COT Outbreak in Tangkaan

For almost 2 months haven’t experience diving with the sun brightly shining above but today the visibility underwater is very nice. I was invited by my colleague to be his buddy in conducting a quick assessment survey on the COT Outbreak in Tangkaan, Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte. The group is composed of representative from GIZ, Southern Leyte Diver Resort owner Gunther and his young son Adrian.

SLSU Survey Team

the outbreak

Dr. Andreas Lange of GIZ and Gunter Mosch owner of Southern Leyte Dive Resort  

catch of the day

 

For the whole 2 days the group removed and injected (poison) countless number of COT’s. After the 1^st dive the reaction is, we are overwhelmed by huge number of COT’s under the clear and pristine waters of Tangkaan, Padre Burgos. Total mayhem underwater, they are on top of each other competing among COT’s for living corals to devour! Adrian once told me that what we are doing is a bit hopeless effort to eradicate the COT’s outbreak but they keep on going because their business depended on it. It’s a bit sad that only Southern Leyte Divers and Sogod Bay Dive Resort participated on the COT’s clean up. Based on the quick assessment we did its effect could be very devastating in the future in terms of monetary value of the marine resources lost due to this outbreak. It seems that the local government and other concerned agency doesn’t understand how to address this problem.

clean up site, appearance is deceiving mayhem underwater

For us in the academe this is a bit of both a problem and a challenge. Problem in the sense that we take pride in giving the community new technology and knowledge in sustainable fishery throughout Southern Leyte and a challenge to understand the problem based on scientific methods wherein we can formulate effective control measure to lessen the impact this COT’s outbreak to the coastal community and the tourism business sector. In such way to create accurate proactive programs that the province could rely in the future if this problem occurs again.

For now it is not the question of who will help? It’s the time we show that we care for our Southern Leyte and help anything and anyhow we possibly can!

coffee break after each dive

Last week January 5-8, 2012 was able to attend the Leveling-Off Workshop on The Coral Reef Restoration Program at University of San Carlos, Cebu City. It was an interesting workshop attended by some of the well respected individual in the field of Coastal Resource Management in the Philippines, Dr. Cesario R. Pagdilao (DOST-PCAARRD) Dr. Filemon G. Romero (WWF, MSU Tawi-Tawi, Dr. Filipina Sotto (Head Biology Dept. USC), marine biologist from the different participating institution, masteral and doctoral students of USC marine biology department.

proposed site for the Coral Restoration Program

The program is about National Coral Restoration Program of Department of Science and Technology which will be implemented by University of San Carlos in all 7 selected locations in the entire Philippines. Wherein Southern Leyte was chosen as one of the 7 location and  University of San Carlos selected our university SLSU to assist them in this project. The proposed location in Southern Leyte is located at the Marine Protected Area in Lungsodaan, Padre Burgos adjacent to Sogod Bay Dive Resort, Peter's Dive Resort and Nova Jenbie Resort.

Coral Nursery Module

Caohagan Island

Lunch Time

end of the day

On the 2nd day of the workshop we were able to see the actual module for the coral nursery at USC Marine Biology Station in Maribago, Mactan Island and work with it underwater in Caohagan Island with direct supervision from the tireless Joey Gatus, masteral and doctoral students from USC Marine Bio Department.

No work last December 30, 2011 friday in celebration of Jose Rizal Day, Philippines national hero.

Bamboo pathway towards MPA's fish feeding area

   

A bit bored in the house nothing to do, cannot go out for a stroll coz been raining almost 2 days already. Cannot dive either coz the water is murky due to the discharge from the river nearby the visibility is not good for diving! One of my cycling buddy, invited me to come join him to attend a MCCI organized Amateur Mountain Bike Race in Ibarra, Maasin City. Immediately accepted the invitation not to race but just stretch out my legs and have some mileage and to take a look and have some photos on one of the well manage MPA in Southern Leyte located in Molopolo, Macrohon happens to be one of the place we pass on our way to Maasin City.

pump boats used in the MPA

We arrive in Molopolo at about 11:30, haven’t seen this MPA before a bit excited to see what’s in there for us to see. The MPA is huge about 50 hectares or more, the place is very nice, well maintained and very clean. You can see the effort and the organized management of the said MPA just by looking and observing how things done inside the protected zone. How I wish could talk to someone from the management of this MPA to somehow get some valuable inputs on the implementation and management side of having a Marine Protected Area. Maybe from the holiday there’s no one stationed at the MPA management office, it would have been awesome to meet and have some conservation first hand from the front-liners of this wonderful conservation initiatives in Southern Leyte. After almost an hour in the MPA we resume biking heading Maasin City. We arrive in Ibarra at around 1:30 pm in the afternoon just in time for a quick 30 minutes rest because the race will start at 2:00 pm. Instead of a cross country mountain bike race the organizer decided to have road race using mountain bikes because the cross country trail is so dangerous to ride on. The race route is from Ibarra to Aguinaldo, Macrohon and back to Ibarra more or less a 26 kilometers of flat road racing!

what a day! was able to visit an MPA and won 1st place on the MTB race

       

MPA Sta. Cruz, Malitbog, Southern Leyte

The Local Government Unit of Barangay Sta. Cruz, Malitbog, Southern Leyte through the Municipal Coastal Resources Management Initiatives is planning to establish a 24 hectares Marine Protected Area. The plan is now in the municipal council for further deliberation, a big chance that this initiative will be approved.