By GABRIEL L. CARDINOZA
DAGUPAN CITY — After going through a devastating "fish kill" last week, officials of this city and neighboring Binmaley town have agreed to work together in stopping the proliferation of illegal fishpens and other fishing structures in the river systems.
The agreement was reached after Mayor Benjamin Lim and Binmaley Mayor Sammy Rosario met here over the weekend to assess the extent of devastation of the "fish kill" that hit fishpens last week and discuss ways to prevent its recurrence in the future.
"We have provided them a copy of our fishery ordinance because they would like to adopt it," Lim said.
The Dagupan City Fishery Ordinance, which was implemented last year, defined the city rivers’ navigational lanes and designated some 567 hectares for fishpens, which would be covered by aquaculture lease agreements between the fishpen operators and the city government.
Under the ordinance, the size of a fishpen is not to exceed 300 square meters and only one fishpen can be owned by an operator.
"This is a good chance for the officials of Binmaley to place their rivers in proper order," said Lim, who led some 150 city government personnel last week in dismantling illegally built fishpens in the city’s rivers.
Rosario had told Lim during the meeting that Binmaley barangay officials have passed a resolution asking him to impose a moratorium in the construction of fishpens for at least one year to avoid overcrowding.
Lim said that Rosario and some Binmaley councilors traveled with him in the city’s rivers.
"They saw the big difference between our regulated fishpens and their fishpens. When we entered the waters of Binmaley, our motorboats could not pass through because of too many fishpens," Lim said.
Tons of bangus worth at least R33 million were destroyed last week when a massive fish kill hit the fishpens in this city and Binmaley.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the situation is now getting back to normal four days after prawns, milkfish and siganid floated and died in a massive fish kill that hit Dagupan and Binmaley.
City Agriculturist Emma Molina said there was already a big improvement in the area as the low tide that occurs every afternoon has flushed out to the sea the dirty water in various rivers teeming with fishpens. (With PNA report)
