By Ric V. Obedencio
The fate of cetaceans, such as dolphins and whales, in the Visayas seas, including Bohol , is worth watching as these marine mammals are caught by fishing gear and slaughtered by fishermen at sea.
This appears to be the grim set-up of the marine mammals plying at Bohol sea particularly in the northern part of Mindanao sea, which surfaced during the two-day training workshop on Marine Mammals Conservation and Stranding Response held on May 14-15, 2009 at Bohol Agricultural Promotion Center in this city.
“In most cases dolphins are caught in nets and they are chopped into pieces,†said Lemnuel V. Aregones, a doctor of philosophy and assistant professor, Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology of University of the Philippines , Diliman, Quezon City .
Aragones, who works with monitoring of these mammals in Tanon Strait (between Cebu and Negros Oriental for many years) and elsewhere also revealed that regions 6, 7, and 8 in the Visayas “are consuming dolphins and whales.â€
This situation is aggravated by the fact that a lot of cetaceans are either beached (dead on shore) or merely stranded (alive) considering that Bohol is a “hot spot.†It (hotspot) means more sightings of cetaceans or frequenting here are evident.
Based on the studies, there have been confirmed 28 species of marine mammals in the Philippines , or about i/3 of the world’s more than 70 known species. Twenty six of these are cetaceans (19 small, 7 large; 20 toothed whales and dolphins (odontocetes) and 6 baleen whales (mysticetes).Most of these species are also spotted in Bohol seas, including the blue whale, the largest animal on earth with more than 30 meters in length.
The “hot spot†tag for Bohol boosts the multi-million tourism on whale-dolphin watching along the seas off Pamilacan island. Mayor Alvin Uy of Baclayon town, where the island belongs, said that despite the stranding more and more visitors are flocking the island for whale-watching.
Stranded mammals documented
BFAR and DENR and other agencies concerned have documented several strandings of whales and dolphins in different areas during the first quarter of this year.
Three wounded dolphins were beached in the towns of Valencia , Jagna and lately Baclayon. All were buried by officials concerned. Another one survived in the shores of Suba, Anda town, said a workshop participant. In Talibon sea, several dolphins were on mass stranding or “lost†in their navigation to the surprise of the fishermen since the area is not the passage of these mammals.
Fisherman Romeo Quicho of coastal barangay Catarman, Dauis town narrated to this writer that he saw a pair of dolphin that came near his boat while he was fishing sometime in April at Dauis sea. He said one of them was injured that looked like a gunshot wound. He fed the dolphin with fish he caught and the dolphin never hesitated to eat it. He said the dolphin might have been weak because it sustained a wound that he cannot anymore catch to feed so it got hungry.
Aragones was the main resource person of the training along with Dr. Mariel Buccat-Flores of Marine Mammals Conservation Ocean Adventure; Crescencio Pahamutang of the Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Bohol; Numer Candado, representing director Andres Bojos of BFAR-regional office; Adelfa Salutan, action officer of Coastal Resource Management of Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO); and Leonarda Vallejos BEMO-Coastal Law Enforcement Council (CLEC).
Causes of StrandingAragones cited at least six possible bases why the occurrence of mammal stranding. He said marine mammals run aground because they may be ill, malnourished or intoxicated.
They may also be physically wounded by predators such as cokie cutter shark. “Any injury from a predator may be serious enough to weaken the animal to the point that it is no longer able to support itself and consequently seek shallow water to rest.â€
Another cause could be human activities, including collision of vessels that may cause their instant deaths, or struck by harpoon, gunshot or got entangled in fishing nets.
Other causes include “complex topographic conditions and increment weatherâ€; “errors in navigation and judgmentâ€; and “tight social bonds.â€
These animals, scientists said, have a strong social bond because they are social animals. “When the mother falls ill and comes ashore, the calf will follow her and vice-versa,†said Aragones. When a “dominant individual†or “bull†is stranded, “the rest of the pod stays with it, stranding themselves in the process.â€
Need to Respond
Aragones said there is indeed a necessity to respond for the welfare of the individual animal. “Helping a stranded marine mammal is an issue of individual animal welfare.â€
It is also imperative to save the mammal for moral and ethical grounds aside from “conservation benefits†and “scientific knowledge†that may be gained from them and understanding them more.
Because humans are the “most destructive species†on earth that tend to destroy to destroy the habitats of the animals, “Therefore, we have a responsibility to mitigate our destructive impact. Helping these animals when they are injured or ill, either from human-inflicted or natural causes, is something we can and should do.â€
Aragones said that only one percent (%) of survivorship in rescuing the marine mammals in the world but three percent in the Philippines .
The effort to rescue and save marine mammals in distress is also anchored on Republic Act 9147, or known as “Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.†It is the policy of the State “to conserve the country’s wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainability†and to promote ecological balance and enhance biological diversity.
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Topic: The Fate of Dolphins in Bohol Province (Read 2875 times)