Aside from boosting Davao Oriental’s rice production, the irrigation project to be constructed in the municipality of Cateel will also ensure sustainability of fish biodiversity.
The P256 million irrigation project of the Department of Agriculture’s Mindanao Rural Development Program (DA-MRDP) and the provincial government integrates social environmental safeguards (SES) to ensure that people and environment are not negatively affected by project implementation.
“Fishing, aside from farming, is also one of the important sources of food and livelihood in the province. While an irrigation project will greatly boost rice production, we must also ensure that other sources of livelihood will not be jeopardized,” said program director Lealyn Ramos.
A fish ladder design was recommended to prevent damage to fish biodiversity and fish stocks along the Cateel River,” SES specialist Arnel Areglado said.
Fish ladder, also known as a fish way, fish pass or fish steps is a structure designed to allow migrating fish pass around barriers such as dams or locks by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps. Protection and recovery of fish stocks in the area is ensured since fishes have the opportunity to migrate and spawn in downstream and upstream ecosystems.
“The Cateel irrigation project which incorporates a 42-meter fish ladder structure is the first of its kind in Mindanao . It also showcases how the perceived negative impact of development projects can be addressed by putting in place the recommended environmental safeguards,” Areglado said.
The Cateel River, which is the major water source of the irrigation project, is home to ecologically important fish species. These fish species are found to be either andromous (migrating from the sea to the river) or catadromous (migrating from the river to the sea) and the tributary of Cateel River is crucial in their life cycle,” Areglado said adding: The IEE identified the presence of “Pigek” the country’s most expensive but nearly endangered fish along the Cateel River.”
Pigek also known as Pigok in Northern Mindanao and Ludong in Luzon, swims to salt water to spawn from October to December and returns to upstream ponds afterwaeds. It undergoes upstream migration during December, January, and February, and this coincides with other species of fry that also undergo upstream migration. [Noel T. Provido/DA-MRDP/PIA 11]
Since Pigek was found to be endemic in the Cateel River, there is a need to protect and conserve this valuable fish species along with the establishment of dams and other engineering structures. Construction of a fish ladder as part of the irrigation project is the best way to address this need,” Areglado said.
