Debate abounds over the death of farmed fish in the Philippines
Updated
Farmed fish are dying in large numbers in northern Philippines.
According to reports, more than four million dollars worth of produce has had to be disposed of so far.
But the exact cause of the fishkill - as it's known - is under debate with some experts saying officials don't want to admit the real cause.
Presenter: Chito Santos
Speakers: Luis Awitan, head of environment office of the Provincial Government of Batangas; Dennis Calvan, executive director of NGOs for Fishery Reform
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SANTOS: The fish are suffocating, dying while still in the water. Local tilapia and milkfish, known as bangus, have been affected in Batangas and Pagasinan, two areas in the Philippines known for their fish produce.
Luis Awitan, from the Provincial Government of Batangas blames over feeding for the problem.
AWITAN: It was the practice of the fish cage operators in the area to overfeed the fish, thinking that it will help the fish grow faster, but in reality the feed was not taken by the fish and it just settles down in the bottom of the lake, and that added onto the decomposition and pollution of the lake.
SANTOS: Mr Awitan, who's head of the government's environmental office, says the main cause of the fishkill was a naturally occuring drop in oxygen levels caused by heavy rainfall.
AWITAN: According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, they call it lake overturn. That's where the rainfall which is lower temperature goes down to the bottom of the lake, and the water below the lake accordingly has low dissolved oxygen level.
SANTOS: For these types of fish to survive, the water has to have six parts per million of oxygen.
But in the affected area that's dropped to 3.5 parts per million and not everyone agrees that rainfall is the culprit.
Dr Gil Jacinto from the University of Philippines' Marine Science Institution told Filipino TV the affected areas did not receive enough rain recently for a fishkill to occur naturally.
SFX: Filipino TV show
SANTOS: Dr Jacinto told the news program, the water's oxygen levels were already too low to begin with, due to overpopulation...the result of illegal fish cages.
The government has now committed to a program to dismantle illegal cages, including 1,300 illegal cages in Taal Lake alone. But they've refused to admit the over crowded cages are the main reason for the fishkill.
Dennis Calvan, executive director of NGOs for Fishery Reform, says officials are not admitting over population is the real cause for fear of frightening consumers.
CALVAN: Actually, I talked to the BFAR director last night, and he said that the attention that was generated because of this fishkill has affected some sectors like restaurants who are offering bangus and tilapia, some customers are already veering away because of that phenomenon, the fishkill. So I think the local government is managing the bad publicity generated by this fishkill.
SANTOS: According to official statements, only half of one percent of the expected nationwide output of the fish has been affected. But the damage has been done.
Mr Calvan says the underlying problem lies in regulating the fish farms, which traditionally have been self-regulated.
CALVAN: So there's the BFAR for instance, the national agency, who is in charge - they have a national legislation, they have national policy guidlines for this but the implementation really is up to the local government units and the fish pond owners and operators. So the weak implementation, implementing mechanisms at the ground level should be taken into consideration.
SANTOS: Officials say the affected waters will be ready again for fish farming in two months. But the recovery effort will continue beyond that.
Social welfare programs for local farmers who've lost their livelihoods and reforms to the fishing industry are now underway, to ensure that massive fishkills do not occur anywhere else.
CALVAN: I think the first step to this is for local government units to be capacitated - they should know the proper means of fish farming and enact ordiance that would regulate the fish farming, the agricultural practice in the area.
