TALISAY, Batangas, Philippines – Mayor Zenaida Mendoza of this town said Saturday that the dismantling of illegal fish cages or fish pens in Taal Lake would start only when all the dead fish are cleared from the water.

Mendoza said there was a scheduled dismantling of illegal fish cages last June 1 but it did not push through as concerned government agencies and fish cages operators needed more time to clear the water of dead fish.

Mendoza also said that despite the fact that hundreds of metric tons of bangus have been affected by the fish kill in Talisay alone, nobody has been reported hospitalized as a direct result of the incident.