BFAR: Too early to blame Romblon town fish kill on El Niño

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Romblon will investigate reports of fish deaths along several coastal areas in Odiongan town in recent days.

It was too early to link the incidents to the El Niño phenomenon, contrary to an earlier assessment by the Odiongan Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO), said Luisito Manes, acting Romblon Provincial Fishery Officer of BFAR, in a report from the Philippine Information Agency.

“We cannot yet attribute the fish kill to El Niño,” Manes said, noting that the reported incidents appeared to be isolated and that the province had also experienced rainfall in recent days.

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READ: El Niño linked to fish kill in parts of Odiongan, Romblon

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Manes said illegal fishing, including the use of cyanide, was among the possible causes being considered.

He said BFAR would first conduct water quality tests and examine the conditions in the affected coastal areas before determining the cause of the fish deaths.

The fish kill was reported in the villages of Panique, Canduyong, Libertad and Gabawan.

The Odiongan MAO had earlier attributed the fish deaths to extreme heat associated with El Niño.

BFAR said it would continue its investigation, including assessing water quality and other environmental conditions in the affected areas, to determine what caused the fish kill. /coa