THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is conducting a follow-up investigation at the vicinity of the R.T. Lim Boulevard and west coast areas of Zamboanga City to further assess the extent of the fish kill occurrences.
BFAR regional director Isidro Velayo, Jr. advised the public to refrain from consuming “any remnant washed up dead fishes in these areas,” but stressed that “all fishes caught fresh are safe for consumption unless otherwise advised.”
More than a thousand dead fishes, mostly siganids (locally known as danggit) and a few puffers (butete) were washed ashore the R.T. Lim Boulevard on Wednesday, May 1.
Velayo informed Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar that on-site and subsequent confirmatory testing in the laboratory showed that “water parameters are within normal limits.”
However, he said, these results “may not be representative of actual water conditions at the time of the fish kill as gross examination of fish samples indicate time frame of occurrence may have been hours earlier.”
According to Velayo, the observed heat wave that have been affecting this city could be one factor to consider and could be a “precursor to the fish mortalities observed along the coast.”
Upon learning about the incident, Salazar immediately proceeded to the R.T. Lim Boulevard together with City Agriculturist Carmencita Sanchez and City Environment and Natural Resources Officer Rey Gonzales to look into the situation.
The mayor immediately advised people to refrain from swimming or picking the dead fishes, as she ordered the immediate investigation of the phenomenon.
She likewise called on residents in the coastal areas to report to authorities, similar incidents in their area and to avoid consuming dead fish, if there are any. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)