Fishing now safe in Calapan, 2 other Mindoro towns

Residents of Barangay Lazareto in the City of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, spend their day along the shoreline amid a fishing ban imposed on the area that has been affected by the oil spill from the sunken MT Princess Empress in this photo taken on May 6. —MADONNA T. VIROLA (File photo)

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) now finds the waters of Calapan and two other towns in Oriental Mindoro safe for fishing after the oil spill from the tanker that sank in February.

“Based on the available data thus far, the fishing waters of Calapan, Bansud and Gloria are now well within the standards for fishing activities,” said BFAR in a statement on Monday.

The BFAR said the fishing waters of Bongabong, Bulalacao, Mansalay, Roxas, Baco, Puerto Galera and San Teodoro remained safe for fishing activities. However, the agency still recommends a fishing ban in Pola, Pinamalayan and Naujan, citing “risk of contamination from traces of oil that have yet to be removed from these areas.”

Latest analysis from the BFAR revealed that traces of oil and grease in water samples had slightly increased in all sampling sites compared with baseline data. Still, these were within the standard limit of less than 3 milligrams per liter for bodies of water classified as suitable for boating and fishing activities, as well as fish propagation.

The trend indicated that the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in seafood from the province “had stabilized to much lower concentrations.”

“The agency will continue its time-series observation in the province, which will be the basis of its recommendations for concerned government agencies and local government offices,” it added.

Around P117.86 million worth of emergency and relief assistance, early recovery efforts and medium- to long-term recovery aid has been earmarked for coastal areas hit by the oil spill from sunken fuel tanker, MT Princess Empress.

Of these, the BFAR set aside P12 million for fuel assistance to affected fisherfolk in the Southern Tagalog region. It spent P4.4 million for post-harvest training for various fisherfolk associations and cooperatives, and more than P1.5 million for food assistance to more than 5,000 fisherfolk in the region.

The agency also funded the ongoing grant and capacity-building efforts of fiberglass-reinforced plastic boats with marine engines for affected fisherfolk in Oriental Mindoro.

Further, it deployed monitoring, control and surveillance vessels, as well as personal protective equipment sets and other materials for cleanup activities. INQ

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