Fish shortage feared as ponds start drying up in La Union, NL towns

By Erwin G. Beleo

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – Sixteen hectares of fishponds in three villages in this city, have started to dry up caused by a low water level, killing milkfish (bangus) and tilapia worth  P300,000.

This stoked fears of fish supply shortage as fishponds in other areas of Ilocos Region have also been affected by El Nino.

Dolores Gurtiza, city fishery coordinator, said that fish ponds had dried up in barangays Biday, Bangcusay and Dalumpinas Este because the waterways in Carlatan River have been clogged by sand from the San Fernando Bay.

The waterways along the river supply bring water from the bay to the fishponds.

The low water supply started in December, causing incidents of “fish kill” and early harvests for the pond owners.

“This has been a perennial problem of fishpond owners because of the low level of water coming from the sea,” said Gurtiza.

DionisioCamarao, a fishpond operator who is one of the biggest producers of milkfish and tilapia, said water in the fishponds quickly evaporate these days due to the drought.

Camarao added that the seawater may help replenish the pond, but the silted waterways prevented it from flowing towards the fishponds.

Apolinario Peralta, provincial aquaculturist, and Gurtiza, recently conducted a seminar to pond owners and caretakers, to advise them to start stocking up fish only from May to August or the period of the rainy season.

Peralta cautioned the pond operators not to release fingerlings from November to December, because they might be affected by the dry spell.

Pond owners were also told to resort to manual dredging at the onset of the summer season especially when backhoes from the city or the provincial government are not available to clear waterways.

Fishery authorities told fish pond owners that they can also harvest their fish earlier even if the fish are undersized to avoid further losses.