THE local government of Talisay, Batangas and operators of fish cages are moving on the safe collection and disposal of dead bangus and tilapia brought about by a “fish kill” in Taal Lake due to low dissolved oxygen level and high levels of ammonia and sulfide.
In a news statement, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) estimated the volume of dead bangus and tilapia at 109 metric tons, valued at approximately P9 million.
Taal Lake is within the restive Taal Volcano’s Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ). The country’s most active volcano is currently under Alert Level 3 or Magmatic Unrest following a short-lived phreatic explosion last week.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has recommended safe evacuation of communities in high-risk areas near the volcano.
BFAR, through its office in Region 4A, immediately issued a water quality assessment report to local government units and fish cage operators surrounding Taal Lake on the night of July 5, 2021, immediately after the water quality assessment result came out.
Based on the result, the dissolved oxygen (DO) in several areas (Tanauan and Talisay) in Taal Lake has registered 2.38 – 3.80 mg/L, which is comparatively lower than the standard level of 5.0 mg/L for dissolved oxygen.
Meanwhile, BFAR said the levels of ammonia (0.12 – 0.21 mg/L) and sulfide (0.01 – 0.10 mg/L) are above the standard level which are potentially harmful to fishes.
DA-BFAR is closely monitoring the incident and will release updates on the incident of fish mortality in Taal Lake.