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Rare fish found in Sarangani Bay
MALAPATAN, Sarangani (28 June 2005) -- Residents and fishery officials tried in vain to save a stranded sunfish Tuesday, highlighting the need to maintain "good water quality" in Sarangani Bay.

"These wastes greatly affect the ecological balance of the Bay in maintaining good water quality, preservation of coastal habitats, and protection of fishery resources," Governor Miguel Dominguez, he said who is advocating against the dumping of waste in Sarangani Bay

The governor has called on the public to be vigilant and responsible for the conservation, protection and preservation of environment and coastal resources.

"Probably the bay serves as their (sunfish) feeding and rearing ground," said marine biologist Giuseppe Chew, the acting provincial agriculturist. This organism is very rare that only few sightings are documented worldwide."

The stranded animal, identified by its English name sunfish and scientific name Molamola, is oceanic and thrives in deeps water, thus, rarely seen by most people.

The dead sunfish, a juvenile, was 1.2 meters long, with "lateral length" 1.4 meter and weighed 40 kilograms.

"We should be happy that this organism is present in our local waters.,. Sad to know that our Bay is already deteriorating caused by unregulated run-offs both solid and liquid wastes." Chew said.

The sunfish was found by Dodong and Kayong Baran at about 10:00 pm in the shores of Poblacion Malapatan Tuesday where it died hours later.

Fishery officials brought the fish to the Environmental Conservation and Protection Center at the provincial capitol for "gut content analysis and tissue analysis" to find out the cause of death.

Most of the strandings of this fish usually occur in Alabel and Malapatan, "which made us speculate that they possibly lay their eggs inside the bay," Chew disclosed.

The Molas are closely related to the Pufferfish (family Tetraodontidae). Hatchlings are around 2.5mm long at birth and covered with spines which shed off naturally as they grow older. An adult has 15 cm tick skin.

According to a report by Kent Dequito, an aquaculturist, the biggest common Mola ever found weighed more than 2,000 kilograms.

Molas produce most eggs among any vertebrates, Dequito said. They can dive up to the depth of 100 meters or more to hunt for food especially jellyfish during daytime and stay at shallow water column at night to sleep.

"The body of this fish is full of ectoparasites that baffles marine biologist worldwide on how they were able to survive," he said. It has 40 different worms and critters clinging on its skin."

This incident of stranding in Sarangani Bay shores had happened many times in the past, officials said. Some were documented and others were just reported informally.

Sarangani Bay is one of the richest Bays in the Philippines

Sarangani Bay has 42 genera of corals, the diversity of which rivals the best dive sites in the world. As a rich habitat, Sarangani Bay is not only home to 277 kinds of fish but also a haven for five species of whales and seven species of dolphins. Sightings of killer whales, pilot whales, dolphins and dugong are common.

Sarangani Bay is also host to three of the five Philippine sea turtles. The olive ridley, green turtle and the hawksbill are prevalent creatures of the bay. (Sarangani Information Office)

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