BFAR: Batangas fish kill to have little impact on supply

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Wednesday made the assurance that the Batangas fish kill will have little impact on fish supply in the Philippines. “The impact of these losses to our total production is only 0.015 percent," BFAR said in a briefer. The agency explained that the country’s target fish production is 5.36 million metric tons whereas the disaster wiped out only around 700 metric tons. BFAR added, “The supply of fish in Metro Manila will not be affected as large volumes of [its] fish supply [come] from Region VI and other adjacent areas." To assist affected fish farmers, BFAR said it has issued advisories to fish cage operators to harvest their fish stocks immediately and bring them to government fish ports nearby. “BFAR will shoulder the cost of cold storage," the bureau said. BFAR also said it will provide affected fish farmers with fish fry or fingerlings, especially the “marginalized" ones. The agency said it has determined the criteria to identify the farmers qualified for the said assistance. On Tuesday, Senator Francis Pangilinan said the fish kill could turn “positive" for the agriculture sector if made into a source of fertilizers and feeds. Preventing fish kill To prevent the occurrence of fish kill, BFAR advised fish cage operators “to abide by the guidelines on good practices in aquaculture set by the bureau." The agency also reminded local government units “to implement local fisheries ordinances and regularly monitor compliance by the fish farmers in their respective jurisdictions." BFAR added that ordinary citizens could help prevent fish kill “by helping the government prevent man-made factors like throwing garbage, especially plastic products, in waterways." “Everyone has a stake in keeping the environment clean so that our waters, both inland and [coastal], will be suitable and safe for our aquatic life," BFAR said. — Paterno Esmaquel II/VS, GMA News