Dagupan River healthy and productive anew

The Dagupan River in Pangasinan’s premier city is back on its healthy and productive state again.

This has been made possible through a program pursued by the Dagupan City government through the initiative of Mayor Benjamin Lim.

In times past, the rivers in Dagupan City were saddled with problems related to the proliferation of illegal fishpens and fishcages, resulting in "fish kills" attributed to very low dissolved oxygen, reduced water exchange, and high levels of pollutants.

Those were the offshoots of lack of a proper zoning plan for the viable management of the rivers.

Grappling the problems by the proverbial horn, the city government commissioned the Cruz Aquaculture Corp., a private firm, to conduct a study that would provide the city government with information necessary to enact measures and implement programs.

Such programs have been envisioned to promote sustainable aquaculture management in the rivers, generate livelihood and revenues, and rationalize the use of coastal resources to ensure social equity and long-term environmental stability.

The city government was convinced that something could be done to make the river-based fishpen and fishcage industry a pillar for economic growth, livelihood development, and revenue generation through the "Dagupan Bangus — A Full-Scale Production and Export Marketing Program."

The study, entitled "Integrated Aquaculture in Coastal River Planning: The Case of Dagupan City, Philippines," was conducted by researchers Merlina Andalecio of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas-College of Fisheries and Ocean Science-Institute of Fisheries Policy and Development Studies, and Philip Cruz of the Cruz Aquaculture Corp.

Andalecio and Cruz recommended a zoning and planning strategy (division of the river into 10 zones) and standardized design for fishpens and a layout for small-scale fishfarms to ensure social equity and long-term environmental stability.

They also introduced measures that would limit the use of feeds and reduce their impact on the river system.

Andalecio and Cruz reported that these recommendations were promptly included in Dagupan City’s Coastal Fisheries Resources Management Ordinance, which the city government passed in 2003.

The ordinance, which integrates aquaculture into coastal zone management, is the most comprehensive legal instrument in the Philippines to date, they said.

They added that since the passage of the ordinance, the city government has demolished most illegal fishpens in the Dagupan River.

The study of Andalecio and Cruz subsequently won the National Research and Development Paper award during the 17th National Agriculture and Fisheries Week (2003) sponsored by the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR).

It was cited as a case study on how aquaculture can be integrated into coastal zone management through local leadership.