CITY of San Fernando, Pampanga -- The Sangguniang Panlalawigan ruled that cyanide and dynamite fishing caused the recent massive “fish kill” at the Pampanga River that angered Gov. Lilia “Nanay” Pineda.

SP Member Nestor Tolentino, chairman of the provincial board’s environment committee, said a copy of the result of the investigation has been forwarded to the governor’s office.

Pineda was irked upon seeing personally the massive fish kill at Pampanga River during her visit to some coastal towns of the province last week.

Immediately, she ordered the SP to conduct a thorough investigation to identify the source of the fish kill.

Tolentino said the fish kill in Masantol town points to cyanide and dynamite fishing being practiced by local fishermen.

"Fishermen from Masantol told me during the course of our investigation that some fishpond owners are using cyanide to poison their fish pens. Many more, I was told, are into dynamite fishing that is polluting our rivers,” said Tolentino.

He explained that cyanide flows back into the major source of water from the fish pens.

“It is actually a post harvest activitiy where fishpond operators lace their fish pens with cyanide to clear it of fish remnants in preparation for putting in new fingerlings on the ponds. But even if they checkgates, the water still flows back to the river and pollutes it, endangering aquatic life,” Tolentino said in his report to Pineda.

He said discoloration of water in the river is a sign of chemical pollution. The SP is now in the process of pinpointing the culprits, he added.

He said the boats which induced the fish kill in Masantol were reportedly from Bataan and Bulacan.

“While we are exerting our best efforts to clean up the Pampanga River, there are other provinces which dump their waste like dead fish in our waterways,” Tolentino said.

In connection with this new development, the provincial board will conduct a committee hearing on Monday along with officials of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources as wells as local officials of Masantol.