Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5)— The Department of Agriculture said that fish cage operators can now resume feeding their fish stocks in Taal Lake as the water quality has improved.
The department’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources conducted tests on the lake’s water on January 14 to 30. Results showed the level of dissolved oxygen in the lake that is needed for fish growth and survival is now below critical level.
The bureau’s Region 4-A director Sammy Malvas added that the water quality test also showed that sulfide level in Taal Lake is within the normal range, while ammonia is still within critical level .
Tests conducted on tilapia samples from the lake to check for any sulfur content showed they did not ingest much sulfur despite the volcanic eruption, he added.
Malvas said water quality monitoring will still continue.
Since Taal Volcano erupted on January 12, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology had prohibited entry to the Volcano Island, nearby lakeshores, and communities within the seven-kilometer zone.
