THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Davao Region (Bfar-Davao Region) bared that the influx large volume of juvenile sardines, locally known as lupoy, which washed ashore at Km. 11, DavSam Port, Sasa in Davao City on Wednesday night, January 10, 2024, marked its fourth consecutive day.
Relly B. Garcia, officer-in-charge (OIC) regional director of Bfar-Davao Region, stated in a recorded interview, "Batay sa update na inuulat sa isa sa mga crew ng port na kagabi ang ikaapat na sunod-sunod na pagdagsa ng mga tamban sa port (According to an update reported to one of the port crew, last night was the fourth consecutive occurrence of sardines beaching at the port)."
He clarified that their team would conduct water and fish sampling to thoroughly analyze the phenomenon, a process expected to span several days
“Nagsagawa na ng water sampling ang aming team ngayong hapon [January 11) pero hindi sila nakakuha ng samples pero babalik ang aming team ngayong gabi if ever may report agad na pagdagsa (Our team conducted water sampling this afternoon [January 11], but they did not obtain any samples. However, our team will return tonight if there is an immediate report of further beaching),” he added.
The incident occurred two days after a school of fish beached the shoreline of Barangay Tinoto in Maasim, Sarangani Province, on Sunday, January 7, 2024.
A video shared by Girlie Saguban Dael on Facebook depicted individuals busy scooping up the tiny sardines using their bare hands.
"Nidugok nang isda perting daghana diri sa Sasa, Davao City napud. Last time sa Sarangani man to (Another ton of fish flooded here in Sasa, Davao City. Last time it was in Sarangani)," Dael wrote in her caption.
The post has now gained thousands of reactions and shares among netizens, with speculations about possible earthquakes dominating the top comments.
The speculation echoes similar events in Sarangani Island, Davao Occidental after a magnitude 6.7 earthquake with a depth of 76 kilometers occurred on January 9.
Many Facebook users collectively expressed, “Basig naa napud linog pag-ing-ani ba (Possible earthquake might happen again).”
However, Eduardo Lauron, a research specialist from Phivolcs-Davao, emphasized the importance of relying on scientific facts rather than myths during such natural disasters.
Based on his statement, fish are sensitive and hyper compared to human beings.
“Mga anomalies regarding sa mga isda, pinag-aaralan na. Mga anomalies ra na kay yung mga animals behaviour mga hyper man na sila compared sa mga tao. We have an in-depth study about ani so experts ra gyud maka-sagot ana (Anomalies concerning fish behavior are under study. These are just anomalies because animals tend to react hypersensitively compared to humans. We have conducted an in-depth study on this, and only experts can provide accurate answers),” Lauron told SunStar Davao in a phone interview last January 10. DEF
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