News update Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources probes mysterious fish kill in Ifugao

LAMUT, Ifugao - The Cordillera office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is conducting an investigation on the cause of a fish kill that resulted in over P10 million worth of losses. An initial report from the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) and the Provincial Agriculture Office showed that over 40 hectares of fish ponds in the lowland towns of Lamut, Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista and Lagawe were affected. The report showed that the fish kill began last April and affected numerous fish ponds in the different parts of the province.

The BFAR-CAR team took water samples from the affected fish ponds which will be subjected to appropriate water analysis. Among the factors initially being studied is the alleged serious negative effects of climate change that could have affected the oxygen supply of the fishes and the reported overcrowding in the fish ponds that resulted in the insufficiency of oxygen.

The fish kill is one of the worst incidents that affected the local fishing industry which is the major source of livelihood of thousands of residents living in the different towns. Local residents in low-lying areas in the province rely on fishing as their major source of income while those in highly-elevated areas earn a living from rice and vegetable farming. The concerned agencies reminded all sectors to observe cleanliness in the environment as a major means to spare their fish ponds and agricultural crops from being affected by any activity that would compromise their products.