Fish kill at Magat Dam: Thousands of Tilapia die before harvest, leaves millions in losses

RAMON, Isabela – A massive fish kill at Magat Dam has left at least 30 fish cage operators reeling from millions of pesos in losses after thousands of market-ready tilapia suddenly died just days before they were due for harvest.

The fish kill began on June 24 and continued to worsen over the following days, devastating fish cages that serve as the primary source of livelihood for many families in Ramon and nearby communities.

Photos circulating online showed fish cages blanketed with thousands of dead tilapia floating on the water's surface, while fish farmers were seen manually collecting the lifeless fish in a desperate effort to salvage whatever they could from months of hard work and investment.

Among the hardest hit was fish cage operator Lorena Bulaay-Dacuycuy, whose cages contained around 3,000 kilograms of tilapia scheduled for harvest the following week.

Her sister, Krizty Purugganan-Dacuycuy, said their family lost approximately 15,000 kilograms of tilapia worth nearly P1 million, describing it as the worst loss they had suffered since they entered the fish farming business.

In an interview with XFM-Santiago on June 26, another fish cage operator expressed grief as the fish kill entered its third consecutive day.

When asked about the possible cause, he attributed the incident to the prolonged heat, the lack of rainfall, and the continuous drop in the dam's water level, which reduced dissolved oxygen in the water and ultimately suffocated the fish.

“Nakakalungkot po na ibalita po na pangatlong araw na po ngayon na grabe po ang namamatay sa mga isda po namin. Mga kasamahan po naman dito halos buong laman po ng cages po nila nagkandamatay po lahat. Ang nakikita ko pong dahilan ay dahil sa sobrang init, so wala pong ulan, and dun po sa pagbaba ng tubig tuloy-tuloy po kaya nawalan po ng dissolved oxygen yong tubig kaya ayon po yong naging cause,” he relayed.

To reduce their losses, some operators immediately sold fish that were still safe for consumption for only P30 to P50 per kilogram, significantly lower than the usual market price of P140 to P180 per kilogram.

Others processed the remaining fish into dried fish (daing) in the hope of recovering part of their investment, while fish that could no longer be salvaged were discarded or converted into animal feed.

The incident has dealt a heavy blow to the aquaculture industry at Magat Dam, where fish cage farming provides livelihood to hundreds of families. For many operators, months of investment disappeared in just a matter of days, leaving them struggling to recover financially.

Affected fish farmers are now appealing for immediate government assistance while urging concerned agencies to implement long-term measures to improve water quality monitoring and prevent similar fish kill incidents from recurring.