Zambales execs alarmed over cyanide use

IBA, Zambales — Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain II smells something fishy about the fish sold in the local markets these days.

For one, a growing number of fishermen have increased their haul in recent days.

The catch: the fish is laced with cyanide.

Lacbain expressed concern yesterday about the dangers posed by cyanide-caught fish to consumers’ lives and called for the setting up of a regional cyanide detection facility in the province.

He cited reports of rampant selling of fish caught using cyanide in various public markets in the province.

"There is now an urgent need for a regional cyanide detection test laboratory to end all these illegal fishing activities before they get worse," Lacbain said.

The provincial board, he said, has asked the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to help establish the laboratory here.

Provincial officials, he said, have mapped out detailed plans for the proposed laboratory, which will be managed by a licensed chemist.

He said the provincial government is willing to allot about P2 million for the project.

Nelson Bien, chief of BFAR’s Fishery Resource Management Division in Central Luzon, echoed Lacbain’s call for the creation of the laboratory during a regular session of the provincial board.

He said such a facility would make cyanide testing of fish faster.

"At present, samples submitted for cyanide detection are being brought directly to the BFAR central office for analysis. Samples can be readily tested within two days if a testing laboratory is available in the vicinity," he said.

Cyanide, he said, is a highly toxic substance and its vapor alone can cause death in a matter of minutes.