Fish traders are taking advantage of fisherfolk as they lowered the farm gate prices of fish due to the oil spill in Bataan, Maki Pulido reported Monday on Super Radyo DzBB.
According to fishers group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), fish traders are using the oil spill as an excuse to lower the farm gate prices even though not all of the fish were caught in Manila Bay.
In Bataan, Pamalakaya monitored that fish traders buy Salinas (herring) from fisherfolk at P50 per kilo, more than half of its prior price of P120 per kilo.
Meanwhile, Pamalakaya said Salinas is sold for P200 per kilo in wet markets.
According to groups Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment and AGHAM-Advocates of Science and Technology for the People, the oil spill and reclamation projects have affected the fishing industry in Manila Bay.
According to the fisher groups, these developments caused fishing communities to experience extreme hunger since their catch has steadily depleted with each time they go out into the affected waters.
The groups warned that fewer fish caught will affect the country’s food security, particularly in Metro Manila, which will eventually lead to a spike in fish prices.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) earlier said the fish it collected from areas in Region 3, CALABARZON and the National Capital Region after the Bataan oil spill are not fit for human consumption.
BFAR also said the oil spill may cause up to P350 million worth of damage, affecting over 46,000 fisherfolk in Central Luzon, Region 4A, and National Capital Region.
In Pulido’s report on 24 Oras, the BFAR said it did not monitor this incident but since fish is not in demand, its prices reach P20 per kilo.
Some fish vendors in Kamuning Market in Quezon City get their supply of fish from other suppliers as the oil spill has affected Manila Bay.
“Tigil muna, sa iba muna kami kumukuha para safe kasi nakakasira pag ganun kunin mo,” said fish vendor Joyce Fejardo.
(We stopped getting fish from Manila Bay to ensure safety since it jeopardizes our livelihood.)
BFAR Region 3 said fish coming from Bataan, Pampanga and Bulacan are safe as they conduct sensory evaluation in different testing sites on a daily basis.
The BFAR also said even if there is a decline in the number of fish caught in Manila Bay due to reclamation activities, more than half of fish production comes from aquaculture and not fishing in open waters of the bay.
It also ensured that it will aid the affected fisherfolk.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it will take about two weeks before the siphoning operation for the sunken motor tanker Terranova begins.
PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo the vessel needs to be stabilized first by sealing the valves so that its integrity will not be compromised and create more problems.
The wreck of the sunken tanker Jason Bradley was already surrounded by an oil spill boom.
So far, authorities have collected 790 liters of oil-water mixture from the grounded MV Mirola 1.
—Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News
