Philippines: Whale, dolphin strandings increase

WWF-Philippines Malaya Business Insight 25 May 12;

This summer, don’t panic if you see a dolphin or whale stranded on the beach.

Call the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) and the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines or local authorities.

“WWF-Philippines alone has a 25,000-strong following on Facebook and pools volunteer experts from a wide range of disciplines to accomplish conservation goals,” Pagaduan, WWF-Philippines Hamilo Coast Project Manager. “We’re just a Facebook message or a text away.”

According to WWF-Philippines, cetacean strandings are increasing; in response, it conducts workshops on what to do during the strandings.

Cetaceans include all whale, dolphin and porpoise species, divided by type. Odontocetes or toothed whales feed primarily on fish and squid. Mysticetes or baleen whales have fringed strips of hair-like plates in place of teeth and feed primarily on plankton, krill and tiny fish.

Twenty eight – a full third of all known species – have been recorded in Philippine waters as of 2012.

Each year, thousands of cetacean strandings are reported worldwide. Some die at sea and wash ashore, while others become trapped in shallow water. Left unaided, many die within a day or two.

About a dozen stranding events are reported in the Philippines yearly, most occurring during the amihan or northeastern monsoon from November to March when strong winds generate stronger-than-usual currents.

“Our priority should be to return stranded cetaceans to their natural habitats as soon as possible,” says WWF-Philippines Vice-Chair and CEO Lory Tan.

Cetacean strandings are caused by the presence or a lack of food, predators, stress, injuries, disease, pollution, rough seas, tidal fluctuations, undersea quakes, seismic testing, blast fishing or the disruption of magnetic fields used by some cetaceans for navigation.

In December 2009, a stranded 29-foot Bryde’s Whale (Baleanoptera edeni) was towed and set-free by locals in nearby Barangay Calayo, Nasugbu.

Earlier, in February 2009, 300 Melon-headed Whales (Peponocephala electra) were stranded off Pilar and Orion towns in Bataan, in the largest recorded stranding event in Philippine history. Three of the whales died but the majority were herded to deeper waters by volunteers.

The next month, in Odiongan, Romblon, another pod of 100 Melon-headed Whales was ushered back to deeper waters.

Recently, WWF-Philippines conducted a two-day rescue workshop at Hamilo Coast in Nasugbu, Batangas. Over 40 staff members and officers of Hamilo Coast underwent classroom and field sessions on cetacean biology, identification, threats, conservation and actual rescue techniques.

“WWF conducts these workshops so local leaders know just what to do,” explains Tan, author of the multi-awarded book, “A Field Guide to Whales and Dolphins in the Philippines”.

“Few Filipinos realize that whales are found right here in the Philippines,” says Pagaduan. “Training local residents to rescue cetaceans far more than ensures the safety of stranded whales and dolphins – it cultivates their natural sense of stewardship.”

Since 2007, Hamilo Coast has been working closely with WWF to restore and protect the degraded coastlines and marine resources of Nasugbu, Batangas. The 8,000-hectare eco-tourism project has fused tourism with sustainable land development by balancing conservation and land conversion.

“When I was young, beached dolphins used to be slaughtered for meat,” recounts Zaldy Flores, Hamilo Coast Security Officer and a resident of Barangay Calayo. “The skills shared by WWF have given us both the competence and confidence to deal with future strandings. We’re now ready to rescue all stranded whales and dolphins in Nasugbu.”

“You don’t have to be a doctor or a vet to save lives,” dolphin mural painter AG Saño points out.

“Jessie De Los Reyes, a Bantay Dagat or Sea Patrol volunteer based in Calatagan, Batangas, was able to rescue and release hundreds of sea turtles, dolphins, sharks and even a large whale because he attended a workshop like this. If one person can do this, imagine what can happen if all 40 people here emulate him.”

Saño, Tan, Pagaduan, Marlyn Santiago, Vanessa Vergara, Joanne Arnaldo and Gregg Yan conducted the Cetacean rescue training.

Since 1997, WWF has been collaborating with leading Filipino marine mammal experts and conservationists to conduct marine mammal training programs with local governments, coastal communities and private sector allies.

“All Filipinos can do their part,” says Saño. “When at the beach, throw your trash in bins. Here and abroad, never order whale or dolphin meat. Finally, we call on everyone to boycott dolphin shows. If you love dolphins, then please watch them in the wild. Palawan, Bohol, the Tañon Strait and the Davao Gulf are excellent places to see them in their natural element.”

To schedule a cetacean stranding workshop, email: kkp@wwf.org.ph.