Category: Advocacy

Celebrating Month of Ocean 2012

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It’s about LIFE!

The merry month of May gave a wonderful promise  in terms of underwater undertakings.  Although I was limiting my travels outside the region, it was not a hindrance as I will be doing my works to assist in the final phase of the Linamon project.  Just that the Month of Ocean fell on this month, my underground works relative to the Coral Transplantation in the newly established marine protected area (MPA) in the Linamon waters within the jurisdiction of Barangay Magoong and Barangay Samburon, was dedicated for the marine world.  The significance of this last important ecosystem on earth can not be undermined, it is vital in maintaining the biological diversity of our world’s oceans.

Coral transplantation in the area is success!

For three weekends I had a wonderful and productive time with the fisherfolk in Linamon and had a total of nine dives in the area.  The progress and the completion of the works is an assurance that the restoration project would greatly increase the marine species in the site.  The biodiversity is evident as we found nudis, young crinoids, variety of juvenile

The sanctuary is now home to variety of specie

fishes and other invertebrates.  A vibrant coral started to sprout in the substrates, two baby nudis crawling on the module reef, a clown triggerfish roaming around. When two years ago, it was just a bare sandy area with no life at all. Angel and I basked in the clear waters going around the area observing each of the modules, either planted recently or almost two years ago.  What a sight while we took a closer look of the substrates just planted, a lionfish hung in mid-water near us as if observing us too! Our dives was for the coral transplantation and clean-up in the sanctuary.

A migrant lionfish swimming coyly near us!

The waters is home to me, the ocean a large kingdom filled with colorful life – incredibly beautiful and mysterious!  The underwater world is wonderful to behold.  This earth’s treasure needs our care and protection. What about you, how do you celebrate the Month of Ocean?

At Work: Beyond the Surface

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Finally, the concluding phase of the transplantation project took off and the massive operations started few days back.  The stakeholders eagerly waited for the completion of the project, it has been delayed and long been overdue from its timelines. To finish it off, the one hectare nursery from the six hectares marine protected area will be transplanted with acropora corals, twenty five modules will be fully planted, approximately about 4000 pvc pipe molders will be in placed.  It’s a formidable task, as of last week they planted about 1/10 of the total target area.

Despite a long week at work, I chose to spend my weekend in Linamon for the underground work.  The desire was so great and the Lord again perfectly arranged things for the trip.  The last time I went down the area was twenty months ago when few substrates were plant-tested with acropora corals taken from the nearby area of the sanctuary.  There had been great changes after such period, I would say for the better.  The plantlets have grown and branched out greatly – the tower substrates now looked like full-grown shrub or a small tree.  The concrete substrates withstood two typhoons that hit the region during the period, which could only mean it could last long from water currents and fierce movements underwater.

On a larger scale, the socio-economic impact of this project has favorably affected the community, beginning to understand the obligation to protect the environment and the resources where they are dependent for their livelihood.  The fisherfolk association of Samburon and Magoong have unite themselves to enforce and support the ordinance for the marine protected area.

The descents didn’t just freshen my gills but in more ways renewed my hope that we still can do something to protect and enhance our degrading underwater world.  We just need to get our acts together.

Note:

Linamon is situated in Lanao del Norte, the first town after Iligan City.  The famous Tinago Falls (western bank) is under the jurisdiction of this municipality. Another Natural Resource Management (NRM) project, the Preservation and Protection of Tinago Watershed under the MRDP is also in place.

The Linamon Project

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The site in Barangay Samburon, Linamon, Lanao del Norte

In few days, we will commence our work in the Linamon coral transplantation, just few more days.  We have waited for so long, but now we will finally do it. The trajectory given by World Bank mandated to complete the works not later than June 30.  And it was a tall order.

Now, I can only imagine the dives that have to be done to finish the remaining area of the one hectare coral nursery.  For sure, it would be work unlimited underwater, for marine life preservation and protection in the area.  The community is involved in this project and have fully participated since it all started, one of the best practices to ensure the sustainability of the marine protected area. Finishing off the one hectare coral nursery is indeed a gargantuan task.

Planted corals on substrates
Planted corals on substrates

It’s been almost twenty months since I last joined them in the evaluation of the first few substrates that were tested.  Soon, I would be working in a different environment under different pressure.  Breathing underwater in gears, carefully planting the materials in “pots” in silence.  It’s pretty outlandish and not everybody has the opportunity to do this kind of work for the marine environment.

In few days I’ll be joining the good men of Linamon for this noble task and I can hardly wait. In few days…

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NB. Underwater photo courtesy of Mr. Lemuel Alfeche

Cacophony: Shark Fin Soup

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Shark fin soup - bitter for my taste...
Shark fin soup – bitter for my taste…

I never thought that this sensational menu would caught me flat-face yesterday, I had a sour smile while sitting in a Chinese diner here in CdeO while trying to look something to fill my hunger.  I have been supporting advocacy on no shark finning and signed petitions from groups and have been reading so much articles on marine protection and preservation. It was like a bomb reading shark fin in the menu right in front of  me! It’s been months since I last visited this place but I never notice before  fried shark fin and fin soup. I felt like throwing up!

Dead sharks gathered at a beach in Ecuador!

It pained me knowing that a number of shark died each year for such exotic and expensive dish.  Statistics show that 126 species of shark out of 140 are threatened with extinction.  All told, up to 70 million sharks are culled annually for the trade, despite the fact that 30% of shark species are currently endangered. Last month, California has signed into law the ban for shark finning, a victory over this anomalous slaughter of marine life.  Other countries are still fighting for this advocacy though.  But still the global shark population is suffering from this industry.  I hope, firmly hope that this trade will also be banned in the Philippines soon.

I wondered where they got their supply of shark meat, hopefully not in nearby waters in Mindanao.  Anyhow, I just decided never to patronize this diner anymore.

NB. Photos courtesy from Time magazine, online edition.

Marine Debris, Anyone?

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It’s my third year in a row to participate in International Coastal Clean Up Day.  And I  was wishing I have done it sooner when I become a diver almost five years ago.  The issue of coastal protection and preservation has been a major advocacy for all aqua people, if not for individuals who have great concern for our planet.  Trash threat for our waters is a serious concern, it has caused so much harm in the marine world.  It pained me to see garbage deep down or watching documentaries about human destruction on aquatic environment.  Such shame!

Without hesitation I committed for the dive clean up together with my dive mentor’s group, of course it won’t be complete without Angel.  We crammed up our weekend for the clean up all the way to the town of Medina plus our specialty lessons in Balingoan.  Angel have to be in Cagayan de Oro on a Friday afternoon to catch the early trip to this coastal town.

On a Saturday morning, it was all still but when we got at the Medina pier, things were all ready for the activity.  How comforting that the people were all in peace, when two weeks back the town has just been besieged by NPA attack!  But on that morning, there were no traces of any bloody encounter. The preliminaries was graced by the local officials including the Mayor, who was so enthusiastic and grateful for the clean-up activity.

gathering trash !

Angel and I went to  descend right near the pier, on a sandy slope carefully not to disturb the silts.  Watching the concrete pillars with the sun rays in between made me remember Ducomi Pier. It’s like a forest scene, like big tree trunks with the sun rays penetrating in between – such a sight to behold!  The school of glistening daschylus wiggling in unison in between the pillars was a wonderful sight.  I was almost lost I forgot I was there to work, I joined Angel who was already starting to fill up his net bag with trash. I have to stay near him, as my dive computer was not working good!

debris under water...

We gathered bottles, fishing lines, hooks, plastics, sachets, wrappers, clothes, caps, tansans and more. We passed by some tires which we ignored, it was too heavy for us to bring!  Our work was punctuated with seeing colorful nudis, puffers, mantis shimp, clown fish, scorpion fish and more.  We filled at least three bagfuls of trash cruising to the rope hoisting to collect it all up.  We still went for another round when we were summoned to surface, noticing there were no more other divers in sight!

just few what was collected from the pier

An hour underwater with no less than thirty divers gathering trash did can make a difference not only for the marine life which thrived even with such nuisance debris, but also for the community.  I know the litters we picked up were just a speck of a big mountain of garbage in our seas, but I believe in many ways together with other enthusiasts in many parts of the country and the whole world, it was a great job.  There is always hope if we all join hands in working to protect our marine environment.  There is much work to do for our second home – the sea!

NB.  Photos courtesy of DiveSpecial Diving Central.

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