The BFAR 5-Fish Health Laboratory has conducted a follow-up assessment of Lake Buhiβs water quality, two weeks after a fish kill impacted tilapia aquaculture in the lake. Based on the LGU Buhiβs report, the fish kill resulted in the loss of 450 tons of tilapia from the fish cages with an estimated damage cost of 17.1 million pesos.
The following are the results of tests from the 21 samples collected on August 6, 2024 from the surface, middle and bottom levels of the lake:
1. Normal concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the surface waters only.
2. Low dissolved oxygen in the middle and bottom (0.35-3.91 ppm).
3. Ammonia ranges between 0.31 to 2.48 ppm (still posing stress to fish).
4. Ammonia concentrations in the sampling stations have decreased from 6,000 times down to 50 times the optimum levels.
The assessment was carried out by Jay Ambrosio Jasmin and Joshua Bolo of the Fish Health Laboratory, in coordination with the Provincial Fishery Office of Camarines Sur and the Municipal Agricultural Services of LGU-Buhi.