SARDINELLA tawilis will become “critically endangered” unless the community addresses multiple threats to the fish population, Thomasian scientists have warned.
Sardinella tawilis or tawilis, also known as Bombon Sardine, the only freshwater sardine in the world, is found exclusively in the Taal Lake.
Dr. Rey Donne Papa, a biologist and a researcher at the UST Research Center for Natural and Applied Sciences, told the Varsitarian the presence of aquaculture cages had disrupted water quality and altered the physical and chemical properties of the lake. It has also affected the behavior of the tawilis.
Papa said the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape Management Plan, which prohibits illegal fishing and over-fishing should be strictly enforced, noting that it has been in effect for almost 10 years.
He said the proposed fishing ban of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources from March to May, which is the spawning season of tawilis, would allow fish stocks to recover. It must be followed not only by small fishermen but especially by large sardine companies, he said.
“The large companies are the ones who put a lot of temptation on the small fishermen to increase their catches because of the demand. Unfortunately, it is not the fishermen who benefit the most from this, as the price of tawilis which has been purchased from them is very low still, at about P80 per kilo,” he added.
Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos, a national academician at professor at the UST Graduate School, told the Varsitarian that “invasive species” in Taal Lake, or those that are not native to the country, eat the larvae or egg of other fish like the tawilis.
“Mayroong indication ng over-fishing, presence ng mga invasive species and there is of course environmental pollution,” Santos added.
Santos, the main author of the assessment that studied the tawilis population, noted that there has been a 50-percent decline in the fish population since the 1990s.
Last month, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorized tawilis as “endangered.”
According to the IUCN, a taxon is endangered if it is facing a “very high risk of extinction,” while critically endangered animals pertains to the “extreme risk of extinction.”
Tawilis is sold as daing or dried fish in the country. It can also be smoked, dried, salted and bottled in oil.
Santos said Dr. Maria Teresa Mutia, head of National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, proposed a “tawilis reserve.”
The University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Dr. Augustus Mamaril has suggested trans-locating the tawilis to another lake.
