Bangus prices dropped because of typhoon Pepeng
Posted on October 10th, 2009
Prices of milkfish (bangus) dropped to P30 a kilo from a previous P90 per kilo when floods triggered by Pepeng’s strong rains washed out Pangasinan’s fishponds and cages.
Fishpond owners, who were trapped on the roofs of their houses because of the 20-foot-high floodwaters, can only watched helplessly while their neighbors swam and scooped up the bangus escaping from overflowing fishponds. Some were even bringing woven baskets or nets to catch the fish.
The fishpond operators in Pangasinan, and in nearby towns, Binmaley and Mangaldan, paid no attention to their fish stock and just waited for rescue boats.
Residents who caught the fishes in floodwaters were selling their catch to fellow calamity victims, said Mae Viray, a member of the city information office.
The owner of the biggest fishpond in Binmaley, Jess Aquino said they decided not to harvest their bangus stock early and watched the floodwaters carry away their harvest. “Even if we harvest the bangus before the floods, we won’t make a profit as we could only sell them at P30 a kilogram,†he said.
The flood have crippled the city and most of the eastern and central towns, hampering travel to Metro Manila, making the shipment of goods, like bangus, out of the province impossible.
Neighbors feasted on the bangus escaping from the fish ponds. The fishes sought out the rivers in Binmaley, Mangaldan and Dagupan.
A hectare of fishpond contains between 5,000 to 10,000 bangus. Fish cages that culture bangus can hold as much as 50,000 fishes. Some operators, said Aquino, tried to save their harvest. They installed nets around fish cages and put as many fishes as possible.
Others, like Aquino, who can’t do that chose to write off their losses. Aquino said they just let their neighbors feast on the fish, their main concern then was to wait for the rescue boat to save them.
