What lies Beneath

THE PHILIPPINES IS HOME TO THE SECOND LARGEST coral reef in Asia and is the world’s epicenter in terms of marine bio-diversity, according to a 10-year study by marine biologists headed by Kent Carpenter, associate professor of biological sciences at Old Dominion University in Virginia, USA.

This, despite the fact that only four percent of the archipelago’s 26,000 sqm of coral reefs remain in excellent condition, with the rest showing signs of severe over fishing, destruction from dynamite blasts or are simply dead, the reefs covered with brown algae, the result of rampant fish collecting with the use of noxious substances.

Increase in coastal populations, continued commercial as well as slash-and-burn logging techniques have resulted in rivers filled with silt, which are in turn washed out to sea, choking the already fragile corals with sedimentation.

Marginal fishermen using hookah or compressor diving now have to dive deeper, using home-made spearguns to target the fishes which are unfortunately of breeder sizes, leaving important food species with lesser chances of propagating the already barren reefs at shallower depths.

The Philippine Government, realizing the magnitude of the problem, enacted a new fisheries code in 1998 which requires all coastal towns or municipalities to set aside at least 15 percent of their waters as fish reserves.

Despite the enactment of stiffer penalties and laws banning the use of destructive harvesting methods such as dynamite and sodium cyanide fishing, law enforcement and implementation remain either weak or non-existent.

Even though there are over 500 declared Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) in the country, a study shows that perhaps only 50 of these are operational, with proper buoys and patrols, while the rest remain as "paper reserves".

Enter into the picture the pearl farms. The Philippines is the world’s third largest producer of South Sea pearls. Farms are located throughout the Visayas, most notably in the northern and southern-most islands and islets of the province of Palawan. The mollusks or bi-valves which produce this natural gem demand clear, unpolluted waters with healthy current in order to thrive.

These farms are now emerging as important, though informal, marine sanctuaries. The strict guarding with armed patrols have closed off the areas to most fishing activities, including blast and cyanide fishing.

As a result the coral reefs abutting the growing areas boast of pristine hard and soft coral cover, dense fish bio-mass including species such as bumphead and napoleon wrasses now rarely seen in Asian waters.

The shallow reefs where the oyster nurseries are located can easily be appreciated by snorkellers where giant tridacna clams, now facing extinction, can still be seen in its natural habitat. Even prettier are the juvenile clams dotting the hard surfaces, with their electric blue mantles smiling lacy grins at the masked visitors. I stayed longest at a giant patch of fluorescent green Turbinaria or cabbage coral, complete with its resident peacock rock cod and emperor angelfish.

It was gratifying to see the drop off areas filled with running streams of juvenile yellow backed fusiliers, an important food fish. The bigger ones can be found mid-water, hungrily gulping down the plankton rich waters. I smiled when I spotted even the babies loitering over several coral heads–though only one-tenth in size, they look exactly like their mommies!

The underwater pyramids which support the hanging nets have turned into veritable gardens themselves. Covered with gorgonians, fan corals and soft corals of luscious shades, they are an underwater photographer’s dream. The ropes and the nets holding the oysters likewise show bio-generating effects.

The bivalves themselves serve a dual purpose. Aside from producing pearls, they are also filter feeders and, along with hard corals, help clean out the waters that rush past them.

Similar to the payao or a local fish aggregating device consisting of palm fronds, bamboo pole and nylon rope, the marine growth on the introduced substrates are the underwater version of fast food centers. Parrotfishes, butterflyfishes, and triggerfishes can be seen busily snacking off the growth coating the ropes and baskets, while the black coral bushes adorning the wooden centers are covered with silver clouds of young fish fry.

It was also in one such farm that I encountered a field of hard coral that humbled me. Never a big fan of hard corals, I dove this shallow reef adjacent to a guardhouse, finning on and on past virgin fields of coral until my tank ran very low. Staghorn and table corals spread out in dense thickets, while a long wall of fragile acropora extended past visible range–barely a meter from the surface !

Sadly, in some areas, the local population resent the presence of these farms because they are denied access to areas where the nets and oyster baskets are kept. They fail to realize that these farms, aside from their role in the conservation of the fast disappearing underwater communities, also serve as "maternity wards" of the sea.

Fishes, just like people, need a place to procreate undisturbed. The resulting fertilized eggs and fry are borne by oceanic currents, bringing them to areas outside the reserves where they settle, hopefully to repopulate the fish stock.

Fish mass and density inside the farms themselves have increased and the "spillover effect"–when fishes move out of a densely populated underwater community to a non-reserve area–has substantially increased the fish yield in other nearby areas.

Some quarters insist on being allowed to use non-destructive fishing techniques such as hook and line fishing in these protected areas. There is a common misconception that Marine Reserves are areas where illegal forms of fishing are banned but that the hook and line method is allowed.

Dr. Angel Alcala, former Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources and the person who established the successful Apo Island Sanctuary, points out, "A Marine Reserve or Fish Sanctuary is a NO TAKE ZONE." He further opines that 20 to 30 percent of an area must be declared and closed off to any harvesting activity in order to be effective conservation and reproduction areas. In that case, the pearl farms are a small but correct step in the right direction.