Lonely golden bangus stages hunger strike

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines  – Fish get lonely, too.

A rare golden bangus (milkfish), apparently looking for company after being kept alone in a tank, went on a hunger strike at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) center in Barangay Bonuan Binloc.

“Malungkot si golden bangus (The golden bangus was sad),” National Integrated Fisheries Technology and Development Center chief Westly Rosario said, citing the unconsumed pellets of specially formulated commercial feed in its tank.

Rosario told The STAR yesterday that they felt the golden bangus needed company as it had been raised with other fish in a pond before being turned over to the BFAR center for research last month.

After suffering from loneliness and loss of appetite for a week, the golden bangus was released in a fishpond filled with other bangus and blue crabs.

Upon release into a 300-square meter pond, researchers immediately noticed the golden bangus’ agility and good appetite.

“It is now happy with its natural environment,” Rosario noted.

The 16-month-old golden bangus, the first of its kind in the Philippines, was raised in a fishpond at Barangay Linoc in Binmaley, Pangasinan by fishfarmer Ariel Fernandez.

It was 50 centimeters long and weighed 1.2 kilos, when it was donated to the BFAR. The top half of its body is golden while its belly is silver.

Rosario said it would take four to five years for the fish to reach sexual maturity for use in experiments. He said they would cross breed it with the usual silver-colored bangus and see the result of the combination.