Fishers around Taal Lake are crying foul over plummeting prices of tawilis, blaming widespread public fear linked to rumors of bodies of missing “sabungeros” being dumped in the lake.

According to fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), the farmgate and market prices of tawilis, a freshwater sardine endemic to Taal, have nosedived to as low as P100 per kilogram, down from the usual P250.

“Nakatanggap kami ng ulat na dagsa ang mga tawilis na nagkakahalagang P100 kada kilo sa ilang bayan sa Cavite. Kung gaano kababa ang presyo ng tawilis sa pamilihan, tiyak na higit ang pagbagsak ng farmgate nito sa mga mangingisda ng Taal, na magiging dahilan ng kanilang pagkalugi (We received reports that tawilis is flooding the markets at P100 per kilo in several towns in Cavite. As low as the retail price is, the drop in farmgate prices for Taal fishers is surely worse, leading to their losses),” Pamalakaya Chairperson Fernando Hicap said.

The fishers’ group warned that unless swift action is taken, local fishers will continue to incur heavy losses.

Earlier this week, fishers in the lakeside towns around Taal raised alarm over the persistent market panic, which began after unverified reports circulated that corpses of missing cockfighting enthusiasts had been dumped in the lake.

“Bagama’t agarang naglinaw ang BFAR na ligtas ang mga isda mula sa Lawa ng Taal, partikular ang tawilis, nananatiling apektado ang presyo ng produkto ng mga taga Taal (Although BFAR quickly clarified that fish from Taal Lake, especially tawilis, are safe, the prices of products from Taal remain affected),” said Hicap.

Despite the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) issuing assurances that fish from the lake remain safe for consumption, Pamalakaya said the stigma continues to weigh heavily on market prices.

Taal fishers, per the group, are already struggling from months of reduced fishing activity due to the Habagat, or southwest monsoon.

“Hindi na kakayanin ng mga mangingisda ang ganitong pagkalugi dahil ilang buwan na nilang iniinda ang epekto ng Habagat kung saan nagiging matumal ang pagpalaot (Fishers can no longer bear these losses, having already endured months of limited fishing activity due to the Habagat),” Hicap said.

With this, the group called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) and BFAR to step in with urgent measures to stabilize the situation.

“Dapat gumawa ng kaukulang mga hakbang ang Department of Agriculture (DA) at BFAR, tulad ng direktang pagbili ng produkto ng mga mangingisda ng Taal sa makatwirang halaga, at aktibong paghikayat sa publiko na tangkilikin ang mga ito (The DA and BFAR must take proper action, such as directly purchasing the fishers’ catch at fair prices and actively encouraging the public to support their products).”

Pamalakaya noted that Tawilis is the only freshwater sardine in the country and a key source of livelihood for many families in Batangas.