Almost 2,000 metric tons of fish along Taal Lake have been lost to the fishkill

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800 Tons Of Fish Die, Rot On Philippine Fish Farms

by The Associated Press

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TALISAY, Philippines May 29, 2011, 05:37 am ET
More than 800 tons of fish have died and rotted on fish farms in a lake near Taal volcano south of Manila, with authorities blaming it on a sudden temperature drop.

The massive fish deaths started late last week but have eased. Officials have banned the sale of the rotting fish, which are being buried by the truckload in Talisay and four other towns in Batangas province, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources official Rose del Mundo said Sunday.

The deaths are unrelated to recent signs of restiveness in Taal volcano, which is surrounded by the lake where many villagers have grown milkfish and tilapia ? staple food for many Filipinos, officials said. The volcano and lake are a popular tourist draw.

More...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=136761964

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: 800 Tons Of Fish Die, Rot On Philippine Fish Farms

Re: 800 Tons Of Fish Die, Rot On Philippine Fish Farms

This article says the deaths were caused by the temperature increasing suddenly:

machine translation -

May 29, a fisherman southwestern tip of Luzon in the Philippines province of Batangas Taal Volcano Beside the lake inventory of dead fish. 29, said the Philippine government, Taal volcano erupted recently shown signs around the Taal Volcano crater lake, a sudden increase in temperature, resulting in 700 tons of fish died. Philippine Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said that since the 27th since the death of 752 tons has been found milkfish and tilapia floating in Lake Taal volcano lake. Xinhua News Agency / Reuters

http://news.dayoo.com/photo/201105/30/54034_17015818.htm

 

[Emily]

Re: 800 Tons Of Fish Die, Rot On Philippine Fish Farms

Re: 800 Tons Of Fish Die, Rot On Philippine Fish Farms

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/philippines/backhoe-used-to-rid-philippines-lake-of-dead-fish-1.814973

Backhoe used to rid Philippines' lake of dead fish

Falling oxygen levels blamed for disaster

By Barbara Mae Dacanay, Bureau Chief
Published: 00:00 May 31, 2011

[snip]
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has banned the sale of dead fish, following a TV report which said that owners of 400 tonnes of newly-hauled dead fish had been looking for distributors yesterday morning. Consumers refused buy fish from fish markets yesterday.....

 

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Almost 2,000 metric tons of fish along Taal Lake have been lost to the fishkill

New fishkill hits 3 more areas in Taal lake in Batangas

By Marrrah Erika Lesaba
Inquirer Southern Luzon
4:27 pm | Sunday, June 5th, 2011 <!--Posted by clopez-->

BATANGAS CITY, Philippines?(UPDATE) A new fish kill has hit Taal Lake in two towns and a city in Batangas, just hours after authorities had cleared one side of Taal Lake of rotting fish.

The new fishkill hit on Sunday the lake?s water along the towns of Mataas na Kahoy and Cuenca and the city of Lipa. At least 20 metric tons of ?bangus? (milkfish) and tilapia, which were grown in fish cages, and a ton of fish varieties endemic to the lake were lost in the latest fishkill, provincial information officer Ginette Segismundo told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone on Sunday.
...
As of Saturday, almost 2,000 metric tons of fish along Taal Lake have been lost to the fishkill, with losses estimated at P142 million.

Full text:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/12296/new-fishkill-hits-taal-lake-town

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Almost 2,000 metric tons of fish along Taal Lake have been lost to the fishkill

Fish kill rooted in volcanism?

Educators Speak

By DR. MACRINA TAMAYO ZAFARALLA (Institute of Biological Sciences College of Arts and Sciences, UP-Los Ba?os)

July 24, 2011, 8:00am
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MANILA, Philippines ? Taal Lake, a caldera, has an ecology that is closely linked to its cradling Taal Volcano, one of the 16 volcanoes of the world that erupts every 10 years. We?ve been studying this lake since 1989. I propose a paradigm to explain the interrelationships leading to the fish kill that began on May 20, 2011. This is based on my integration of my experiences and observations and those of my research team and students over the past 22 years.

Recorded eruptions

Taal Volcano has had 33 recorded eruptions since the 15th century. None of these, however, has been associated with fish kills in Taal Lake. The floating fish cage industry reached its peak in 1998. Since then, fish kills, according to the BFAR, have been occurring annually both inside fish cages and in the open waters of the lake. The more remarkable of the fish kills are those in 2000 when 1,700 metric tons (mt) of fish were lost, 2005; 3,700 mt; 2007, 31 mt; and in 2008, 54 mt of milkfish. As of June 6 this year, the May fish kill has been reported to have caused a loss of about 2,000 mt, and counting. Broken down into the affected localities, the losses were approximately 895 mt in Talisay; 375 mt in barangay Sampaloc in Laurel; 268.25 mt, Agoncillo; 150 mt, Mataas na Kahoy; 50 mt, San Nicolas; 20 mt, Lipa; 1.6 mt, Cuenca; 0.565 mt, Sta. Teresita; and 0.235 mt in Alitagtag.

Posssible causes

Several possible causes of the fishkill phenomenon have been forwarded: too low level of oxygen, high level of hydrogen sulfide... could have caused the toxic gas emissions that depleted the lake?s oxygen supply, sudden increase in temperature, climate change, decomposing organic matter, and overstocking of the fish cages. The Associated Press reported that the deaths are ?unrelated to the recent signs of restiveness in Taal volcano.?

I say, for the recent fishkill, the precipitating factor or trigger of the chain of events leading to it was volcanism coinciding with the start of the wet season in a lake that has apparently exceeded its carrying capacity based on the amount of fish cultured in captivity. Why so?

More...
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/328002/fish-kill-rooted-volcanism