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Vanishing fishes of Banaoang River
By Sosimo Ma. Pablico, Northern Luzon Bureau
BANTAY, Ilocos Sur–Where have all the fish in the Banaoang River in this town and nearby Santa, Ilocos Sur gone?
Time was when this river, which connects upstream with the Abra River, abounded with different species of freshwater fish, especially during this time of the year when the strong water current carried them downstream.
Residents from the two barangays along the Banaoang River–Banaoang, Santa and Banaoang, Bantay–then usually derived a good income by just fishing in the river although the prices of the different fish species that thrived in it could be considered relatively cheaper than today’s.
At this time of the year during the good old days, women, usually the wives and children of fishermen, went around the different barangays selling the day’s catch. Three to four ambulant vendors could heard shouting, “Ikuran, apo; pasga, apo; ludong, apo.”
Aside from ikuran (Pomadasys argenteus or silver grunt), pasga (Valamugil seheli or mullet) and ludong (a variety of Valamugil seheli), the more common species that thrived in the river were sosay, bunog (Glossogobius giuris or goby) and palileng.
But since Cellophil Resources Corp. started operation in Abra, consumers have been complaining that they have not tasted their favorite pasga, ludong, sosay and ikuran, among others.
The reason is simple: These different varieties of fish have slowly disappeared from the river. And if one is lucky to catch a few isolated pieces of fish, one can expect them to be as costly as gold.
It used to be that by this time of year fishermen in the two towns had already built their huge bamboo fish traps, called sarep, several hundred meters downstream from the Quirino Bridge where the river was relatively shallow.
The sarep was made of full-length bamboo poles put together on a slanting position with their ends pointed toward the water current. The different species of fish in the river would be thrown on the sarep as they swam downstream.
All the fishermen did was pick the fish from the bamboo slots, particularly when the catch was plentiful.
Residents of the barangays near the Banaoang River–Paing, Taleb, Naguiddayan, Bulag East–usually went to the sarep to buy their supply since the prices there were much lower than those asked by ambulant vendors.
Housewives then normally cooked the fresh catch either as sinigang or paksiw cooked in a banga (earthen pot), which would then last for a week or so. The pot of pinaksiw was usually placed in a basket that hung from the kitchen roof with a rope so that the cats or rats would not feast on the cooked fish.
Every time the family would eat, the “madre de familia” would lower the basket to get some of the pinaksiw from the pot for the family members.
Since the refrigerator was not yet a common sight in every home, housewives also dried the pasga, ludong and ikuran under the sun so that these could be stored longer. They cut the pasga and ludong into pieces, usually one to two inches apiece, and dried them under the sun for some time until much of the moisture content was gone.
Thereafter, the dried fish was then used for sagpaw of dinengdeng, adding taste and flavor to the meal.
Unfortunately, the sarep is nowhere in sight anymore, as fishermen in the two towns have been complaining of a dwindling fish catch over the last 20 years.
Fishermen upstream in Abra have the same complaint.
Both the fishermen and consumers blame Cellophil Resources Corp, a paper manufacturing company that operated in Abra, for the “death” of the river. The company closed shop after its gmelina plantations were burned by people who were concerned about the effects of the waste that it was dumping into the river.
Though the company has stopped operations, fishermen and consumers still blame it for the “death” of a river that used to be the source of livelihood of several hundred people living near its banks.
Asked if they still hope for an improvement of the fish catch, the former fishermen are one in saying that only time will tell.
Meantime, they have to look for other sources of income.
Vanishing fishes of Banaoang River
By Sosimo Ma. Pablico, Northern Luzon Bureau
BANTAY, Ilocos Sur–Where have all the fish in the Banaoang River in this town and nearby Santa, Ilocos Sur gone?
Time was when this river, which connects upstream with the Abra River, abounded with different species of freshwater fish, especially during this time of the year when the strong water current carried them downstream.
Residents from the two barangays along the Banaoang River–Banaoang, Santa and Banaoang, Bantay–then usually derived a good income by just fishing in the river although the prices of the different fish species that thrived in it could be considered relatively cheaper than today’s.
At this time of the year during the good old days, women, usually the wives and children of fishermen, went around the different barangays selling the day’s catch. Three to four ambulant vendors could heard shouting, “Ikuran, apo; pasga, apo; ludong, apo.”
Aside from ikuran (Pomadasys argenteus or silver grunt), pasga (Valamugil seheli or mullet) and ludong (a variety of Valamugil seheli), the more common species that thrived in the river were sosay, bunog (Glossogobius giuris or goby) and palileng.
But since Cellophil Resources Corp. started operation in Abra, consumers have been complaining that they have not tasted their favorite pasga, ludong, sosay and ikuran, among others.
The reason is simple: These different varieties of fish have slowly disappeared from the river. And if one is lucky to catch a few isolated pieces of fish, one can expect them to be as costly as gold.
It used to be that by this time of year fishermen in the two towns had already built their huge bamboo fish traps, called sarep, several hundred meters downstream from the Quirino Bridge where the river was relatively shallow.
The sarep was made of full-length bamboo poles put together on a slanting position with their ends pointed toward the water current. The different species of fish in the river would be thrown on the sarep as they swam downstream.
All the fishermen did was pick the fish from the bamboo slots, particularly when the catch was plentiful.
Residents of the barangays near the Banaoang River–Paing, Taleb, Naguiddayan, Bulag East–usually went to the sarep to buy their supply since the prices there were much lower than those asked by ambulant vendors.
Housewives then normally cooked the fresh catch either as sinigang or paksiw cooked in a banga (earthen pot), which would then last for a week or so. The pot of pinaksiw was usually placed in a basket that hung from the kitchen roof with a rope so that the cats or rats would not feast on the cooked fish.
Every time the family would eat, the “madre de familia” would lower the basket to get some of the pinaksiw from the pot for the family members.
Since the refrigerator was not yet a common sight in every home, housewives also dried the pasga, ludong and ikuran under the sun so that these could be stored longer. They cut the pasga and ludong into pieces, usually one to two inches apiece, and dried them under the sun for some time until much of the moisture content was gone.
Thereafter, the dried fish was then used for sagpaw of dinengdeng, adding taste and flavor to the meal.
Unfortunately, the sarep is nowhere in sight anymore, as fishermen in the two towns have been complaining of a dwindling fish catch over the last 20 years.
Fishermen upstream in Abra have the same complaint.
Both the fishermen and consumers blame Cellophil Resources Corp, a paper manufacturing company that operated in Abra, for the “death” of the river. The company closed shop after its gmelina plantations were burned by people who were concerned about the effects of the waste that it was dumping into the river.
Though the company has stopped operations, fishermen and consumers still blame it for the “death” of a river that used to be the source of livelihood of several hundred people living near its banks.
Asked if they still hope for an improvement of the fish catch, the former fishermen are one in saying that only time will tell.
Meantime, they have to look for other sources of income.
