SAN FERNANDO, LA UNION, (PIA) – Three villages of San Fernando, La Union were affected by the rising temperatures that caused some fish ponds to dry up killing P300, 000-worth of bangus (milkfish) and tilapia fingerlings.
Dolores Gurtiza, City Fishery Coordinator, said a total of 16 hectares of fish ponds dried up in Barangays Biday, Bangcusay and Dalumpinas, San Fernando, La Union.
“It is a perennial problem in those areas. Pond owners usually start experiencing it in December,” Gurtiza told the Philippine Information Agency.
Rolly Ramos, one of 10 affected fish pond owners from Barangay Biday, reported that seawater may help replenish lost pond water but that silted waterways prevented it to flow towards the fish ponds.
He also added that the dead fish are merely good for food for stray dogs or birds.
Gurtiza said they have advised pond owners to start stocking up fish from May to August only.
“If they continue stocking in December, fish ponds will likely be affected by dry spell come on January or February,” she said.
Pond owners were also told to resort to manual dredging at the onset of the summer season especially when backhoes from the city or the provincial government are not available to clear waterways.
Gurtiza said fish pen owners can also harvest their fish earlier even if the fish are undersized to avoid further losses. (MCA/JNP/PIA-1 La Union)
