Eels threaten Nueva Vizcaya farmers BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, June 22(PIA) – Destructive eels have posed a threat to farmers’ economic gains in some municipalities of the province, destroying foorpaths between ricefields. Alexander Domingo, fisheries expert of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist(OpAg) said the eels scientifically known as ‘Anguilla anguilla’ has holed up footpaths of ricefields, draining irrigation waters and further endangering the farmers’ yield. He made the statement in response to complaints from several affected farmers, blaming the government for the destructive eels’ presence in their ricefields. “ ‘Anguilla anguilla’ is the kind of eel that destroys footpaths of ricefields. What we can do is to harvest them because we have a ready market,” he said, saying further that the eels are sold from P90.00 to P200.00 a kilo in several municipalities here. Reports of eel destruction, Domingo said came from farmers in the towns of Bagabag, Villaverde, Solano, Quezon and Bambang and the upland town of Ambaguio. He also clarified that the ‘Anguilla anguilla’ type of eel is different from the eels distributed by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources(BFAR) to the local government units in Nueva Vizcaya under the ‘Balik Igat’ program. The ‘Anguilla anguilla’ eels are destructive type and are found in shallow ponds, irrigation canals and ricefields while the eels promoted under the ‘Balik Igat’ program are not destructive and are living in rock rapids and deep rivers, Domingo added. “Government will not give you programs that will destroy your farms. It so happened that these two types of eels are increasing in the province,” he explained. “Anguilla Anguilla” is an eel known to migrate downstream, leaving the coast to spawn in the sea.# bme/PIA 2-Nueva Vizcaya
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 07:20:33 +0000
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