Lake Buhi is dying

MANILA, Philippines - Soon, internationally known Lake Buhi will be just but a memory – as once home to the world’s smallest extant commercial fish. The sinarapan.

That is, if nothing is done – and fast–to save this 1,707-hectare lake in Pili, Camarines Sur, from its impending “ecological doom.”

Only two weeks ago, for instance, in the aftermath of typhoon “Basyang” which swept across Bicolandia down to Metro Manila, dead fish mantled the now heavily polluted but once pristine waters of the “Pride of Bicol,” as grimly shown by the front page photograph in the July 15 issue of The Philippine STAR.

Sadly, it is now well known that Lake Buhi is dying, but nothing much is being done to save it. And if it finally dies, so will the vaunted sinarapan (scientific name: Mistichthy lugonensis), the world’s smallest extant fish species that has placed the Philippines on the global fisheries map.

Over the past few decades, scientific studies on the lake’s state have been conducted. And, always, its depressing condition surfaced in such researches.

One of the most recent studies, titled “Managing and Conserving Lake Buhi: An Agroecosystem Analysis for Sustainable Development,” was done by researchers of the Camarines Sur State Agricultural College (CSSAC, now Central Bicol State University of Agriculture) in Pili.

The findings of the researchers (Dr. Cely Binoya, Joyce dela Trinidad, Arthur Estrella, Celerino Llosel, and Doris Omon) were grim.

Lake Buhi is now “highly polluted” as a result of the dumping into its waters of septic and domestic wasters of septic and domestic wastes by lakeside families and animal wastes by commercial swine raisers operating along the shorelines.

About 15,000 fish cages now cover 70 to 80 percent of the “choking” lake.

Distressingly, many swine raisers operating along the shorelines and households drained their animal and septic/other domestic wastes into Lake Buhi, noted the CSSAC study.

Laboratory analysis showed that Lake Buhi’s water has high total suspended solids (TSS), resulting in turbid waters, shallow depths, low pN (acidic), and high chemical oxygen demand (COD) owing to high organic matter.

“These results,” the CSSAC researchers averred, “indicate that Lake Buhi is now in the stage of eutrophication.” Eutrophication is an increase in chemical nitrogen or phosphorus compounds in an ecosystem, often resulting in excessive plant growth and decay, in turn leading to lack of oxygen and severe reduction in water quality, fish, and other animal populations.

They also observed that fish operators overstocked their cages, requiring the use of more commercial feeds. Around 2,840 tons of feeds are used by almost 15,000 fish cages at present per production cycle.

Local government units and communities around it have been conducting training activities for environmental appreciation and awareness and legislating appropriate ordinances.

The Sinarapan Sanctuary Management and Development Council was created to help develop and implement programs to ensure the sustainable population of sinarapan.

The SEARCA-supported CSSAC research team also conducted training needs assessment; information, education and communication (IEC) activities; focus group discussions; SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, threat) analysis; and environmental awareness advocacy and livelihood training.