Ocean health

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In this celebration of the Month of the Ocean 2018 held on Apo Island, I wish to focus on the “Health of the Ocean” as the Apo No-Take Marine Reserve was declared here in the early 1980s.

With the cooperation of the island community led by former Barangay Capt. Mario Pascobello, and current Barangay Capt. Liberty Pascobello-Rhodes, this reserve turned out to be the model of community protection and management in the Philippines and some countries of the world.

I wish to thank all residents of Apo Island for their commitment to the protection of the coral reef and the associated biodiversity around the island.

Over the years, biodiversity has improved. Marine turtles are now common. Fish in the reserve have improved very much from about 20 tons in 1983 to 120 tons per square kilometre after almost two decades of protection.

This biomass has resulted in the export of adult fish and fish larvae to areas outside of Apo, even as far as some areas in the Negros mainland.

We have reason to believe that Apo will continue to be productive of fish and support fisheries in the future with the continuing good management of the no-take marine reserve by the local community and the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB).

However, in recent years, we have seen some changes in the weather pattern in southern Philippines that has affected the environment of Apo Island.

I refer to the storm surges that have hit the island, causing damage to the marine reserve, and the transfer of the fish populations to other reef areas.

The no-take marine reserve, therefore, needs to be extended to the western part of the island where storm surges fail to reach.

The other effect of climate change is the increase of the water temperatures around the island to more than 30 degrees Celsius, causing corals to extrude the algae in the tissues, and ultimately, die for lack of nutrition (coral bleaching).

We can expect this phenomenon to worsen in the days ahead, that could result in mass death of shallow corals, thereby reducing fisheries.

We should look at the cooler and deeper reef systems beyond 40 meters as source of fish to compensate for the possible loss of shallow reefs.

Another thing to be looked at is the carrying capacity of the reef used by tourists. The PAMB should determine the carrying capacity of Apo Island.

Let us avoid the situation like that reported in Boracay where too many people on the island caused serious pollution of the marine waters. Local residents and resorts could cause water pollution. This pollution could harm swimmers and divers.

The PAMB should determine if this occurs in Apo, and take appropriate measures to prevent it.Indicators of water pollution include the presence of green and blue-green filamentous algae.

Still another thing to watch out for is the garbage that is thrown to the water around the island, or garbage that comes from the open sea and is washed ashore on Apo.

Plastic materials and rubber balloons are mistaken as food by fish, turtles, and dolphins, and could cause their death. Plastic sheets tend to cover the coral heads, and also cause their death. There is a need to conduct periodic collection of all waste materials on Apo Island.

Divers sometimes sit or stand on fragile corals, and cause environmental damage. Corals grow very slowly — a few centimetres per year. Care should also be taken to ensure that the biodiversity in the waters of Apo are not harmed or abused.

Let us all help to keep our marine environment and associated biodiversity healthy on Apo Island.

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Author’s email: [email protected]

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