Tens tons of pomfret die due to low oxygen of Martapura River

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Tens of tons of pamfret fish died in Banua Anyar, East Banjarmasin. An official of the Banjarmasin Food Security, Agriculture and Fisheries Agency said, the mass death of pond pomfret was due to low oxygen of the Martapura River.

Head of Fish Production Dept of the agency Sulaiman here on Tuesday said the agency have checked the insident of pond pomfret mass death in Banua Anyar and the water of the river as well.

"Afer we check the pH (hydrogen) was normal, but the DO (dissolved oxygen) was only two, very lacking. As a result the fish ran out of oxygen. In normal the DO should be ten. The condition was worsen by the density of the fish in the cage," he noted.

Sulaiman told, the farmers filled the cage, with an average size of 2X3 meter, with 4,000 fish.

"In normal condition, as usual, it does not matter. But in such situation like this it should be decreased, at least only two thousand," he explained. 

However, Sulaiman said, he could understand that in theory it would not benefit for fish farmers. "But keep it in mind that in the dry season we cannot force it like this," he said.

But he believed, fish farmers in Martapura River know better of the condition, as they have been doing their business in the river for tens of years.

Previously, Deputy Chief of Banua Anyar Fish Farmers Habhan said, from 600 ponds belonging to 70 farmers as many as 400 ponds containing pomfret ready to harvest suddenly died.