CITY OF MALOLOS—A fish kill has affected about 100 hectares of fishponds in Obando, Bulacan.
Wilfredo Cruz, regional director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for Central Luzon, said the fish die-off started manifesting last Saturday right after an earthquake was felt in the area.
Cruz surmised the earthquake could have released ammonia gas from the ground into the fishponds and suffocated the fish with depletion of oxygen.
A BFAR team has been sent to the area to assess the situation and come up with assistance to affected fishpond operators, Cruz added.
He said they recommend that the dead fishes be buried at least 1-meter deep in the ground to prevent them from spreading diseases caused by decaying body parts.
On the other hand, Raul Agustin of the provincial disaster risk reduction management office of Bulacan, said fish kill is a natural occurrence whenever earthquakes occur because the water quality of the fishponds are being altered by the earth’s movement.
Fishpond operators also noted that fish kill occurs whenever there is a sudden, heavy downpour during the summer months and jeopardizing the water quality of the fishpond.
The fish kill has already caused foul odor affecting several barangays of Obando, some residents said.