BFAR: Fish supply sufficient despite Batangas fish kill

Despite the fish kill in Batangas over the weekend, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) assured consumers in Southern Luzon and Metro Manila of sufficient supply of fish. BFAR Region IV-A officer-in-charge Director Esmeralda Manalang said there are other sources of fish in the region such as Quezon and Laguna provinces. “May sources pa tayo, may Quezon at Laguna ... Meron pang pagkukunan," she said in an interview on dzBB radio. As of Sunday, 752.6 metric tons of fish had died, including tilapia and bangus (milkfish), she said. Manalang warned the public that the fish found dead may not be safe to eat. Some consumers reportedly shied away from buying fish after suspecting they were from the fish kill in Batangas. In Quezon City, some buyers at the Balintawak Market voiced fears some of the fish were "double dead," according to a report by radio dzBB's Allan Gatus. Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the activity at Taal Volcano in Batangas is not related to the fish kill since last weekend. Phivolcs director Renato Solidum Jr. said a sudden change in climate in the area likely led to the death of some 750 metric tons of fish worth more than P57 million. "Most likely hindi (ito) related sa Taal. Ang pagkamatay ng isda, sa Taal Lake, hindi sa main crater," Solidum said in a separate interview on dzBB radio. He added that the fish that died had suffered from lack of oxygen, since the change in climate caused water containing little or oxygen to go up. Earlier Monday, Phivolcs noted a marked increase in activity at Taal Volcano - 115 volcanic quakes from 5:00 a.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday. - VVP, GMA News