Bad News for Milkfish

[Pete/London]

This seems to be happening all around the world, this time its Milkfish in Lake Taal,

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392154/Why-did-millions-fish-drop-dead-lake-near-Philippines-volcano.html

The experts think its lack of oxygen, but this only seems to be happening over the last year, very strange:Erm:

[fred]

The Chinese have basically taken over the Bangus fish farms in Talisay,Taal lake.. The water has been polluted for years because of the intensive fish farming methods used there.. Batangas milk fish has had a bad name for a long time now because of the bland,nasty flavour and many consumers are asking first if it is Batangas fish..
We tried this business 20 years ago in Talisay and our nets were wiped away by a super typhoon.
Never again!:cwm3:
Their theory..

Talisay agricultural officer Zenaida Mendoza said an initial investigation showed the deaths may have been caused by the temperature change as the rainy season set in last week after a scorching summer, which also depleted the lake's oxygen levels.

This is quite ridiculous in my view..The temperatures and weather systems are not unusual... Raining season after a hot summer? In the Philippines? :doh

Governor Vilma Santos has been campaigning for a huge clean up of the polluted lake for a long time which the Chinese have so far resisted.. She wants the town to concentrate more on tourism.
My theory.... (and I would put money on this)
POISON!!

[Pete/London]

A friend and I were swimming in the lake a few years ago and a small crowd were standing on the bank watching us. My wife asked the bar owner why they were watching, he replied, to see if they disappear. Apparently a number of people had gone missing while swimming. It would have been nice if someone had warned us to take care first.:icon_lol:
we called it a day shortly after.

[grahamw48]

As an aquarist I'd say the likely cause IS probably lack of oxygen, but compounded by overcrowding, and pollution of the water by chemicals and organic matter.

Have you seen the state of the average body of water in the Phils ?

The situation was bad enough in THIS country for long enough.

There it is second nature to toss anything and everything either to the side of the road or into the nearest water course :NoNo:

Surely the govt. dept. concerned has done some testing ? :Erm:

[Terpe]

As an aquarist I'd say the likely cause IS probably lack of oxygen, but compounded by overcrowding, and pollution of the water by chemicals and organic matter.

Have you seen the state of the average body of water in the Phils ?

The situation was bad enough in THIS country for long enough.

There it is second nature to toss anything and everything either to the side of the road or into the nearest water course :NoNo:

Surely the govt. dept. concerned has done some testing ? :Erm:

Agreed.

Oxygen depletion is the cause.
There has been an dramatic increase of oxygen depleted bottom waters rising to the upper levels.

This is known about and predicted.
Oxygen depletion at the bottom of the water usually happens due to decomposition of organic matter like plants and feeds, and also from man-made pollution.

Don't forget these fish are commercially bred in cages all along the lake. Overcrowding is common.
It's happened before and it will happen again.
In 2001, the biggest fishkill happened in Bolinao when about P400-million worth of bangus was lost.

In 2007, another P100-million worth of bangus was also lost to fishkill.

Several lakeside towns are struggling to cope with mountains of rotting fish.

[grahamw48]

If they had recovered the dead fish quickly enough they could have turned them into 100's of tons of first class fertilizer. :rolleyes:

Good stuff dead fish.

[Pete/London]

Well that may explain the lakes, how about the reports over the year of salt water fish lost in a similar way:Erm:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1344913/Animal-death-mystery-8k-turtle-doves-fall-dead-Italy-blue-stain-beaks.html

Various theories make interesting reading, including the Magnetic Pole moving.

[grahamw48]

Even Salmon farms and the like are prone to suffering from pollution, disease and parasites caused by uneaten food and overcrowding, especially in the absence of 'cleaning' currents.

Marine fish are even more susceptible to poor conditions and temperature change because unlike freshwater fish they have evolved in a much more stable environment and are less able to cope with even slight changes.

This is why they are much harder to keep healthy in aquariums.
I would never have them in my shop, simply because the average Joe is incapable of keeping them alive for more than a week or two. Good for business, but not my way of doing things.

Unfortunately in the past many of the Marine Fish sold through the pet trade were sourced in the Philippines.

Our Oceans are gradually being polluted too...thanks to ignorant, greedy and selfish people.

[Terpe]

The Department of Agriculture (DA) will meet Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos and other stakeholders concerned to identify long-term solutions to recurring fish kill in Taal Lake where the problem surfaced anew last week.

”We’ll look into interventions that the national and local governments can do,” DA Secretary Proceso Alcala said.

He expects the meeting to push through immediately after authorities disposed over 400 tons of “bangus” and “tilapia” fishes that turned up dead in the lake.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is determining the cause of this latest fish kill episode.

To help compensate for the loss, DA plans distributing fingerlings to affected Taal fisherfolks.

DA will await BFAR’s official findings before distributing the fingerlings so interventions can be implemented first to help avert future fish kills in the area.

“It’ll be a waste if the fingerlings die, too,” Alcala noted.

Alcala said DA commenced coordination with Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) regarding emergency assistance to the affected fisherfolks.

“I already contacted DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman to ask for help. We’ll discuss this matter,” he assured.

Talisay municipal mayor Zeny Mendoza reported the fish kill affected “bangus” production of her constituents in Bgy. Sampaloc.

“Their work is mostly in the 84 fish cages there – it’s their livelihood,” she said.

She said an estimated 375 tons of fish turned up dead in waters off Talisay alone.

“We’ve never had this many dead fishes,” she noted. (PNA)

Source:-
http://www.tempo.com.ph/news.php?aid=55243