Consumers must take advantage of the cheap bangus and tilapia while they last as prices are expected to increase in the coming days.

In an interview aired on GMA News “24 Oras” Wednesday, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) director Asis Perez said prices of bangus and tilapia were projected to go up by as much as P30 per kilo due to the expected lower supply caused by the destruction of most fishpens in Laguna De Bay and Taal Lake after the onslaught of Typhoon Glenda.

“Eighty percent of those structures you can no longer find, and the remaining 20 percent of the structures nandun pa pero wala nang laman,” Perez said.

Asked about how much fish remains in the Laguna De Bay and Taal Lake fishpens, Perez answered: “Hundred percent walang natira sa fishpen.”

Peres said even the 10-hectare bangus and tilapia farms in Bataan, Bulacan and Pampanga were destroyed by the typhoon.

Perez said the damage could result in limited supply which would lead to higher prices. Perez said that it usually took four to seven months to raise bangus and tilapia before they can be harvested.

“I'm projecting a relative increase in price...Hindi naman dodoble ang price, siguro mga P20 to P30 increase per kilo,” Perez said.

Fish cage owners in Laguna De Bay are set to meet with the officials of BFAR on Thursday to discuss how to address the looming supply shortage. Majority of the supply of bangus and tilapia in Metro Manila comes from Laguna De Bay.

Just recently, bangus from Laguna De Bay were washed to the Pasig River to the delight of nearby residents.  This happened after Typhoon Glenda destroyed the fishpens in the lake.

According to the “24 Oras” report, the supply of [...]