Bangus growers suffer P502-million losses

By Jennelyn Mondejar

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Bangus (milkfish) producers in Pangasinan and La Union suffered P502 million in losses, as they lost about 6,000 metric tons of fish stocks when typhoon “Emong” ravaged the two northern provinces last week.

Nestor Domenden, Region 1 director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, presented the figures during a meeting of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council on Monday.

Of the total losses, the worst-hit towns of Anda, Bolinao and Sual, and Alaminos City, all in Pangasinan, accounted for P491 million, and the rest, in the bangus-producing towns of Aringay, Agoo, Bauang, Sto. Tomas, all in La Union.

Anda and Bolinao were expected to contribute 3.7 percent of the target domestic production of bangus this year. But their losses are considered a big loss to the industry, Domenden said.

“This is of national interest because Sual, Anda and Bolinao supply up to 62 percent of the bangus marketed in Navotas and Malabon where the supply is distributed all over Luzon,” he said.

This means that about two-thirds of the bangus supply from these areas were lost, he said.

Domenden said though that the P491-million loss of Pangasinan bangus producers was still subject to validation and could increase or decrease by 10 to 15 percent.

He said the figure was based on their talks with registered bangus operators and visits to the affected areas in the province.

Anda Mayor Nestor Pulido earlier told the that damage to fish pens, fish cages and other fish traps used in raising bangus in his town could reach as much as P1 billion, saying that 95 percent of these structures were destroyed.