Fish kill hits 2 Batangas barangays

BATANGAS – A fish kill has struck two barangays in Agoncillo town since last Saturday, leaving at least P8.5 million in fishery losses, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said.

Rosario del Mundo, officer-in-charge of the BFAR-Region 4A’s provincial fishery office, said the fish kill has destroyed at least 124.12 metric tons of tilapia and bangus in 100 fish cages in Barangays Sandal Bato and Manalao.

Del Mundo said the southwest monsoon has shifted its path and hovered over Taal Lake in Agoncillo town, triggering a sulfur upswell.

Last April, the BFAR predicted that a fish kill would occur in Taal Lake during the rainy season and due to the high level of decomposing organic materials in the fish cages.

Fish kills usually take place during the rainy months when the level of hydrogen sulfide in the waters of Agoncillo, Laurel and Talisay is high, resulting in toxic gas emissions that, in turn, deplete the lake’s oxygen supply.