The Department of Agriculture (DA)’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has assured stakeholders in Laguna Lake it has been intensifying science-based efforts to prevent the tinfoil barb from ruining the lake’s ecological balance.
Tinfoil barb is a freshwater fish that is considered important for the aquarium hobby industry, but it eats almost anything provided to it and is considered an alien species, as well as a threat to the ecosystem of Laguna Lake.
The BFAR said in a statement on Wednesday that since the initial documentation of the species’ presence in the lake in 2021, it has been monitoring its progress and evaluating its potential ecological and socio-economic impacts.
The agency added that technical teams have been at work since 2021 to monitor and manage the species’ population in the lake.
The BFAR said it has been closely working on science-based approaches with local government units and the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), the primary agency mandated to oversee the lake’s management and water resources, to prevent harmful population growth of the tinfoil barb.
“This collaboration ensures a unified and science-based approach in monitoring, mitigation, and response measures. All agencies are working together to ensure that interventions remain responsive to the welfare of affected communities,” the BFAR explained in a statement.
The agency said all concerned government offices have been regularly assessing and implementing mitigation strategies on overpopulation, evaluating its ecological interactions, and identifying possible sources of introduction.
“Should findings confirm a threat to the ecological balance or the displacement of native species, the Bureau stands ready to activate targeted interventions through its established programs addressing invasive species found within Laguna de Bay,” the BFAR stressed.
Earlier this week, researchers from the Ateneo de Manila University published a study warning that if left uncontrolled, the existence of the tinfoil barb in Laguna Lake may lead to “biodiversity loss and irreversible changes to aquatic food webs.”
The DA has acknowledged calls since 2024, to revive Laguna Lake, the largest freshwater body in the country and a major source of fish for residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
The DA said pollution has been threatening to reduce the capacity of the 940-square-kilometer lake to produce 90,000 tons of freshwater fish every year, a major source of livelihood for 13,000 fishermen, based on the latest data from the LLDA.
Among the commercially-important fish found or grown in Laguna Lake are white goby, mudfish, ayungin, bangus, catfish, kanduli, tilapia and common carp, the BFAR said.
