Masantol fisherfolk losing fishing grounds

MASANTOL, Pampanga — Fishermen from Barangay Sapang Kawayan in this town are losing their fishing grounds due to the excessive use of commercial milkfish (bangus) and prawn feeds.

Romano Aguinaldo, barangay captain of Sapang Kawayan, told The STAR that the water in their area has become polluted because of the residue coming from the fish pens that use commercial feeds for bangus, prawns and tilapia.

He claimed that some ingredients of these commercial feeds are not soluble and can cause severe water pollution.

Aguinaldo said that there is also a fish feed mill in their area that throws its waste materials into the river, which aggravates the pollution.

The village chief is appealing to owners and operators of big prawn and bangus farms to revert to natural feeding methods to avoid river pollution. — James Mananghaya