Phoebe Jen Indino Manila Bulletin 28 Jan 12;
CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — Due to illegal fishing activities and corals extraction, among other harmful practices within the Danajon seascape, an official from the Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation (CCEF) said a huge portion of the only double barrier reef in the country is vastly degraded.
“About 77 percent of the external portion of the reef is already degraded,” said Rizaller Amolo, CCEF Danajon Bank project director.
Amolo disclosed that if the Danajon bank will be left unprotected, lesser live corals are expected which will result to the decrease of fish population, thus not only affecting fishermen’s income but food security as well.
Danajon, which covers Bohol’s northern coast, extending from mid-Cebu islands to the shores of Southern Leyt, is considered as one of the country’s most important sources for biodiversity and a large breeding area for many species of finfish, shellfish and invertebrates. It is also a critical pathway of the Asian southward bird migratory route.
To highlight such abuses as illegal fishing inflicted on Danajon over the years, the CCEF hosted a three-day summit to come up with a manifesto calling for protection of the critical seascape.
The summit, which started last January 18, was attended by local chief executives and representatives of various concerned sectors that hope to address issues in Danajon, with emphasis on the problem of overfishing, population pressure, and serious degradation of marine habitat in the reef’s system that have caused serious threats to food security, conservation and economic growth in this critical marine eco-region.
Some 19 local governments units from the provinces of Cebu, Leyte, Southern Leyte and Bohol have jurisdiction over this marine habitat and about 28,000 fishermen are directly dependent on Danajon’s marine resources.
Meanwhile, summit participant, Mayor William Jao of Tubigon, Bohol admitted that there is a need for “strong political will” to stop illegal fishing that has caused the serious degradation of said marine habitat.
“A politician unafraid of losing in the next election will play a big role to address such illegal fishing problem,” he said.
Jao said that during his first term of office, he was able to apprehend 90 individuals engaged in illegal fishing activities and confiscated over a hundred pair of compressors used in illegal fishing.
During said summit, the Tubigon mayor also urged other public officials to strictly implement the provisions of Republic Act. 8550 of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 to combat aforesaid problems.
