BFAR – 7 still to identify chemicals in Sta. Fe fishkill
Even though the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-7 has already confirmed that chemicals caused the fishkill in barangay Balidbid, Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island, officials have not yet identified which particular chemicals did kill the fish and other aquatic resources.
BFAR-7 information officer Lourdes Arciaga said that they have already ruled out earlier perception that fish and shell varieties died last January 25 due to infections or diseases.
Arciaga also blamed residents for not reporting the incident immediately to their office. It took four days before the agency learned of the incident.
The chemicals, believed to be coming from a fishpond, also reportedly killed the milkfish (bangus) grown in there.
Barangay captain Joemiro Anciano told Arciaga that at about
After a few hours, dead bangus fingerlings were reportedly seen to be floating on the water’s surface. This prompted the caretaker to pump out water that resulted to the fishkill.
It was Sta. Fe town councilor Renato Saagundo, municipal council committee on environment chairman, who first reported the incident over Bantay Radyo last Friday.
Saagundo said that they suspected chemicals to have caused the fishkill. He, however, did not elaborate where the chemicals could have come from.
BFAR officials then conducted an examination of the samples of fish varieties taken by local officials of Sta. Fe to determine the cause of the fishkill.
Also examined was the water sample.
Earlier, BFAR officials expressed confidence that the seawater in the area is clean considering that the place is the hometown of environmental advocacy lawyer Antonio Oposa, leader of the Visayan Sea Squadron, who is active in the campaign for the protection of marine resources. — Gregg M. Rubio/MEEV
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