Fishkill hits cages in Taal Lake

The local government of Agoncillo town in Batangas province will distribute tilapia fingerlings to local cage operators affected by the recent fishkill in Taal Lake. The incidence of “fish mortality,” a term preferred by local officials in referring to a smaller area where fish turn belly up, occurred at Barangay Subic Ilaya, said Agoncillo Mayor Daniel Reyes. He said 105 cages, out of 1,555 operating in the town, were affected, with about P5 million worth of mature and juvenile tilapia killed in a phenomenon called “sulfur upwelling.”