CALAMBA CITY, Laguna (PIA) – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has set its sights on reviving Laguna de Bay as a major source of fish for residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. said maximizing Laguna Lake’s potential would mean fisherfolks ramping up their production while lowering down fish prices in the market.
“Our aim is to produce more food at lower prices. For example, bring back bangus prices to P50-P70 per kilo. Maximizing the aquaculture potential of Laguna Lake is essential to achieving that goal. If we can add more capacity, then let’s do it,” Secretary Tiu Laurel told fishpen operators in a forum last week.
The 940-square-kilometer Laguna de Bay produces as much as 90,000 tons of fresh water fish a year and provides livelihood to around 13,000 fishermen, according to data from the Laguna Lake Development Authority which has jurisdiction over the fresh water lake.
According to DA, there are aquaculture associations in Laguna Lake that have sought their help to address concerns about increasing mortality of fingerlings in fishpens, implementation of minimal introduction of salt water for bangus production, and the reintroduction of fresh water.
Fishpen operators groups claim the last time salt water was allowed to flow into Laguna de Bay was in 2022.
The DA chief said he will arrange a meeting with the LLDA, chaired by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, to discuss their plans and programs for Laguna Lake, along with the opening of floodgates which will be beneficial for a productive aquaculture industry.
Laurel also ordered the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to test the lake’s water quality every quarter as well as undertake a study on the capacity of Laguna Lake.
In a study by Filipino scientists of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology and published in the Environmental Science and Pollution Research journal, microplastics were found highest in concentration in areas with ‘intensive’ human activities ranging from household discharges, liquid waste from chemical industries, and intensification of economic activities.
In a report by the LLDA, fisheries and aquaculture remain the dominant activities in the lake which prompted the agency to implement a zoning and management plan that allowed 10,000 hectares of Laguna Lake for fishpen operations, 5,000 hectares for fish cages as well as areas for fish sanctuary, navigational lanes and open fishing since 1999. Pollution continues to threaten the lake as a viable source of fish.
The LLDA said that it continues to implement programs to conserve the lake’s resources such as the Laguna de Bay watershed greening program where seedlings are planted in crucial watershed areas; river rehabilitation program where community volunteers are mobilized in river clean-up operations; and the shoreland management program where they eliminate incompatible elements designed to control pollution. (CH/PIA-Laguna; with reports from DA)
