The damage caused by the fish kill at Lake Buhi in Camarines Sur has reached P17 million.

According to the Lake Development Office, up to 115 fishermen lost up to 454.128 tons of tilapia to the kill.

The fish kill was caused by low dissolved oxygen and high level of ammonia triggered by the southwest monsoon.

Neil, a fish cage operator, ended up ferrying passengers at the lake, for now, to put food on the table.

“Lugi talaga… nagbi-biyahe, pandagdag kita,” he said.

However, even with the fish kill, the price of tilapia in the market has remained at P150 per kilo, as of this writing.

“Yung size nag-iba yung size medyo lumiit na yung sumunod—yung presyo pareho lang po pero lumiit,” said Jocelyn Vibar, a fish vendor.

Other fish cage operators have reportedly become hesitant to continue growing tilapia, which is why the local government unit is stepping in.

The LGU will distribute fingerlings to the fishermen affected to encourage them to continue growing more fish.

The good news, as of this writing, is that the situation at the lake has stabilized, as the weather becomes better.

“As of now, wala naman tayong reported na may mga fish kill pa so medyo nag-stabilize na kasi gumanda na rin yung panahon,” said Mark Nazarrea, spokesperson of the local government of Buhi.

To protect Lake Buhi and prevent fish kill in the future, the local government plans to enact an ordinance that would limit areas in the lake that can be used by fish cage operators.