PUERTO PRINCESA CITY (PNA) — The reported fish kill in the Palawan towns of Quezon and Rizal and in the coastal barangays of this city, has spread to the municipal waters of the northern part of the province, particularly El Nido town.
Mayor Edna Lim confirmed that residents near the island resorts of Matinloc and Miniloc in El Nido had reported of water discoloration in the area, indicating a fish kill.
She assured, however, that tourists in the island resorts are not alarmed.
On Monday, personnel of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) arrived to conduct monitoring and collect water and fish samples.
Dr. Romeo Cabungcal, chief of the OPA Fisheries Division, said the fish kill in El Nido might be due to massive proliferation of phytoplanktons or "algal bloom."
Earlier specimen analysis done by the OPA, together with marine scientists from the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI), showed that the fish kill in Rizal and Quezon and some coastal barangays of Puerto Princesa had been due to abnormal growth of phytoplanktons, resulting in the suffocation of coral-dwelling fishes in the areas.
Pythoplanktons also need oxygen and compete with fishes.
Cabungcal said this occurrence is a natural phenomenon and no amount of intervention can be done to remedy the situation.
