DEGRADATION
[PHOTO
OF A PUERTO PRINCESA CORAL REEF: If we can keep our water like this forever, it
would be mankind's greatest achievement. sOURCE: http://amazingpuertoprincesapalawan.blogspot.com/
LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, JUNE 21, 2011 (STAR) By Rudy Fernandez – The coral reefs in the
Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea are now in various stages of
degradation, a group of researchers said.
"Dead standing coral structures are a common sight underwater, most likely
the effect of the use of chemicals while fishing," said a study the Western
Philippines University-College of Fisheries and Marine Technology in Puerto
Princesa City, Palawan.
The researchers said the outbreak of crown thorns, a form of starfish, in the
reefs of Pag-asa Island further aggravates the poor condition of the corals.
"There were also reports on gathering of coral boulders by foreign fishing
beats from the reefs of the Kalayaan Island Group," said the report made by
researchers Benjamin Gonzales, Joel Becira, Honorio Paglinawan, Ria Sariago,
Edwin Rodriguez, Bernaldo Montaño, Noli Dieron and Johanne Gonzales.
The group was commissioned by the town of Kalayaan to provide baseline
information of the present state of Pag-asa Island's resources, particularly
marine, give recommendations for their sustainable use and recommend eco-tourism
and livelihood activities for the island.
The island group has been the subject of territorial disputes among countries
that include the Philippines, China and Vietnam.
Reportedly rich in oil reserves, the area is named differently by the
claimants – Kalayaan Island Group by the Philippines and Nansha by China, among
them.
Their research, entitled "The Pag-asa Island (Spratlys): Challenges and
Opportunities," was among the winners in the National Aquatic Resources Research
and Development System.
The study noted that only one of the island's 10 stations had good coral
cover at 50.50 percent. Four stations had fair coral cover (27.84 percent) and
the rest had poor cover (less than 25 percent)
"More than 50 percent of the benthic (bottom) cover in most of the stations
was composed of dead corals," the researchers reported.
They said Pag-asa Island's low coral cover might be the result of the
destructive fishing methods used in the vicinity, as observed by the islanders
and local fishermen.
The bright side, though, is that although the signs of the corals'
degradation are clear, the area is still rich in marine resources.
"The Pag-asa Island, in particular, and Kalayaan Island Group, in general,
have high capacity to support fishery with significant importance as source of
food and economic potentials for adjacent countries and the whole Southeast
Asia," the researchers stressed.
Recorded in the 10 stations were 251 fish species, 141 of which are
commercially valuable.
There are eight kinds of macro-invertebrates – giant clams, sea cucumbers,
lobsters, topshells, sipunculids, crown of thorns, sea urchins, and other
starfish.
"All the invertebrates, except the crown of thorns, are worth conserving and
protecting for food, livelihood and eco-tourism purposes, thus, these resources
should be properly managed," the researchers recommended.
The researchers also noted that there are still no facilities to store fish
catch and regular transportation available on the island.
Fish being dried are the high-value ones.
Emphasizing the urgency of properly managing Pag-asa Island and Kalayaan
Island group marine resources, the researchers said claimant countries in the
region should come to terms on how they could jointly protect and manage the
area for sustainable development before the vast coral reef resources
deteriorate.
2008 NEWS REPORT FROM BLOG: THE PALAWAN REPORT
(NEWS AND COMMENTARY)
Pag-Asa's coral reefs in the Spratlys under threat
Over 60 percent of Pag-Asa's coral reefs in the Spratlys have been
destroyed thru cyanide fishing and blasting. And there's no stopping it. See
full report.
The bigger problem is nobody is addressing it. While claimant countries like
China and Vietnam have shown boldness in occupying and asserting sovereignty
over these islands, it's been described as a "wild west" as a fishing ground.
The situation is bad enough that it has been ruled out as a dive destination,
owing to the reefs being categorized as "bad to poor" by marine biologists.
Agreements such as the controversial Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking between
China, Philippines and Vietnam pertain mainly to utilization of the potential
energy sources in this region, while little or no initiative has been pursued
for marine conservation.
This entry was posted on Saturday, May 24th, 2008 at 1:21 pm and is filed
under Palawan News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS
2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
This entry was posted on Saturday, May 24th, 2008 at 1:21 pm and is filed
under Palawan News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS
2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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Chair of the National
Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)-Palawan.
Email: dempto@gmail.com (Redempto D.
Anda)
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