Fresh water fish faces extinction

DENR needs proof to make any declaration

Uling goby may have disappeared from Uling River due to pollution

A TYPE of fish that thrives only in a river in the City of Naga, Cebu may have become extinct.

On its Facebook page, the Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. (PBCFI) announced yesterday that the Sicyopus cebuensis, a species of goby that can only be found in the Uling River in the City of Naga, may have been forced into extinction due to pollution and other factors.

But officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 said that they have yet to see evidence that the Uling goby has been wiped out.

Lisa Paguntalan, PBCFI executive director, told Sun.Star Cebu that the foundation is working with various conservation groups to determine if there are Uling Goby, locally known as tughud, that remain in the wild.

The fish, which was discovered by a pair of Taiwanese ichthyologists back in 1998, thrives in pristine streams and rivers.

Unique

Paguntalan said that the Uling Goby is unique because it can also live in brackish water.

But she lamented that since the species was discovered in 1998, it has not been studied.

Following the announcement by PBCFI, the Aquatic Cebu Enthusiasts conducted a river trek in Barangay Uling to search for the Uling goby.

The group posted on FB that its members did not find the fish. It blamed the rain, which flooded the river and made the water murky. It said it will resume the search in summer.

Dr. Eddie Llamedo, DENR 7 spokesperson, said that evidence is needed before declaring a species extinct. He said that a DENR administrative order signed by the Environment Secretary is needed to make the declaration official.

He said that the DENR plans to coordinate with biologists and biology students to conduct studies on the Uling Goby.

City of Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong also wants to know the status of the fish species. He said that he plans to meet with the local agriculturist to determine if the fish species is endemic to Naga.

The Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not have records of the Uling goby.