A group of fishers has called on the government to make a contingency plan for the agri-fisheries sector as the El Nino phenomenon threatens their livelihood. This came after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raised an El Nino Alert status from June to August until early 2024, upgrading from its prior El Nino Watch. In a statement released Thursday, May 4, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) noted that it is harder to fish during the dry spell as fishes swim to deeper parts of the ocean in search of colder temperature. “Pinaghahandaan na ng mga mangingisda ang matagalang tagtuyot at ang malubhang epekto nito sa aming kabuhayan. Mas mahirap ang pangingisda sa tuwing El Nino dahil nagpapalipat-lipat ng lugar at nananatili sa mas malalim na bahagi ng dagat ang mga isda sa paghahanap ng mas malamig na temperatura (Fishers are bracing for the prolonged dry spell and its adverse impacts to their livelihood. During El Nino, fishing activities are more difficult than usual, as fishes and other marine species migrate and move to deeper waters to seek cooler temperatures)," the group said. According to the Pamalakaya, the El Nino phenomenon also causes ecological disturbances such as fish kills and red tide due to low levels of dissolved oxygen in water. "In Laguna de Bay for instance, fishes acquire an unpleasant, earthy taste and smell (gilik) due to their submersion in deep waters, causing a drop in their farm gate prices," it noted. "This results in a further diminution of income for small-scale fishers and, consequently, leads to hunger for their dependent families." Earlier, the Department of Agriculture (DA) it would implement measures to reduce the impact of El Niño. The DA stated that the 2023 El Niño Mitigation and Adaptation Plan would also promote drought-tolerant and early maturing crops, organic fertilizer, and planting calendar adjustments.