Candles, flowers for the… fish?

DAGUPAN CITY — If Stephen King has his "Pet Sematary," Dagupan has its own cemetery for fish and other members of the life aquatic. And it’s not one for the horrors.

On All Saints’ Day tomorrow, candles, flowers and prayers, too, will be offered for them at the fish cemetery, the only one of its kind in the country.

The 500-square-meter circular cemetery in Barangay Bonuan Binloc was originally intended for endangered species such as dolphins and sea turtles that have beached along the Lingayen Gulf, according to Dr. Westly Rosario, executive director of National Fisheries Research and Development Institute.

But Rosario told The STAR that it eventually became a common gravesite for fish being studied by scientists of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for research and breeding purposes like the sabalos (mother bangus), tilapia, carp, prawns among others.

"It’s part of our effort in making people aware that we should also learn to value other creatures, especially the friendly sea mammals," Rosario said.

The 14 dead dolphins and sea turtles buried here are identified individually through nametags on their gravesite, stating each one’s common name, scientific name, average weight and date buried.

The first sea mammal to be buried here was a 1.2-ton whale christened "Moby Dick," which BFAR men seized from fishermen from Malabon after they caught it ashore in 1999.

Later, other dead fish joined them in the pet graveyard as they were buried beside katuray trees that surround the cemetery.

The cemetery, which lies within the sprawling 24-hectare compound of the BFAR’s National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center, has attracted visitors from all walks of life.

"It has become an instant celebrity," Rosario said, noting that it has been featured several times in the media for All Saints’ Day.

Rosario, who is also the research center chief of the BFAR here, said he has instructed caretakers to offer candles, flowers and short prayer for the dead fish tomorrow.

"They have overshadowed us in media mileage," Rosario joked.

Since it has been attracting curious visitors and Manila-based mediamen, Rosario has spruced up the area by painting white the big stones surrounding the graveyard.

He said a small shed would be built in the area where people can take better photos of the site.

Once darkness falls on the pet cemetery tomorrow, torches will be lit in its four corners for night visitors. – Eva Visperas