Fishkill strikes Anda, reaches Bolinao

Truckloads of dead milkfish or bangus were found in Bolinao yesterday morning.

Dead fishes were believed to have originated from the nearby town of Anda, 280 kilometers north of Manila.

"We got a report that some dead bangus were brought by the current downstream to our town so some people thought we were severely hit again by fish kill", said Mayor Alfonso Celeste.

Dr. Westly Rosario, Chief of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Dagupan City, said they already warned a few weeks ago that fishkill might occur in Anda and Bolinao because th water's oxygen concentration was almost zero.

Fred Castelo, municipal administrator of Bolinao, said water current carried the dead fish from Anda to their town through the Cacquiputan channel.

The bangus coming from Western Pangasinan, particularly in Anda and Bolinao comprise 50 percent of what is being traded in Metro Manila.

The biggest fishkill happened in Bolinao was in 2001 when about P400-million worth of bangus died. — CLEZ