Fish kill won’t affect Manila Bay rehab

The public is advised against bathing in the affected waters or consuming fish and shellfish

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said the ongoing Manila Bay rehabilitation will continue after the reported alleged fish kill in the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP) late last week.

Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu vowed to implement necessary measures to determine the cause of the fish kill in the protected wetland area situated within the Manila Bay region.

“The DENR is now gathering more information on the extent and the cause of the fish kill in LPPWP,” Cimatu said.

He added that the Environmental Management Bureau-National Capital Region (EMB-NCR) had already conducted tests in LPPWP for several key water quality indicators.

The DENR chief said results are being fast-tracked “to enable us to determine what measures to undertake to mitigate adverse impacts over other marine life in the area.”

“We are also doing this because we want to make sure that the fish kill incident will not cause any delay to the ongoing Manila Bay rehabilitation efforts.”

Meanwhile, DENR-NCR regional executive director Jacqueline Caancan disclosed that the water test results will be out “in the next few days.”

The results would complement studies being done by experts from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture (DA-BFAR) and the city governments of Las Piñas and Parañaque.

“While agriculturists initially assessed that the state of some of the fishes indicate dynamite fishing, our parameter tests on the water quality in the area could pinpoint other factors that may have contributed to the fish kill,” Caancan said.

The DENR-EMB tested the LPPWP waters for dissolved oxygen, pH level, nitrates, phosphates, fecal coliform and cyanide.

The results could show whether the fish died through toxic means, or through oxygen saturation that is determined by the level of dissolved oxygen in the water, which is essential to sustain aquatic life.

Over the weekend, personnel from the DENR, the local governments of Las Piñas and Parañaque, and the so-called “bakawan warriors” assigned to LPPWP had already cleared the shore of dead fishes, which were causing the heavy stench in the area.

Initial reports showed the local government gathered more than 200 sacks and over 5,000 kilograms of different marine species, such as fish, shrimps and crabs.

“The cleanup was necessary to reduce hazards to both human and environmental health. We must remove the dead fish before the tide brings them back to the sea and further affect the water quality in the area,” Caancan said.

Pending the results of the water tests, she advised the public against bathing in the area to avoid ingesting through the skin or by accidental swallowing of chemicals which may be present in the water.