses with the intent of selling them. The fishermen, workers, and dealers claimed that the bangus they were collecting were part of an early harvest.
Fish dealer Inamar Ignacio asserted that the fish her workers were collecting belonged to a batch that had been harvested earlier and was thus fit for consumption. She said that they themselves had, in fact, consumed some of the fish.
“Hindi namin bibilhin ‘yung ‘di puwede ibenta. Kinakain din namin, eh," she said.
Water-sampling tests are ongoing in Anda, with the local government testing for oxygen content in water, according to the television report. Five milliliters worth of oxygen content must be present in each liter of water, or else fish kill is inevitable.
The Anda Agriculture Office said this is what happened — oxygen levels dipped below the minimum threshold and killed the massive numbers of dead fish.
“Bumaba ‘yung oxygen. Mataas ang temperature ng tubig, dahil mahaba nga ‘yung tag-init. Tsaka walang hangin. ‘Yun ‘yung naging dahilan," explained Presciliano Onzaga, a fishery extension worker of the Anda Agriculture Office. — AY/PE/VS, GMA News
TALISAY, Philippines — More than 800 tons of fish have died and rotted on fish farms in a lake near Taal volcano south of Manila, with authorities blaming it on a sudden temperature drop.
The massive fish deaths started late last week but have eased. Officials have banned the sale of the rotting fish, which are being buried by the truckload in Talisay and three other towns in Batangas province, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources official Rose del Mundo said Sunday.
The deaths are unrelated to recent signs of restiveness in Taal volcano, which is surrounded by the lake where many villagers have grown milkfish and tilapia — staple foods for many Filipinos, officials said. The volcano and lake are a popular tourist draw.
Government volcanologist Allan Loza said Monday that 115 earthquakes were detected in Taal in the past 24 hours compared to an average of 10 to 15 quakes daily in recent weeks, a sign that magma is rising from within the small volcano. Such unrest has been monitored since April, long before last week's fish deaths, he said.
Talisay agricultural officer Zenaida Macatangay said an initial investigation showed the deaths may have been caused by the temperature change as the rainy season set in last week after a scorching summer, which also depleted the lake's oxygen levels.
Schools of fish were seen swimming in circles before they floated dead to the surface in huge numbers. The deaths have occurred in the past at summer's end but in much smaller numbers, Mendoza said.
Some Taal lake areas turned white due to the massive numbers of dead milk-colored fish. Workers covered their noses with their hands or clothing Sunday as they scooped up the rotting fish and placed them into sacks.
"Many were sad and devastated because they invested a lot in these fish cages," Talisay Mayor Zenaida Mendoza told The Associated Press by telephone.
More than 400 tons of milkfish have died in Talisay alone since Friday in 84 out of about 1,000 fish pens — lake areas about half the size of a basketball court that are fenced off by bamboo poles and nets. Damage has been estimated at $770,000 (33 million pesos), Mendoza said. About 400 tons more have died in the other towns.
A fish pond worker scoops up dead milkfish locally known as Bangus after thousands of them were found floating on Taal Lake in Batangas province, south of Manila, Philippines, Sunday May 29, 2011. The Government Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources are still investigating the cause of the fish kill. The damage of the fish, the most in-demand fishes in the country, is estimated at least 50 tons. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
A fish pond worker scoops up dead milkfish locally known as Bangus after thousands of them were found floating on Taal Lake in Batangas province, south of Manila, Philippines, Sunday May 29, 2011. The Government Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources are still investigating the cause of the fish kill. The damage of the fish, the most in-demand fishes in the country, is estimated at least 50 tons. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Fish pond workers prepare to remove dead milkfish locally known as Bangus after thousands of them were found floating on Taal Lake in Batangas province, south of Manila, Philippines, Sunday May 29, 2011. The Government Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources are still investigating the cause of the fish kill. The damage of the fish, the most in-demand fishes in the country, is estimated at least 50 tons. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Fish pond workers remove dead milkfish locally known as Bangus after thousands of them were found floating on Taal Lake in Batangas province, south of Manila, Philippines, Sunday May 29, 2011. The Government Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources are still investigating the cause of the fish kill. The damage of the fish, the most in-demand fishes in the country, is estimated at least 50 tons. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
