BFAR: Seawater upwelling choked Manila Bay fish

Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star ) - September 21, 2020 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — An oceanographic phenomenon called upwelling caused the fish kill in Manila Bay along the Baseco seawall in Tondo, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said over the weekend. The BFAR said upwelling or overturn caused the depletion of dissolved oxygen, causing mortality of at least 10 kilos of fish in Manila Bay. Photos of the dead fish went viral on social media last week, raising questions on whether the white sand project caused the fish kill. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has denied that the fish kill was caused by the crushed dolomite laid over a portion of Manila Bay for its rehabilitation program, which drew criticism. Upwelling happens when saturated, cold seawater rises from below and replaces lighter and warmer water on the surface after a rainfall, according to the BFAR. The upwelling water activity draws up sediments from the sea bottom bringing up organic load, which competes with fish in consuming available dissolved oxygen. “With dissolved oxygen in the seawater depleted, the fish easily succumbed to choking,” the BFAR said. The results of water quality analysis conducted by the BFAR in Baseco indicated a low level of dissolved oxygen at 0.11 milligram per liter. The acceptable level of dissolved oxygen for marine water is 5 mg per liter. Aside from Baseco, the BFAR also conducted water quality tests at the Pasig River mouth area, Barge Docking and Aplaya sites. Last week, residents of Baseco found biya, kanduli, asohos and tilapia “gasping for air” following heavy rains. The BFAR explained that these are bottom and midwater species, which easily succumb to choking as a result of dissolved oxygen depletion.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

UP Diliman Professors Share Scientists’ Procurement Struggles at Senate Hearing

By Harvey Sapigao Senate hearing of the revised procurement law (Photo credit: Senate of the Philippines) College of Science (CS) Dean Giovanni Tapang held up a little white device as he finished his presentation. “This is a ₱150,000 component,” he described. “Isa lang gumagawa nito sa buong mundo, pero ang hirap pilitin sila na magregister sa PhilGEPS,” he continued, referring to the requirement that foreign companies must first register to the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) before they can sell products to local scientists. Marine Science Institute (MSI) Deputy Director Dr. Irene Rodriguez explained that the small device is a resin that filters metals in water. “May budget tayo,” she said, “pero ang problema ko ay ‘yung resin na ito.” This and other bottlenecks brought about by the procurement law, or the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), slow down research and development in the country. UPD leaders were invited to the Senate he
Read more

Gaza war rages into fourth month as Blinken tours Middle East Adel Zaanoun with Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem, --- Agence France-Presse

The Israel-Hamas war raging in Gaza entered its fourth month on Sunday as the army again pounded the besieged Palestinian territory and US top diplomat Antony Blinken was back in the region seeking to avoid a wider escalation. Israeli airstrikes overnight and early Sunday killed at least 64 people in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory, said its health ministry. It said two journalists were killed when their car was struck. The ministry, medics, and witnesses identified them as Mustafa Thuria, a video stringer for Agence France-Presse, and Hamza Wael Dahdouh, the son of Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza who earlier lost his wife and two other children in an Israeli strike. Israeli bombardment also claimed other civilian lives in the southern city of Khan Yunis and in the Rafah area near the Egyptian border, where many of the territory's displaced people have sought refuge, AFP correspondents reported. Relatives were mourning the dead at Khan Yunis' European Hospital, am
Read more