CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Old fishermen still remember a time when the Pampanga River yielded an abundance of fish catch in the 70's and 80's, enough to sustain the livelihood of some families along the banks of Luzon's second largest river but today, the river no longer has the same amount of fish population it once had in the past.
In fact, the river is often silted. Chemical and household waste of communities along the banks would often find their way into the river along with the occasional garbage thrown into it by unscrupulous residents.
This makes fishing for the estimated 9,000 fisher folk along the entire basin, which stretches from Nueva Ecija to Bulacan, a far more difficult livelihood to engage in.
The dwindling number of fish populations coupled with occasional fish kills, the most recent of which was in July, 2015 which affected some 4,000 Kapampangan fishermen and their families, have been a problem for the local fishing communities.
But fishermen may soon find much needed help as the Pampanga River Basin was identified as among the major rivers in the country to be put under the Balik Sigla sa Ilog at Lawa (BASIL) project according to Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Regional Director Willy Cruz.
The BASIL project is part of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ National Inland Fisheries Enhancement Program that hopes to revitalize inland bodies of water.
According to Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol, the revitalization program is in response to the continuing depletion of fish populations due to illegal fishing as well as the destruction of the natural eco-systems in inland bodies of water.
According to Piñol, over fishing and the use of illegal and destructive fishing methods have virtually decimated the indigenous fish species in the major lakes and rivers of the country. He added that rivers and lakes in the country no longer have the same amount of fish population as they had many years ago.
He added that by 2018, an estimated 26-million fingerlings will be seeded in the rivers and lakes with Project BASIL aiming to target to seed about 210-million fingerlings by the end of the term of the current administration.
Hope for the Pampanga River
The Pampanga River Basin is among the major rivers set for rehabilitation along with Cagayan River Basin (2.5-m hectares), Mindanao River Basin (2.3-million hectares), Agusan River Basin (1-million hectares), Abra River Basin (512,500 hectares) and Bicol River Basin (377,100 hectares).
The Pampanga River Basin alone has 974,000 hectares and is the second largest river in Luzon next to Cagayan River. The Pampanga River has a vital importance to local aquaculture as it traverses the provinces of Pampanga, Bulacan, and Nueva Ecija.
Cruz, in a previous interview, said that indigenous species will be reared into the river. This, he said, will help strengthen the local indigenous fish populations.
Cruz said that tilapia, which has become an acceptable fish species and is not considered a threat to the ecological balance, will also be introduced further.
Among the indigenous species which will be seeded in the lakes and rivers are Ayungin, Biya, Kanduli, Martinique, the native catfish or Hito and the Black Head Eel or Egat.
Cruz added that the project will also have social preparation as it involves the organisation of the communities around the Lakes and along the Rivers and emphasise to them the things needed to sustain the project. Projects like establishment of hatcheries will also be introduced.
In fact, fishermen from Masantol, Macabebe, Minalin, Candaba, Apalit, San Simon, who also depend on the Pampanga River, were given units of fibreglass boats and some P7-million worth of assistance and programs recently.
According to Cruz, the assistance is part of the continuing program of the national government to professionalize the fisheries sector and promote sustainable and environment-friendly fishing practices.
Further efforts to protect the Pampanga River
Since 2011, former fourth district board members Nestor Tolentino and Ricardo Yabut were pushing local government units for the creation of monitoring task force that will look into the Pampanga River and the Pampanga Bay.
The task force, according to Tolentino, may be tasked to patrol the Pampanga River and the Pampanga Bay against illegal fishing and encroachment.
Yabut said there would be a need to deputize the people in the task force to effectively implement the law. He added that there is a need to streamline other existing task forces in the coastal towns here to prevent duplication of functions.
Most recently, Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) head Art Punsalan reiterated the call of Governor Lilia Pineda for safe and sustainable fishing practices among the province's fisheries sector.
"Aquaculture remains a top performer in the fisheries sector and provides livelihood to many Kapampangans. It is but right that our fisher folk observe proper, safe and environment-friendly fishing practices to ensure that the benefits of the water resources are maximized," Punsalan said.
Punsalan said that this starts with the use of the appropriate gears, non-use of harmful fishing methods and venturing into possible ways of processing fish catch.
Punsalan urged the sector to continuously cooperate with the government while it works on further improving the status of the agriculture industry.
More than 90 percent (150,000 metric tons) of Pampanga's fisheries come from aquaculture, which include fishing activities along the Pampanga River, and this accounts for nearly four percent of the country's fisheries production or over 60 percent of Central Luzon.