BFAR Probes Buhi Fish Kill

PILI, CAMARINES SUR - THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) regional office has sent experts to probe a reported "fish kill" after hundreds of dead Tilapia were seen floating the surface of Lake Buhi in Barangays Sta. Elena and San Buena, villages near the town proper for the last three days.

BFAR provincial fishery officer Santiago A. Noblefranca said "we are investigating the report after TV footage on the fish kill was shown in the local news the other day."

Noblefranca remarked however that the local government of Buhi who has administration over the sprawling 1,700 hectares of the lake resources has not made any report on the fish stocks' mortality.

Noblefranca revealed that the BFAR has fears that the lake waters have gradually become polluted in the past decade with newly formulated Tilapia feeds being used in nearly 6,000 fish cages owned by more than a thousand Tilapia growers, now occupying at least 70% of the lake land area.

Reportedly, fish cage operators are now using bigger fish cages measuring 5x10 or 5x5 meters, with as much as 10,000 to 15,000 stocking density of Tilapia fish in every cage.

While daily harvest in Buhi Lake was estimated at five to six tons of Tilapia daily, these were distributed mostly at public markets in Naga City, Sipocot, Daet, Cam.Norte, Lagazpi City, and other town markets in Albay, Noblefranca said.

With the high rate of the stocking density in the fish cages, excess feeds being poured in the Tilapia cages have become pollutants on the lake floor.

In 1998, the incident of the biggest fish kill in Lake Buhi which cost Tilapia growers some P 25- Million in losses was reportedly due to pollution. Other experts nonetheless claimed sulphur emission in the lake still occurs due to its volcanic origins.

In the meantime, it was also reported that the persisting hot temperatures during day-time and partial rains at the start of the rainy season were having an effect on marine life at the lake.

Noblefranca said that recently BFAR Regional Director Dennis del Soccorro has sent fishery representatives to help out the Sangguniang Bayan of Buhi to draft the local Fishery Ordinance with regulatory measures to manage the lake resources from being over populated with fish cages.