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