An aquaculture specialist has warned “bangus” growers in the city to monitor the water in their fishponds, noting how some have already suffered “gataw” – an event when the milkfish surfaces to gasp for air – or, worse, a “fish kill.” Dr. Wesley Rosario of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-National Integrated Fisheries Development Center (BFAR-NIFDC) explained that “during the transition from the dry season to the rainy season, fishponds experience abnormalities and these usually lead to fish kill.” “Kapag immediately tumabang ang tubig, namamatay ang mga natural food ng isda,” he said. The abnormality happens when the salinity abruptly changes and the plankton, moss, algae and other water plants die. “These are the oxygen producers in the water,” Rosario said.

Rinoza, J. (2017, May 24). Weather transition causes fish kill in Dagupan. Manila Bulletin, p. 7.