Environmental and fisherfolk advocates are raising serious concerns on Wednesday, May 20 over the recent fish kill incident reported in the coastal waters of Padre Burgos, Quezon, warning that the event reflects the worsening vulnerability of Tayabas Bay’s marine ecosystem amid growing pollution and industrial pressures.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) began investigating the incident after dead fish were seen floating along portions of Tayabas Bay in Padre Burgos, May 15. Authorities are conducting water sampling and laboratory tests to determine the exact cause of the fish kill, which already happened multiple times in the past.
Studies have long identified depletion of dissolved oxygen levels, triggered by presence of high pollutants such as organic wastes, algal blooms, and rising temperature, leading to mass fish death which stresses marine ecosystems and affects livelihood, food supply in nearby communities.
Green coalition Quezon for Environment argues that while suspected causes can be pointed to organic incidents including the presence of fish cages, and active illegal fishing methods, all possible contributing factors should be investigated and thoroughly examined including industrial pollution and thermal discharges from nearby coal-fired power plants operating for decades within the same marine ecosystem.
“Karapatan ng mga mangingisda na malaman kung ano ang lumalason sa katubigang hindi lamang pamilya nila ang pinapalamon, kung hindi ang mga pamilyang kumukunsumo ng yaman ng dagat”, said Angelito Lareta, Quezonian fisherfolk.
Highly industrialized facilities, including the coal plants in Pagbilao, which is few kilometers from the venue of incident, and sharing the waters of Tayabas Bay with affected fishing communities, use massive volumes of seawater for cooling operations.
Aside from massive contribution to climate abnormality through greenhouse emissions, environmental studies globally have shown that coal plants can release heated wastewater, chemical residues, heavy metals, and other pollutants into surrounding waters, potentially affecting marine biodiversity, oxygen balance, and fish habitats.
The environmental group calls to act on heavy preventive measures and warns on the possible horror effect of continued fossil fuel expansion in the province that not only pollutes air quality but consequently contaminates bodies of water, including Meralco’s proposed 1,200 MW giga Atimonan coal-fired power plant to be situated in Lamon Bay.
“There is no monopoly in the cause of marine contamination. Coal plants have always been a multiple threat carrier–from the ecosystem and human health, elemental pollution, to higher prices of electricity”, QUEEN convenor Rev. Fr. Warren Puno said.
Atimonan-based fisherfolks group appealed to the governing body on the possible same plight that the sector might face once the giant fossil fuel plant became operational.
“Malaki ang maitutulong ng gumugulong na Coal Regulatory Ordinance sa probinsya upang higpitan ang pamumulis sa mga plantang nakalalason sa hangin at tubig at ipagbawal ang mga panibagong proyekto. Pero mas magiging taimtim at tunay ang hangarin ng ordinansang ito kung walang exemption na ibibigay sa Atimonan coal plant na bagama’t higit sampung taon nang naipanukala, wala pa ring pormal na operasyon at dokumentasyon”, said Ramon Grimaldo, President of Sagip Karagatan and a veteran fisherfolk leader.
The group, with communities and the church, also recently called for the provincial government to practice due diligence and require the proponent of the Atimonan coal-fired power plant to update their Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which was conducted more than 11 years ago.
They argue that numerous baselines, including climate and sectoral situation enormously change, noting the exacerbated present polycrisis.
