DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines — Another golden bangus or milkfish was turned over to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Barangay Bonuan Binloc in this city yesterday.
It was the third golden bangus donated to the BFAR since 2015.
The agency received the first golden bangus five years ago, but the fish died, apparently due to stress, according to Westly Rosario, BFAR-Dagupan center chief.
The second golden bangus was donated to the BFAR by a resident two months ago.
Visitors are no longer allowed to see the bangus up close to prevent it from getting stressed like the first one.
The third golden bangus came from a fishpond in Barangay Caloocan Sur in Binmaley town. It weighs about 750 grams, lighter by 50 grams than the second bangus.
The fish are kept in a reservoir and are thriving together, Rosario said.
“We can see it from their movement and color. Maybe they are happy together because they’re of the same kind,” he said.
Both fish are a year old and their sexual maturity will be determined by the time they reach five years old.
Rosario urged people who have golden bangus in their fishponds to turn them over to the BFAR for proper care.