Ilocos Sur mulls ways to save ludong

VIGAN CITY, Philippines – The provincial government of Ilocos Sur is looking for ways to save the ludong, the country’s most expensive fish, which was among several species recently declared endangered by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Provincial board member Pablito Sanidad Jr., chief of the board’s committee on agriculture and fisheries, is pushing for an ordinance that will support BFAR’s Circular No. 247.

The circular seeks to protect the ludong found in the Abra River and create a committee that will regulate ludong fishing.

According to the Save The Abra River project, the ludong is at risk for extinction.

The ludong, or freshwater mullet, is endemic to Cagayan River and its tributaries extending to the watersheds of Cagayan Valley and the Santa-Abra River systems of Ilocos Sur and Abra.