Govt to help fishers affected by fish kill in S. Cotabato

The government assured fish cage operators in South Cotabato that they will receive assistance in the wake of a fish kill that destroyed some 13 metric tons of tilapia earlier this week, a Malacañang official said Saturday. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also said the Agriculture and Science and Technology departments are investigating the reason for the latest fish kill. “Tandem sila ng DOST at DA to see ano ang naging reason. Pareho ba ng reason ng fish kill sa Batangas at Cavite? Titingnan natin [kung] anong assistance pwede ibigay sa fish pen owners na nabiktima," she said over state-run dzRB radio. She indicated the DA will give fingerlings to the affected fish pen owners. For its part, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said at least P1.04 million had been damaged in the fish kill at Lake Sebu in South Cotabato. It said the fish kill last July 24 to 27 affected at least seven fish cage operators. “Said incident was a result of overstocking that resulted to oxygen depletion and water pollution in the lake," it added. The NDRRMC said the incident killed 13 metric tons of tilapia in 56 fish cages. It said this prompted authorities to advice fish cage operators to temporarily stop feeding for one week, to allow the water flow to normalize. — JE, GMA News