PILI, Camarines Sur, Jan. 13 (PNA) - Cyanide puts the blue in blue jeans and that low level of cyanide is found in many plants that Filipinos eat such as potatoes, sugarcane, radishes, beans and cabbage, according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).
But when living things or organisms including humans and animals are exposed to a compound that produces cyanide ions when dissolved in water, poisoning occurs. The chemical makes the cells of an organism unable to use oxygen and inhalation of high concentrations of cyanide causes a coma with seizures and cardiac arrest with death following in a matter of minutes.
At a lower dose, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said, loss of consciousness may be preceded by general weakness, giddiness, headaches, vertigo, confusion, and perceived difficulty in breathing.
The MGB is trying to justify the usefulness of cyanide that is common in mining operations where numerous forms of cyanide exist, including gaseous hydrogen cyanide (HCN), water-soluble potassium, sodium cyanide, mercury, copper, gold, and silver cyanide salts.
The BFAR on the other hand is discouraging its application especially in fishing, a method in which divers squirt the chemical into reef crevices and onto fish, stunning them and making them easy to catch. From mining operations, when cyanide is leaked into the sea, fish kill is certain to take place.
Besides, according to BFAR regional director Dennis del Socorro here over the weekend, small organisms, especially coral polyps are killed by the cyanide in this process.
The BFAR has renewed its campaign against cyanide as well as blast fishing in Bicol’s fishing grounds as it urged local government units like municipalities and cities to take the lead role in this drive as primary responsibilities on these marine resources belongs to them and the BFAR’s function is only general supervision on municipal fisheries, Del Socorro said.
Both fishing methods are destructive of the marine resources and among the consequences is low fish production owing to the destruction of established sea organism communities, he said.
Humans destroy coral reefs directly through unfriendly fishing habits. Many coral reefs are overfished, destroying their sustainability. Practices like cyanide fishing and blast fishing destroy reefs. Blast fishing, in which explosives are sent into the reefs, can completely destroy the reef structure.
The use of cyanide on fishes, usually lapu-lapu, siganid, talakitok and maya-maya he said, is difficult to detect through its physical appearance when already in the market as it is only through laboratory examinations that it could be determined. “This means it could easily victimize unsuspecting consumers.”
Any person who would eat them may experience numbness of the throat, vomiting, lock jaw, uneasiness, rapid palpitation, hypertension, respiratory seizure then loss of consciousness leading to death, he said.
“We do not want to pinpoint particular municipal fishing grounds in Bicol where cyanide and blast fishing are rampant as for sure, local authorities are aware about the presence of such illegal fishers in their area of responsibilities. Our campaign is just o remind them and the fishing communities of its ill effects,” Del Socorro said.
Latest reports from all over the region however have shown significant drops in the number of persons apprehended by local authorities for using dynamites and cyanide in fishing because of the government campaign against these fishing methods but he said there are still some and we wanted it totally eradicated for the protection of our coastal environment,” he said.
He also reminded fish traders and vendors of the provision of Section 88 of Republic Act 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 that provides for the development, management and conservation of the fisheries and aquatic resources.
Under this law, selling of fishes caught through illegal methods like cyanide and dynamite is punishable with imprisonment from six months to two years.
It would be better if the traders and consumers would help each other in protecting themselves by way of rejecting fishes being delivered by illegal fishers and report them to the nearest police station or other local authorities, he added. (PNA)
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