CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Central Luzon (BFAR-3) has advised fish cage operators in the region to harvest early to avoid a possible fish kill due to the El Niño phenomenon, which is likely to occur in the coming months.
BFAR-3 Regional Director Wilfredo Cruz said on Tuesday the El Niño may affect aquaculture since high temperatures hasten the decay of organic matter and promote plankton bloom that could result in a fish kill.
“Tilapia at bangus, kasi vulnerable sila. Kapag uminit na may mga report na ng fish kill, so one of na pinakamaganda nilang pwedeng gawin is yung early o partial harvest to prevent further losses (Tilapia and milkfish are vulnerable. During high temperatures, there are reports of fish kills. So, one of the good things that they can do is early or partial harvest to prevent further losses),” Cruz said in an interview.
Cruz said they will call for a meeting with the various stakeholders in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in the region to discuss more mitigation measures against the El Niño phenomenon.
“We are planning by next month. Tatawag tayo ng miting sa mga major stakeholders ng ating industry para mapag-usapan namin kung ano yung mga magandang mitigating measures to at least lessen yun impact ng El Niño na inaasahang darating ngayong taon na ito (We will call for a meeting with major stakeholders in our industry to discuss what are the good mitigating measures to at least lessen the impact of El Niño),” he added.
Cruz said among the sectors that are most likely to be affected by the El Niño phenomenon is fish production from municipal fishing.
“Dahil mainit, possible maaapektuhan ang municipal fishing kasi ang mga small pelagic fish ay lalayo. Kasi mainit, hahanap sila ng mas malalim na lugar. So, mababawasan ang mga isda natin dito sa pampang (Due to the high temperature, there is a possibility that municipal fishing will be affected because the small pelagic fish will go far away. Since it is hot, they will look for deeper places. So, there will be fewer fish near the shore),” he said. (PNA)
