Batangas vice gov: Mismanagement may have caused fish kill

"Mismanagement" of fish cages in Taal Lake may have led to the massive fish kill that has placed seven towns in Batangas under a state of calamity, an official of Batangas province said Friday. "[Ang nangyari ay] magkahalong man-made at natural disaster. Experts say it is a man-made disaster because of irresponsible management of fish cages," said Batangas vice governor Mark Leviste in an interview on News to Go Friday morning. According to Leviste, the maximum depth of a fish cage is 5 meters. But some cages are 15 meters deep, three times the maximum depth. Also, he said some fish cages are placed on top of each other, suffocating fish such as tilapia and bangus. "Overfeeding or irresponsible feeding of the fish is another factor," Leviste said. Comparing fish to babies, he said: "Bilang magulang iniisip natin na the more we feed the child, habang ito'y tumataba at lumalaki, iniisip natin lumulusog, which is actually not the case. Ang iniisip ng ibang fish-cage operators natin, kung mas marami ang pinapakain nila sa kanilang mga isda, mas mabilis ang pagbigat ng mga ito upang madaling maibenbeta," he said. "But fishes, just like kids, can only take so much. Yung mga hindi makakain ay nagiging residue at natatambak sa ilalim ng lawa, at ito'y pollutant sa lawa ng Taal," he added. Lack of monitoring Leviste said that he and Governor Vilma Santos are staunch advocates of dismantling and limiting fish cages in Taal Lake. "Dahil nakikita namin ang importansya sa pangangalaga ng lawa dahil ang pride and glory ng Batangas," he said. He stressed that taking care of Taal Lake is a responsibility of concerned local government units, adding that LGUs are also responsible for the regulation of fish cages in the lake because they release the permits for operation. While the campaign to dismantle and remove fish cages in Taal Lake has had positive results, Leviste admitted the LGUs might have become complacent. "Siguro naging complacent na rin nang kaunti, may mga ibang nakakalusot na nagdadagdag ng fish cages kaya dumarami ang mga ito," he added, noting that even with continuous monitoring by Task Force Taal Lake was not enough to cover every corner of an area as large as Taal Lake. "Mula dito sa karanasang ito, kami ay magmo-monitor nang mas maigi, siguro kailangan balikan yung aming sistema para siguraduhin na hindi maulit and fish kill," Leviste said. National government agencies such as the DENR, BFAR and DILG will also help police Taal Lake, he added. In last Thursday's rounds, Task Force Taal Lake visited towns affected by the fish kill. In a report on GMA's News To GO, Rawnna Crisostomo said San Nicolas town mayor Epifanio Sandoval said dead tilapia were taken out of the water, and the town was cleaned of tons of rotting tilapia. Last Sunday, an estimated 100 tons of dead tilapia were washed ashore in San Nicolas town's side of the lake. According to Mayor Sandoval, he could not imagine how the incident happened because he had instructed fish cage owners in the area to contain the dead fish in the cages so the rotting they could be disposed of properly. The task force noted that Talisay town was not affected by the fish kill, but it said there were unlicensed fish cages there that should have been dismantled in compliance with Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo's orders to do so. Although the task force did not visit Agoncillo town, the mayor there had admitted the dead tilapia may have come from their town. Lack of dumpsites "Ang kakulangan ng dumpsite ay isa sa pinaka malaking problema namin ngayon," said Leviste. In Talisay town, there are no more disposal sites that can be identified, but private land owners were not very cooperative, Leviste said. The last batch of fish disposed from Talisay was brought to adjacent barangays of other towns. "Naisip po namin, government to government coordination na po. May ilang idle properties tayo sa rural areas sa Batangas na malayo sa residential centers na siguro pwede nating paglagyan ng mga bilasa o patay na isda," said Leviste. He emphasized that if people are patient with the collection and disposal process, they can avoid dead fish polluting Taal Lake. Help from government Leviste said Governor Santos had immediately sent out engineering equipment such as backhoes, dump trucks as well as manpower to help in the cleanup and disposal. He said they had also delivered sacks of lime to lessen the stench in the disposal sites. "Ginagawa na po ang lahat," he said, adding that several towns were placed under a state of calamity in order to allow the use of calamity funds. "Kasama na po ang livelihood asst sa ating mga kababayan na naapektuhan ng fishkill tragedy," he added. Asked whether residents should be evacuated from areas where the stench is almost unbearable, he said, "Titingnan po namin agad yan." "Parang chicken and egg po yan eh. kung hindi po natin idi-dispose ito, saan naman natin ilalagay yung mga isda o basura na ito? Ngayon dahil nga nandun na sa isang lugar, sa disposal site, concerned rin tayo sa kalagayan at kalusugan ng ating mga kababayan," said Leviste. He said that the Provincial Information Office as well as the Provincial Agriculturist are already focused on the issue. "Ako mismo ay bibsita po diyan at titingnan ang kalagayan," he added. "Tayo po ay gagawa ng inventory para ma-identify kung sino ang bibigyan ng support at tulong lalo na yung mga local fisherfolks natin," he said. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will distribute at least one million fingerlings to offset the loss from the fish kill tragedy, which is estimated to have caused P74.826 million by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. — LBG/HS, GMA News