BFAR: Fish cage operators in Taal Lake have been warned of possible fish kill

Fish cage operators in Taal Lake have been warned of the possibility of fish kill prior to the incident last week, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Tuesday.

The BFAR said that it regularly conducts monitoring of water quality, including dissolved oxygen level, in Taal Lake.

"Last week, the agency, through its Calabarzon Regional Office, issued an advisory for fish cage operators to closely watch their stocks after the agency noticed a drop in the dissolved oxygen level," it said in a statement.

"Fish cage operators in areas where dissolved oxygen level is down were promptly advised to start emergency harvest of marketable sizes of tilapia and use oxygen pumps or aerators as part of mitigating measures," it added.

Over 600 metric tons of tilapia stock was lost in the fish kill that affected 121 units of fish cages in Taal Lake. The agency pegged the amount of damage at P43.13 million.

The affected units translate to 2% of the total allowable number of fish cages in the said waters, according to the BFAR.

It added that a surge in the price of tilapia market price is not expected as its supply will not be severely disrupted.

Further, the BFAR said that while heavy rain, sudden change of wind direction, and intense heat contributed to the fish kill, the overstocking in fish cages was also a factor in the depletion of dissolved oxygen in the affected area.

"The risk for fish kill can be reduced, if not totally prevented, if fish cage operators adhere to good aquaculture practices where proper stocking density and feeding are observed," the BFAR said.

The BFAR said it will continue with the water quality monitoring and give timely advisories to fish cage operators.

President Rodrigo Duterte has already ordered the concerned government agencies to implement measures that would mitigate the impact of the fish kill in Taal Lake. — Dona Magsino/RSJ, GMA News