A FISH kill is “starting” in the lake that holds the restive Taal Volcano, Agriculture secretary William Dar said Monday, as authorities accounted damage from a week of volcanic activity.
The fish kill for bangus or milk fish has started with tilapia set to follow as increased sulfur chokes oxygen out of Taal Lake, Dar said.
Fish in the market are safe to eat as long as they are caught alive.
The Department of Health earlier warned the public against eating fish from the Taal Lake.
The DA said as of Jan. 19, some 55,000 animals, including chickens, goats, cows and horses, have died since Taal eruped on Jan. 12. Volcanic ash blanketed some 17,000 hectares of land in the Calabarzon area, affecting 16,000 farmers and fisherfolk.
Dar also noted the total damage to agriculture in Calabarzon reached P3.2 billion as of Jan. 19.
The DA hopes to still reach its growth target of two percent this year with a “catch up plan” from other areas that could compensate for the losses in the region’s agriculture.
The DA is ready to release at least seven million tilapia fingerlings once the lake normalizes. Oxygen and acidity levels could stabilize two months after the volcano’s rest, Dar said.
The Taal Lake is home to many species of fish including the endangered Tawilis. (ABS-CBN News)
