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BATANGAS CITY, Philippines -- Fish cage owners and operators in Taal Lake whose applications for renewal of permits have been disapproved have only until March 29 to harvest their products, Task Force Taal Lake officials said. Task Force Taal also reminded the fish cage owners with disapproved permits, including those without licenses, that their fish cages will be dismantled starting March 30 and they will not anymore be allowed to operate in the lake. The task force issued the twin reminders following a warning Friday by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) that Taal Lake fishermen should be prepared for possible fishkill due to temperature changes caused by the scorching summer heat. Task Force Taal Lake is composed of the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Agriculture (DA), BFAR, Agriculture Research Council, Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Batangas Governor’s Office, local government units (LGUs) of nine towns surrounding the lake, Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), stakeholders and representatives of Taal fisherfolk organizations. Fishkill possibilities BFAR Director Asis G. Perez told some 900 fisherfolks that participated in the Taal Lake Fisheries Stakeholders Forum on March 9 to harvest their fish early if they see indications of possible lake overturn, sulphur upswelling, lowering of dissolved oxygen and possible fish parasite infestation, and watch out for any discoloration of lake waters, especially during the months of April to June and during rainy months when typhoons occur. The BFAR director also urged Taal fisherfolks to follow sustainable fish farming practices to prevent compromising the health of the lake’s waters, an important source of fish, mostly tilapia and bangus (milkfish) for Metro Manila and Southern Luzon. Perez told Taal Lake Aquaculture Alliance Inc. and feed millers to police their ranks and to comply with the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape Management Plan (TVPLMP) of 2009, and guidelines approved by Malacanang last month implementing a one-year moratorium on fish cage culture in Taal to avoid a repeat of the massive fishkill in the lake last year. For his part, Task Force Taal Lake chairman and Batangas provincial administrator Victor M. Reyes said the February 23 Excom meeting was convened on instructions of Undersecretary Ronaldo Geron of the Office of the Executive Secretary to thresh out issues and tackle problems obtaining in Taal Lake, and more importantly to update President Benigno S. Aquino III on the present conditions of the lake. One-year moratorium on fish cage culture Reyes said the moratorium provides, among others, for downsizing the number of fish cage structures in the lake, allowing each of the nine towns and cities to set up fish cages equivalent to 25 percent of the number of fish cages to be built in the lake based on the quality of water as determined every month by PAMB and Task Force Taal Lake, and stoppage of fish cage operations in the event of massive fish kill in the lake. “The overcrowding of fish cages, overfeeding, and the willful disregard of the prescribed fish cage size have been found as major causes of serious oxygen depletion resulting to fishkills,” he stressed. The moratorium tasked BFAR to conduct water quality sampling, establishment by LGUs of an area for proper disposal of dead fishes, preparation of comprehensive report by QRT to be discussed in PAMB excom meetings, issuance of notice/warning on the moratorium’s implementation in affected areas, authorizing fish cage owners to harvest fish from registered fish cages at set dates, and effecting dismantling operation by Task Force Taal Lake against violators of the guidelines. Reyes said all unlicensed or illegal fish cages will be dismantled immediately in line with fishery laws, and on the recently approved moratorium, even as Task Force Taal continues to strictly implement cleanliness and maintenance effort on the lake.
Mayor Zeny Mendoza of Talisay town, a task force member whose town is closest to the lake, said guidelines will be strictly followed in issuing permits to operators wanting to build fish cages, noting that from 1993 to 2003, registered fish cages totaled 5,403 but rose to 6,000 in 2010 because of illegal structures built by intruders from other towns in the province.
