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The fish deaths in Manila Bay this week could have been due to an “oceanographic phenomenon called upwelling or capsizing caused by the depletion of dissolved oxygen among fish,” said the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA- BFAR) on Saturday.
DA-BFAR’s statement comes after approximately 10 kilograms of fish were found dead in the Baseco area on September 15, 2020, which environmental groups blamed the Department of the Environment’s “white sand” dolomite nutrition project. and Natural Resources (DENR) as part of the Manila Bay rehabilitation.
The DENR denied the link between the two events.
BFAR said that many, but not all, fish kills in the summer or in abnormal weather conditions are the result of low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the water. The fish slaughter in the Baseco area occurred days after monsoon rains hit Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces.
DA-BFAR tested the water quality and found very low levels of dissolved oxygen, or DO, at 0.11 milligrams for each subsequent. The acceptable level for marine waters is 5 mg / L.
According to social media reports, residents found fish species such as biya, kanduli, asohos and tilapia gasping for air after a heavy rain.
“The fish species affected were bottom and middle water dwellers that easily succumbed to suffocation as a result of dissolved oxygen depletion,” said DA-BFAR.
Meanwhile, DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Benny Antiporda said the agency has yet to release a follow-up report on the clear cause of the fish’s death.
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