Cyanide, dynamite cause fish kill: official

May 13, 2011

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — The environment committee chair of the Pampanga Provincial Board (PB) on Thursday said his investigation into the fish kill in Masantol town points to cyanide and dynamite use by local fishermen.
“Local fishermen from Masantol told me during the course of our investigation that some fishpond owners are using cyanide to poison their fish pens. Many more, I was told, are into dynamite fishing that is polluting our rivers,” said PB member Nestor Tolentino, environment committee chairman, in his privilege speech before the PB session Thursday.
Tolentino explained to Sun.Star Pampanga how cyanide flows back into the major source of water from the fish pens.
“It is actually a post-harvest activity where fishpond operators lace their fish pens with cyanide to clear them of fish remnants, in preparation for putting in new fingerlings. But even if they have checkgates, the water still flows back to the river and pollutes it, endangering aquatic life there,” he said, adding that discoloration of the river is a sign of chemical pollution.
“If the initial reports are right, we should, I think, look on the matter immediately,” he added.
He said the committee saw the evidence of an unscrupulous act and that the panel is now looking for the culprits.
He said there were instances in the past when Kapampangan fishermen were caught in the waters of Bataan on the premise that they were illegally poaching in the territories of the said province and it just seems to be unfair.
“What is more saddening is that the boats, which induced the fish kill in Masantol were reportedly from Bataan and Bulacan,” Tolentino said.
“While we are exerting our best efforts to clean up Pampanga, there are other provinces which dump their waste like dead fish in our waterways,” he added.
A committee hearing with Masantol officials, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic resources and local fishermen will be conducted on Monday at 9 a.m. at the PB session hall.

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2011/05/12/cyanide-dynamite-cause-fish-kill-official-155149