Ted: Ive heard of the “electrical method” you have described. I have never seen it myself. I suspect if the method has “disappeared”, it is because it is not as efficient as “cyanide fishing”. Terrible, huh?

Marketman: Thanks again.

To be honest Erlinda, I have stopped these sorts of projects/symposiums though I still do very limited engagements when I can’t say no. In time, I will be back to the groove. There are few Filipino scientists that are exerting efforts for public awareness. Truth is the government nor private companies do not hire Bio researchers when in like in the US, they have a regional bio researchers/scientists who monitor the living condition of the environment.

I tried googling up about this matter but only got not so intensive explanations but at least might help you really understand what I have stated. link 1,link 2,link 3,link 4.

US might not be allowing much use of chemically based “potions” for fishing in their localities but they have demands to import from Asia and the Caribbean where cyanide fishing though illegal is a common practice.That is the reason why fish pen owners have become “wise” in using this practice(very deceiving, just to make the fish calm/groggy in migration).

I realize that the cyanide used in fishing would be very diluted once ingested by the fish. But the fish can ingest the poison, and if it dies, it won’t be able to metabolize the poison. Therefore, the poison could be concentrated in the liver, stomach, and perhaps the “brain” of the fish. Anyone eating this kind of contaminated fish would be subject to a health hazard which could lead to serious consequences. The poison may not be as pure as the one available in the lab, but if it wasn’t metabolized, it could exist in the same form as when it was squirted in the water; i.e., poisonous. So anyone who suffers from nausea, dizziness, headches and diarrhea after eating fish should really see a doctor immediately.

I don’t think there are many research studies concerning the immediate or long term effects of such kind of exposure in humans. If you know of some, please post references.

I thought cyanide fishing has been outlawed in the Philippines. If so, then what is happening in Palawan is another example of the authorities just keeping their eyes closed in exchange for some consideration.

Of course, I understand that because of poverty in such coastal places, people resort to such methods. Once again, the government has to offer the people a viable alternative in order to survive, such as a subsidy if they go back to net/line fishing.

When I say that I have not heard of this kind of fishing in the West, I mean that the fish sold in the stores have not been caught by this cyanide method(in other third world-asian countries, it is probably practiced a lot too). The monitoring process in the West is pretty rigorous. There will always be someone who will publicize such kind of unacceptable practices. People are so health conscious here that fish caught in the wild, such as salmon, cost much more than fish that have been raised in fish farms.

You are absolutely correct when you say that public awareness is the key, and I admire you a lot for what you are doing to increase this awareness. But my I suggest that perhaps your attention should also include the media (radio and TV) because if there is a constant dissemination of information from them, the fishermen and the middlemen may eventually be forced t0 change. Where I currently live, because of media publicity, people just refused to buy milk produced from cows that have been injected with hormones(to increase milk production). Guess what? well, the milk now on sale is free from hormones. Nowadays, the main concern is “antibiotics”.

I wish you success in your efforts. Please don’t give up. The long term consequences of such fishing methods are so dire and negative for our country. And we have not even touched about the effects of such cyanide fishing on coral reefs!

Thanks for your patience and understanding, Marketman, for allowing me to carry on this dicussion in your blog. But to me who’s trying very hard to live “green”, this struck quite a chord. “Poisonous fishing” means poisoned fish, poisoned water, and eventually, “no fish”.

To Dodi: When you have time, please post any reference re: this pinoy scientist who can put fish to sleep. Thanks very much.

As for toxicity in humans, it will need to be concentrated in water in greater amount to kill you. Your friend died because he took it in pure form. If you are aware of ppm or microgram measurement, there is no doubt that an individual may die. But in minute amounts(talking about/considering thru cyanide fishing), humans have a specialized body mechanism to expel/combat very little amount of cyanide thus there is no every minute case of cyanide poisoning in the Philippines. Fish pen owners practicing cyanide use in their business are quite deceiving, because they use the minimum requirement(considering how big the body of water to the concentration with cyanide) to calm the fish and not kill them and have no visible ill effects in humans. So how will the public even know that the fish from the markets are chemically groggy?

And this method is also used in foreign countries(with also minimum amount), people aren’t aware of such. If they don’t use cyanide, they use other forms(still considerably unhuman or should that be un-living organism). Culturing fish takes quite scientific/chemical compromise to which the public actually isn’t aware of probable processes every commodity (not just fish) goes through.If you think this is not used in foreign countries, Philippines exports to neighboring countries and it also exports to the US, of course before they ever consider importing from here, they have to conduct tests/measures.

Don’t you wish there will be more public awareness programs, conventions to explain all these here in Manila? I did, and I tried to worked it out but it is financially draining when you use your own resources and you do it also for free and there are lots of politicking too.

Pardon me Marketman if I took such space for this.

Incidentally, I am not sure that this kind of cyanide poisoning for the purpose of “stunning” fish is common. I know that it is common in the Philippines and in fact, it is one of the criticsms I’ve read about our country. But I’ve never heard about this in the west. I’m not sure about other asian countries. But so far, it is only in the Philippines where it is most common.

I sure would like to know what kind of cyanide is used in this kind of fishing. As I said above, one omy classmates killed himself by using sodium cyanide. All he did was to dip his thumb into one of the cyanide bottles in the lab, and then just touched his tongue lightly with his thumb.

I certainly would not eat fish that may be contaminated with cyanide. As I said, a minute quantity of sodium cyanide will kill you.