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By Gilbert Bayoran
SAGAY CITY, Philippines – The preservation of the 32,000-hectare Sagay Marine Sanctuary here may be a success for Sagaynons enjoying the abundance of its marine resources for more than 30 years now, but it also attracts fishermen from neighboring islands who employ illegal methods to catch fish in the area.
Sagay City Mayor Alfredo Maranon Jr, admitted that they are facing a problem on how to protect the huge area of the marine sanctuary from poachers coming even from as far as Bantayan, Cebu, northern Iloilo and neighboring towns and cities.
At present, the Sagay City government has mobilized 32 Bantay Dagat personnel who patrol the marine sanctuary 24 hours a day using six patrol boats, and established four watch towers in strategic areas, some of them equipped with radars to detect monitor the entry of poachers.
Despite this, Bantay Dagat chairman Felipe Emnace yesterday said poachers still keep on coming, defying the law, in order to enjoy the abundance of marine resources in the sanctuary.
Fishing boats weighing more than three tons are barred from fishing within the marine sanctuary, especially with the use of dynamite and cyanide, and other illegal forms of fishing.
The 32,000-hectare marine sanctuary covers three islets of Molocaboc Daku and Diot, as well as Matabas, which have a population of 5,000, Carbin, Maca and Panal reefs, which are known for their crystal-clear water and scenic spots.
Barangay chairman Antonio Pasaylo said residents of three islets – Molocaboc Dacu and Diot as well as Matabas – who used to engage in destructive forms of fishing before the marine sanctuary was declared, are now helping Bantay Dagat personnel in the protection of their coastal areas.
Bantay Dagat personnel have also been given incentives by the city government of Sagay, such as giving them 30 percent of the fines imposed on fishermen they arrest for illegal fishing, Emnace said.
The Sagay marine sanctuary became a protective area trough the efforts of Marañon.
Because of their strict enforcement on fishery laws, Emnace said poachers were so desperate to get even with Bantay Dagat members, they staged an attack on the Maca Reef tower in 2007, which led to the injury and amputation of the leg of one of the guards.
Emnace, however, said they were unfazed by the attack, adding that “it only shows that we are very effective in the protection of our marine sanctuary”.
Marañon also introduced to the people of Molocaboc, 85 percent of whom rely on fishing as their main source of livelihood, the “sea ranching” on the sea bed by putting tires and large stones, to serve as an artificial habitat for fish.
Pasaylo said Molocaboc and Matabas residents are now actively involved in the regeneration of corals, which had been destroyed almost three decades ago by illegal fishing
The “fish catch” of every fishermen almost quadrupled after the marine sanctuary was established more than 30 years ago, he added.
In sea ranching, fishermen harvest as much as 80 kilos in six months time, Marañon who was instrumental in making the Sagay marine sanctuary as a protective area, said.
The Sagay marine conservation efforts got a boost with the introduction of an innovative way of coral reef regeneration and rehabilitation.
First-Step Coral, founded by a group of Filipino and American graduate students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in partnership with the Global Coral Reef Alliance, also introduced BioRock method at the marine sanctuary in Sagay, which aims to rehabilitate coral reef resources.
BioRock utilizes low-voltage DC currents to electrochemically deposit calcium on metallic meshes. These calcium rich substrates then promote coral growth rates up to five times and increase survivability by about 20 times during coral bleaching events.
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