NEWS: Eels destroying rice fields in Nueva Vizcaya

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Eels destroying rice fields in Nueva Vizcaya
Charlie Lagasca / The Philippine Star
July 1, 2013


BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya , Philippines – While northern Isabela is still reeling from a prolonged dry spell despite the onset of the rainy season, farmers in this landlocked province are coping with eels that have “invaded” their farmlands.

Alexander Domingo, fisheries expert of the provincial agriculturist office, said eels have been destroying rice fields here which could result in poor palay production.

The eels, according to Domingo, were especially monitored in six of Nueva Vizcaya’s 15 rice-producing towns, namely Bagabag, Villaverde, Solano, Quezon, Bambang, and Ambaguio.

Reports said the eels invading farmlands here are capable of burrowing into mud or creating holes.

“One way to contain this type of eels is to harvest them because we have a ready market for them,” said Domingo, adding that eels are being sold for at least P90 per kilo.

Eels are catadromous snake-like fish with some 800 species worldwide. In exceptional cases, they can reach 1.5 meters long. Eels causing damage in farmlands here though are only 60 to 80 centimeters long.

“This is the destructive type of eels, as these usually thrive in shallow ponds, irrigation canals and rice fields,” said Domingo, adding that this is not the eel species that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has classified as endangered.

Source: www.philstar.com/nation/2013/07/01/960051/eels-destroying-rice-fields-nueva-vizcaya

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Pesky rice eel now an export commodity
Czeriza Valencia / The Philippine Star
August 11, 2013

MANILA, Philippines - The rice eel, which once infested palay cultivation areas in Cagayan Valley (Region 2), is now an export commodity.

This foreign specimen, which grows between 25 to 40 centimeters, destroys rice paddies by burrowing into the soil, loosening its composition and disturbing irrigation.

The rice eel, locally known as kiwet, also feeds on frogs, snail eggs, small fish and shrimp, and is therefore a threat to native fish species.

The eel specie has been infesting rice lands in Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino provinces since 2011.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is still determining how the eel specie was introduced to the country.

The common eel is native to the Philippines but reports to the BFAR indicate that the rice eel may have been brought into the Philippines for home aquariums and eel farms to be raised for food.

To address the infestation, BFAR Region 2 has initiated the processing of rice eels for export.

The bureau has also developed a fishing gear that enables farmers to increase the catch per unit effort (CPUE) by taking advantage of the nocturnal hunting behavior of the rice eel.

“These initial efforts combined with the entrepreneurial skill of several international fish trading companies that are now exporting the eel live to Asian countries, have turned this “pest” into a valuable fish,” BFAR director Asis Perez said.

The BFAR said two years after its massive infestation, the country is now profiting from the said species, bringing P517 million in export revenues from January to June this year.

Region 2 is expected to produce P1 billion worth of eels for export this year.

Perez said that the bureau is conducting an inventory of other areas where rice eels thrive so it could implement the same intervention.

Source: www.philstar.com/business/2013/08/11/1075891/pesky-rice-eel-now-export-commodity