Bangus, tilapia stocks affected by ‘Lando’

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union: The La Union Provincial Agriculture Office has reported that the damage to fishery products such as milkfish or bangus and tilapia due to typhoon Lando has reached more than P24 million.

Provincial Agricultural Officer Imelda Sannadan said the loss was attributed to overflow of water in fishponds and fish cages in the towns of Aringay and Sto. Tomas.

There was a noticeable increase, however, in bangus supply as these were sold in public markets at a lower price.

Rhodora Nueva, a fish vendor, said the regular prices were between P140 to P160 per kilo before the storm, but the prices dropped to between P50 and P80 a kilo in the public market.

Milkfish from the fishponds in the towns of Sto. Tomas and Aringay were swept away to as far as the coast of Barangay San Agustin and Poro Point on Thursday.

Fishermen welcomed the occurrence after they were not able to head out to sea for almost a week because of a fishing ban imposed by authorities to avoid accidents at the height of the storm.

“We have a fiesta,” Jaime Cura, a fisherman in Barangay San Agustin exclaimed in Filipino, as he and his companions catch bangus near the shore.

The barangay was still without electricity on Wednesday, so Cura said they will just marinate the fish in salt and dry them under the sun to preserve the fish.

Sannadan added that more than P214 million agricultural crops, 55.6 hectares of rice plants were totally damaged with about 7,760 hectares partially damaged because of the storm.

She also said that they have recorded a total of P5,493,500 loss in vegetables and P150,373 damages in corn while P946, 400 of trees were destroyed.