Bolinao fishkill alarming, says Villar

Senate President Pro Tempore Manuel Villar has expressed alarm over the massive fishkill that hit the bangus-producing town of Bolinao in Pangasinan, which destroyed an estimated P400 million worth of bangus cultured in fishcages.

"At a time when we are trying hard to increase our agricultural output, including that of the fisheries sector, we must take the necessary steps to prevent such unfortunate disasters from taking place," said Villar, who chairs the Senate committee on food and agriculture.

A team from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) office in Dagupan City conducted a water sampling in Bolinao the other day, and blamed the fishkill on overstocking and overfeeding, aggravated by abnormal weather conditions and low oxygen level in the water.

Westley Rosario, BFAR-Dagupan chief, said their tests showed that the lowest oxygen level was 1.2 parts per million compared to the ideal of 3 to 4 parts per million. The water sampling was conducted at noon when the oxygen level was supposed to be high. — With Eva de Leon