“Fishers also bear the brunt of the El Niño phenomenon. During drought, fish usually swim deeper than usual to seek cooler temperatures, making fishing more difficult and costly as we have to spend extra time and fuel.”
By DOMINIC GUTOMAN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – El Niño has adversely affected the trade and catch of fisherfolk, prompting fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya (Pamalakaya) to call on the rural sectors to collectively demand for adequate support in production.
According to the situation report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the damage to agriculture has already reached P1.06 billion ($18.99M).
These damages affect more than 23,000 farmers and fishers, covering over 17,000 hectares of crop areas in the regions of Ilocos, Region IV-B, Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula.
“Fishers also bear the brunt of the El Niño phenomenon. During drought, fish usually swim deeper than usual to seek cooler temperatures, making fishing more difficult and costly as we have to spend extra time and fuel,” Fernando Hicap, national chairperson of Pamalakaya, said in a statement.
He said that the phenomenon reduces the income of small fishers.
“In Laguna de Bay, for instance, extreme heat creates speculation that aquatic fishes acquire (an) earthy taste and smell during the dry season, thus, making the farm gate prices drop,” Hicap added.
El Niño can also trigger ecological disturbances in aquatic resources. The most known examples are fish kill and red tide due to harmful algal bloom, according to Hicap. The drought can also cause coral bleaching, rising sea temperature and salinity, lower survival rate, and disease among the fish.
“This phenomenon effectively disrupts fishing activities, and consequently the fisheries production,” Hicap added, questioning the government response and their lack of preparation.
Currently, Western Visayas region received the biggest agricultural damage at P687.7 million ($12.3M), followed by Mimaropa with P319.7 million ($5.7 million), Ilocos with P54.4 million ($974,000), Calabarzon with P2.75 million ($49,000), and Zamboanga Peninsula with P717,527 ($42,000).
“El Niño has long been anticipated and yet the government’s response proves to be insufficient given the extent of damage to the agriculture sector. Farmers and fishers should demand the government to address this calamity comprehensively. A production subsidy and economic aid are necessary to mitigate the impacts of drought on the rural sectors,” ended Hicap. (RTS, RVO) 
