Fish kill hits Lake Buhi in Camarines Sur

A fish kill in Camarines Sur province's Lake Buhi is threatening the livelihood of local fishermen, who have asked authorities to look into the cause of the incident. Radio dzRH on Saturday reported that fishermen were forced to sell their “tilapia" catch at one-third the regular price in the local markets. The report said that for the past few days, prices of tilapia in local markets were being sold for P20 to P30 a kilo. Tilapia was sold at P50 to P60 a kilo before the incident. On the other hand, authorities clashed on the cause of the fish kill, with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) saying it may have come from sulfur dioxide from Iriga City. BFAR claimed the rains brought by the southwest monsoon in past weeks might have loosened the sulfur dioxide from nearby volcanoes. However, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said this was impossible. Buhi is a second-class town with a population of 67,762 people in 13,238 households. It is home to the “sinarapan," the world’s smallest edible fish. - GMANews.TV