Warm temperature, water pollution threaten Ilocos Norte fisher folk’s livelihood

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff Reporter

Paoay, Ilocos Norte—Families living in Brgy. Masintoc, whose income greatly depend on aqua farming in this coastal municipality, are being threatened with the loss of livelihood as water pollution worsens and further exacerbated by the rise of temperature.

Masintoc brgy. chairperson Edward Agdeppa reported the re-occurrence of what is believed to be “fish kill” on April 24. He explained that this was apparently due to the degradation of waterways with its natural flow of water connecting to their fish cages have been blocked.

Agdeppa added that the “fish kill” affects their livelihood and that this has been one of their main concerns every time the water becomes polluted and its natural flow blocked.

The Ilocos Norte fishery office responded to this immediately as it recommended the clearing of the waterways.

“A fish kill is defined as a significant and sudden mortality of wild or cultured fish. What happened in Masintoc is a natural occurrence due to rising temperature and dying of lumot [aquatic plants] resulting to fish mortality,” Arthur Valente, fishery regulatory officer of the province, said.

He said unseasonal weather producing rapid changes in temperature may result in fish kills since many species lack the means of body temperature regulation.

Human (anthropogenic) activities that adversely affect the health of waterways, such as the discharge or spillage of potentially toxic chemicals may also cause fish kills.

Anthropogenic impacts also include the degradation of waterways causing interference to the natural flow and poor land use practices that result in the build-up of excessive nutrients and subsequent excessive growth of aquatic plants and algae.

At night (when photosynthesis ceases), respiration by these plants can deplete the dissolved oxygen concentration sufficiently to result in fish mortality.

In Ilocos Norte, Valente clarified no fish kill has ever been recorded in the province but due to environment degradation and improper land use practices, the fisher folk’s livelihood is being threatened.