BFAR technicians monitoring the waters along Talisay, Laurel, Agoncillo and San Nicolas, all in Taal Lake reported that the dissolved oxygen or DO levels in 14 sampling areas remains low due to the heavy rains and overcast skies over the weekend caused by typhoon “Goring”.
BFAR director Atty. Asis G. Perez said that he is quite happy that despite of the prevailing weather condition, no fish kills have been reported. He said that the intensified drive on the dismantling of illegal fish cage structures undertaken jointly by the LGUs, DENR, Task Force Taal Lake, BFAR and even the stakeholders themselves have greatly reduced the risks on the remaining stocks in other fish cages.
Of the 14 stations sampled, only Aya exhibited an acceptable level of 6.9 ppm. The DO levels in Laurel and Agoncillo range from 2.3 to 3.7 ppm; while alarming levels were recorded in Quling, Tumaway, Sampaloc and Poblacion. The ideal DO level for raising fish is 6.0 ppm.
“It would take a long while before the quality of the water in Taal Lake would be fit for aquaculture purposes”, Perez said. For now the BFAR will continue to monitor the water condition in these areas and will intensify its information awareness campaign.
Asis is again reminding all fish cage operators to be mindful of the season in their farming operations. The rainy season is not very conducive for raising fish specially in enclosed water bodies. In lakes, for instance, the growth of natural food composed of tiny planktons depends largely on a sunny weather for photosynthesis to occur. This process helps in the production of dissolved oxygen in the water. Hence during rainy season, we expect the DO level to be low, he said. BUREAU OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC RESOURCES-DA
