OBANDO, Bulacan — At least PHP17 million worth of bangus (milkfish) were lost in a fish kill that has affected at least 150 hectares of fishponds in this town, provincial agriculturist Ma. Gloria Carillo said Tuesday.
These were the initial findings of personnel of Bulacan’s Provincial Agriculture Office and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), who conducted a site visit and water analysis on affected fishponds on Monday, said Carillo.
The fish health inspection team reported on Monday night that the fish kill has affected fishponds in seven of the 11 villages of Obando, namely Pag-asa, Paliwas, Hulo, Lawa, Paco, Tawiran, and Salambao, affecting at least 40 fishpond operators.
“The inspection team is still validating if other villages were affected by the fish kill,” she added.
Affected fishpond areas rose to 150 hectares as of Monday night from the 100 hectares initially confirmed by Wilfredo Cruz, the director of BFAR 3 (Central Luzon).
Carillo said it was observed that last Saturday, before the fish kill occurred, cloudy skies prevailed over the town and an intensity 3 earthquake was felt in the area at about 2:15 p.m.
“By Sunday morning, residents in the area noticed foul odor emanating from the fishpond areas and noted that cultured milkfish were gasping for air and by lunchtime, volumes of milkfish mortalities were observed,” she explained.
Carillo said initial findings by the fish health inspection team showed that the fish mortalities were due to the extremely low dissolved oxygen content of the fishpond water, caused by the cloudy skies and abrupt rainfall.
The team, she said, will return to Obando to validate their initial findings. (PNA)