STARTING June, fish-cage operators in Taal Lake will feed their tilapia and bangus, or milkfish, with environment-friendly fish feed, according to the protected area superintendent of the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (TVPL).
Jasmin Andaya, protected area superintendent of TVPL, said the use of floating fish feed was prescribed by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Bfar) and approved by the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB).
“Algae in Taal Lake increases and the lake becomes silted up if sinking fish feed is used. It also causes fish kill, water pollution, and increases biological oxygen demand,” Andaya said.
Unlike the sinking fish feed, which is commonly used by fish-cage operators in Taal Lake, she said floating fish feed will prevent siltation in portions of the lake where aquaculture is allowed.
While the Bfar has the mandate and jurisdiction over fishery policies in Taal Lake, the TVPL, through the Office of the Protected Area Superintendent, is in charge of enforcing the new guideline.
A series of consultation meetings were held last year by the TVPL, led by the protected area superintendent, and attended by officials and representatives from 16 local government units (LGUs), mostly from Batangas and Cavite, within the TVPL and non-governmental organizations.
Andaya said the use of the floating extruded fish feed is just one of the policies approved under the Unified Rules and Regulation for Fisheries in Taal Lake.
According to Andaya, the PAMB of TVPL is also planning to consult players in Taal Lake’s aquaculture industry regarding the plan to require suppliers of fish feeds to seek accreditation.
“We want to make sure that the fish-feed dealers supplying fish-cage operators are duly accredited,” she said.
Meanwhile, Andaya said the executive committee of the TVPL will initiate a series of consultative meetings with stakeholders for the implementation of a periodic ban on catching tawilis as prescribed by the Bfar.
Tawilis is endemic to Taal Lake.
The fish ban is being eyed every after the new moon in the month of June to allow tawilis to breed and replenish the fish stock in the lake, she said.
“We want fishermen to know the long-term benefit of the [ban]. At the same time, we also want to find out what we can do to make sure that they are not harmed by it,” Andaya said.
There are 5,889 fish cages in Taal Lake, the country’s third-largest lake next to Laguna de Bay and Lanao Lake of Mindanao.
TVPL is a booming ecotourism destination but many of the people in the towns around Taal Lake are still heavily dependent on its bounty such as tawilis.
Taal Volcano, the world’s smallest volcano situated within the Taal Lake, can be viewed from Tagaytay City, the only city in Cavite Province which is covered by the TVPL.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes