Gone fishing

Last May 29, it was reported that around 375 tons of dead milk fish (bangus) were seen floating on Taal Lake in Talisay, Batangas on Saturday, May 28. Talisay Mayor Zenaida Mendoza said that the floating dead milk fish appeared as early as May 26. The damage, which also affected the towns of San Nicolas, Laurel and Agoncillo, was pegged at P33M. Those who invested in the fish cages were sad and devastated as aquaculture is a multimillion-peso enterprise in Batangas, and it is reported that at least 30 percent of the fish cage operators in the area are foreigners.
Mendoza put the blame on the climate change as well as the start of the rainy season in the country. It was assured by the local officials in the area that the fishkill was not caused by poisoning and that the remaining fish in the lake were still fit for consumption. On the other hand, Talisay Municipal Agriculturist Zenaida Macatangay said that the fishkill might have been caused by a “lake overturn” or the quakes from Taal Volcano but maintained that the remaining fishes in the lake were still safe to eat.
In the initial investigation of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) office in the province, it was reported on May 31 that the fishklll was caused mainly by the “unfavorable weather condition aggravated by the deteriorating water quality” and that the problem may last for a month. By this time, the cost of the fishkill damage has reached over P57M.
By June 1, newly appointed BFAR national director Asis Perez said that violations of BFAR’s prescribed Code of Practice for Aquaculture and local government ordinances on proper fish cage management contributed significantly to the fishkil. Perez emphasized that the fishkill, which also affected Anda and Bolinao in Pangasinan, are “grim reminders of our incessant abuse to our environment.”
Agriculture Secreatry Proceso Alcala agreed with the report, telling President Aquino spokesperson Edwin Lacierda that it was greed of the fish cage owners who are to blame, because they had the fish cages stacked double deck, causing depletion of oxygen in the water then the deaths of the fish but that the government will implement mitigating measures to restore the quality of the water.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources also stepped into the picture and said that the DA and BFAR are also liable for the fishkill as DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said that the establishment of fish cages in the lake was not closely monitored, thereby allowing fishermen to grow more fish cages, causing the imbalance to which BFAR contested, saying that they do not have enough resources to do close monitoring in the lake.
While all of these fingerpointing went on, the fishermen who bore the brunt of the effects of the fishkill went unattended. Following the fishkill, the prices of fish which are safe for consumption, went down from P90 per kg to P2 per kg that fishermen ended up feeding their catch to their families. Promises of financial aid from the government are still up in the air.
It is yet another heartbreaking scenario where the financially challenged find themselves scraping the bottom of the barrel in order to survive while the government officials and fish cage operators easily return to their normal lives.
PNoy, in his inaugural address last year ,vowed that he would ensure justice for those who have been wronged. His administration must realize that justice is not merely implementing punishment for criminals who have done criminal acts, it is also justice when the hard-working folks in the country are protected and freed of unscrupulous businessmen who are hell-bent on making profits no matter what, whether it is shortchanging the people working for them, implementing unreasonable cost-cutting measures or completely disregarding the effects of their business practices on the environment. They should make sure that the rules for operating fish cages are clearly defined and that these operators work in accordance with these rules or else the hard-working fishermen folk will continue to suffer for someone else’s greed.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(NYNJ June 17-23, 2011 Sec A pg. 6)