DA Sec. Manny Piñol Reveals Plans on Eco-Friendly Fish Farming at Laguna de Bay

Veteran politician and agriculturist Secretary Manny Piñol of the Department of Agriculture (DA) reveals plans on how to solve the crisis at the Laguna de Bay.

Sec. Manny Piñol wanted to turned crisis into opportunities as he offered an eco-friendly fish farming solutions to Laguna fishpens.

Pres. Rody Duterte earlier ordered the DA and the DENR to dismantle the fishpens crowding and choking Laguna de Bay. In response to the President's order the Department of Agricultural noted that the crisis in Laguna could give birth to an eco-friendly fish farming system which could prove to be sustainable.

Dismantling the fishpens at Laguna de Bay which were usually owned by big time companies in Manila is indeed a challenge for the Duterte administration.

Here's the Solutions of DA on How to Solve the Laguna de Bay Problems:

Turning crisis to opportunities
ECO-FRIENDLY FISH FARMING EYED
AS OPTION TO LAGUNA FISHPENS
By Manny Piñol

I have always believed in the saying that "Every crisis offers a window of opportunities."
The order of President Rody Duterte to dismantle the fishpens crowding and choking Laguna de Bay may be perceived by some as a crisis, especially those who depend on the Bay's fishpens for a living, but this development could give birth to an eco-friendly fish farming system which could prove to be sustainable.

Shortly after the President issued the directive publicly to Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Gina Lopez to dismantle the Laguna de Bay fishpens, I immediately came up with options on how to stabilize the fish supply of Metro Manila.

Laguna de Bay's fishpens are the sources of 36% of the Bangus and Tilapia supply of Metro Manila's wet markets.

The closure of the fishpens of the Bay, therefore, is expected to result in a shortage of fish supply in Metro Manila.

But I fully support the President's decision to clear Laguna de Bay of fishpens.

In fact, I have long believed that the country's inland waters and lakes should not be used for commercial aqua and mariculture because it destroys the ecological balance in these beautiful lakes.
There are two options that I am now working on to turn the Laguna de Bay fishpens closure crisis into opportunities.

I have again turned to my U.S.-based Fil-Am friend, Rocky French, for help in introducing an Eco-Friend Fish Farming technology which he uses in his farm in Thermal City, Southern California.
In the middle of the desert, French established concrete fish tanks which draws water from 1,200 feet underground using pumps powered by solar energy.

Tilapia is grown and raised in these tanks and sold live to the specialty restaurants all over California.
The beauty of this system is that the water which comes from the fish tanks is recycled and made to go through a natural water purifier which Kangkong grows.

Imagine if this could be done in communities surrounding the Laguna de Bay or even along the banks of Marikina River or along the Manggahan Spillway which brings Marikina River's excess waters to the Bay.

This would be a profitable aquaculture industry which would supply Metro Manila with fresh and clean fish, unlike the fish coming from the Bay right now which stinks.
The other option is to develop the Norwegian-type fish cages in the different bays of the country where both Bangus and seawater Tilapia and other high-value fish species like Lapu-lapu could be raised and grown.

The decision of the President to dismantle the fishpens in Laguna de Bay and in other lakes of the country could in fact serve as a boon to the growth and development of aqua and mariculture in the country.

That is what I call turning crisis into opportunities.
‪#‎Changeishere‬! ‪#‎PresRodyCares‬! ‪#‎DuterteDelivers‬!

Source: Manny Pinol FB Page

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