The recurring fishkill which destroys Tilapia production in Lake Sebu in South Cotabato Province could be stopped with the use of solar technology, according to an American Fish Farmer who operates a Tilapia production facility in the middle of the desert in Southern California.
Rocky French, a Filipino-American fish farmer from Thermal City in the Coachella Desert in Southern California who visited Lake Sebu recently, said the fishkill in the lakes of South Cotabato where farmers raise Tilapia is a result of very low level of Dissolved Oxygen (DO) because of fish overpopulation.
The recent fishkill in Lake Sebu three weeks ago, resulted in over P180-million in losses to Tilapia farmers in the lake.
Fishkill is a recurring problem in Lake Sebu, especially during the rainy season.
“There is just too much fish in the lakes causing a shortage of oxygen and the result is the fishkill especially during cloudy or rainy days,”
He said the lack of DO also affects the growth of the fish because instead of eating the feeds, the Tilapia would rather go on surface to breath oxygen.
To address the problem, French said the immediate solution would be to reduce the fish population in the lakes and install aerators powered by Solar Panels which could be placed in floating facilities.
He said there could be two types of aerators, one could be the paddle-wheel type while the other would be a number of air tubes which would be dropped to the bottom of the lakes to stir the sludge and produce air bubbles.
As a long term intervention, French also recommended massive reforestation to be undertaken in the surrounding mountains to prevent soil erosion which could destroy the lakes.
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director, Undersecretary Eduardo Gongona, has asked French to submit a design for the aeration system for Lake Sebu.
Gongona said BFAR could use the same design for other inland fish farms which also suffer from seasonal fishkills.
French is expected to return to the country next month to submit his recommended design for the aerators for Lake Sebu.
(First four photos show the fishkill results in Lake Sebu while the last two photos show the solar facility and aerators in the Aquafarmtech in Coachella Valley in Southern California which Rocky French operates.)
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