The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said Wednesday that the production of freshwater species such as tilapia, bangus (milkfish), and shrimp is susceptible to the effects of the onslaught of El Niño projected to prevail until May this year.

In a radio interview, a BFAR key official said that

land-based aquaculture systems are vulnerable to the weather phenomenon.

“The freshwater fishponds — those are the ones that will be hit. So we at BFAR can’t neglect that; our interventions are prepositioned for them,” said fisheries spokesperson and head of the information and fisherfolk coordination unit, Nazario Briguera.

Briguera said that to avoid a gap in production and fish supply, the government has expanded the operation of mariculture parks, which are not that prone to the adverse effects of El Niño.

He went on by explaining that mariculture parks are the ones that can be seen on the lakes, sea, and coast where fishponds and fish cages are located.

“So what we are saying is that because there is a threat of El Niño, we must follow good aquaculture practices,” he added.

“What does this mean? Because it is easy for the water level to drop because it is hot, the rate of evaporation is high, so when we put semen in the fishponds, it should be the right amount only so that the fish do not have tight competition for dissolved oxygen,” he explained.

Moreover, the BFAR official noted that so far, they are not seeing a lack in fish supply, citing that the government’s mitigation measures are in place.

“So far, we have not received any serious reports that there has actually been a shortage or a negative impact [of El Niño]. This is also because of our prompt dissemination of information to our fish farmers [about] what they should do in preparation for El Niño.”

Earlier this week, Briguera said that the country’s fisheries production has been on an upswing since 2018, after declining for approximately ten years.