Bato Lake

Lake Bato is a freshwater lake and the 7th largest in the Philippines. It is located in the town of Bato, approximately southwest of Iriga City, Camarines Sur Province, southeastern Luzon, Philippines. It has extensive marshes and swamp forests. The lake drains into a tributary of the Bicol River which enters the sea near Naga City. Average depth is , and the bottom is muddy clay. The pH value is 6.1, the average dissolved oxygen 10 p.p.m., and the total hardness (SBY) 2.4.

History

The lake was originally called ''Caligno'' by natives living around the area and a small settlement was founded on its shores during pre-Spanish times; the early settlers thrived on the lake's rich resources and use it as a primary medium of travel. The settlement flourished on to become the present-day town of Bato, Camarines Sur and the lake came to be named after the town, which was established by a decree of the Superior Government (National Government) on February 15, 1758, when the Philippines was still under the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

The ''Sinarapan''

Lake Bato is part of the Rinconada (Bicol) Lakes System, which also includes Lake Buhi and Lake Baao-Bula. It is known that the Sinarapan (''Mistichthys luzonensis''), the world's smallest commercially harvested fish in the world, is also found in its waters. ''Sinarapan'' literally means "caught by ''sarap''" in Buhi in this early historical context. However, the same fish is called ''tabios'' in Bato, Nabua, Baao and Bula, Camarines Sur. The etymology of ''tabios'', however, is quite vague. The name is not found in the scientific literature unlike "Sinarapan". It is believed that ''Tabios'' is only used in the vernacular pertaining to the local fishery.Reviving the Sinarapan: The World's Smallest Commercial Fish; Dr. V.S. Soliman; Haring Ibon Magazine
(retrieved: 3-9-09) At present, the Sinarapan is threatened by extinction due to over-fishing and other factors but efforts to conserve it are ongoing. Such is this specie's importance to the lake's ecosystem since it is endemic only to this region.

Notes

References

Source: US National Imagery and Mapping Agency
(retrieved: 3-9-2009)
* Haribon Foundation
* Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (1984–85)
* Rinconada Integrated Development Area Project Feasibility Study (1979)

External links

*Geographic data related t
Lake Bato
at OpenStreetMap

{{Lakes of the Philippines

Bato
Landforms of Camarines Sur