Fish from Taal lake safe to eat: Agri dept

MANILA -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday insisted that fish from Taal Lake are safe to eat.

The reassurance comes after sales for fish coming from Taal lake went down this past week as the Philippine Coast Guard continues to search for possible remains of the missing ‘sabungeros’ or cock fighting enthusiasts who were allegedly dumped in the water.

“May mga nagpo-post sa Facebook, ‘five years muna akong hindi kakain ng ganito, ganyan’ without really looking at yung tamang basehan,” said DA Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa in a press conference.

De Mesa added that even if human remains are found in Taal Lake, this does not affect the quality of fish.

“Yung tawilis, ang kinakain nyan plankton. So hindi siya sumisisid sa ilalim para kumain ng kung anuman. Pangalawa, ang tilapia, caged. Ang kinakain niya ay commercial feeds. Pangatlo, yung maliputo na masarap na nahuhuli doon, ang kinakain niya buhay na isda. Hindi siya kumakain ng decaying matter,” he said.

According to De Mesa, the price of tilapia have gone up slightly as fishermen in Laurel, Batangas are now fishing less due to the lower demand.

But he said there are no talks yet of declaring a state of calamity.

“Ang focus ngayon ng CALABARZON BFAR ay mawala yung fear ng doon sa pagkain ng mga isda na nahuhuli sa Taal lake,” he said.

He also said that on July 22, 2025, BFAR will hold a boodle fight with local fishermen, traders, local officials to prove that the fish are indeed safe to eat.