CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) on Friday denied reports that there have been massive fish kills in Pampanga particularly among fish pond growers.
In an interview with Provincial Agriculturist Crispin Guintu, he said reports that appeared on television and some newspapers are a “bit misplaced.”
Earlier this week, reports of fish kills said that the deaths of fishes may affect the livelihood of fish growers and of the prices of fresh water fish in Pampanga.
However, the OPA said that they have conducted field investigations to determine the truth of the recent reports.
As per report of the OPA Friday, no fish kills have been recorded by its various municipal agriculture field offices. However, relatively small amounts of floating fish were seen on the fishponds of Pansinao, Lanang and Mandasig in Candaba.
Among the fishpond caretakers interviewed said the El Niño is “not yet felt” due to the sufficient amount of water in irrigation canals.
“There is no fish kill, though mortality is common during this type of climate. The mortality is a normal occurrence due to high temperature which leads to high ammonia level in fresh fish breeding grounds.
But this could be handled through proper water management,” Guintu said.
Guintu assures fish pen operators that the OPA is always ready to provide technical assistance to affected fisher folks.
As for farmers, Guintu added that the Provincial Government and the Department of Agriculture will provide certified seeds and vegetable seeds as an alternative measure to farmers affected by the El Niño phenomenon.