City agriculture office slates dialogue with fisheries sector

By Carlo P. Gonzaga

Monday 2nd of July 2012

CALAMBA CITY, Laguna, July 2 (PIA) -- The city government through the city agriculture office (CAO) has set a consultative dialogue with the fisheries sector on July 5 at the headquarters of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (FARMC) in Barangay Lingga, this city.

Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) General Manager Neric Acosta and representatives from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Region 4A are expected to participate in the dialogue to answer queries in relation to their efforts to protect Laguna Lake.

Before the consultative dialogue, Acosta will lead the lake seeding of tilapia fingerlings at the protected area along Barangay Bucal, also in this city.

The committee on agriculture of the Sangguniang Panglunsod, the officers and advisory body of the city FARMC, representatives of fish pens and fish cage operators, small fisher folks namely the Pantero, Panterong Lakad, Bubo, Kitang, Bumbon, Magbabaklad, Saklet, and Seket are also invited to attend the dialogue.

Recent field surveys conducted by LLDA revealed the considerable presence of knife fish in Calamba City and in the lakeside towns of Los Baños, Bay, Victoria, Pila and Pangil, Laguna and the towns of Binangonan and Pililla in Rizal. It was reported that a knife fish multiplies rapidly, eat common fish species outside fish pens and cages which greatly affects the catch of fishermen who depend on the lake for livelihood.

Last May, several areas in Laguna de Bay were hit by fish kill, resulting to losses estimated at P1 million and affecting the livelihood of several fisher folks. According to BFAR-4A, the fish kill may have been caused by the sudden changes in the temperature of lake waters that happened after raining in the area. (CPG/Grace Bondad-Nicolas, PIA4A)