1.
Degradation of Philippine
Marine Life
Geog 111

2.
STATE OF THE PHILIPPINE WATERS:
Feature World Rank
Coastline
length
36,289 km 4th*
Total Territorial
Water Area
2,200,000 km2 --
Coral reef area 27,000 km2
3rd**
(After Indonesia and
Australia)
Facts and Figures
*
**World Atlas of Coral Reefs, prepared by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation
Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)

3.
Facts and Figures
(by type of Marine Ecosystem)
Total territorial water exc. EEZ 2,200,200 km2
Coastal 266,000 km2
Shelf Area 184,600 km2
Coral Reef 27,000 km2
Mangrove 1,397 km2
Seagrass/algal beds 978 km2
Other Coastal 52,025 km2
Oceanic 17,460 km
Source: Padilla, J.E. (2008). Analysis of Coastal and Marine Resources: A Contribution to the Philippine Country Environmental Analysis.
Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPHILIPPINES/Resources/WBCEAPhilCoastalandMarineSectorReportFINAL.pdf

4.
The Philippines: Facts
 Rank, worldwide, among fish-producing countries: 6th
 Total production: 4.97 million metric tons
 Fish
aquaculture
 Crustaceans
 Mollusks
 Aquatic plants (including seaweeds): 3rd largest producer
1.4% of total global aquaculture production
worth US$ 1.58 billion
 Percent (%) of total world production: 3.12%

5.
Philippine Species Diversity
 2,818 marine fish species
 Corals: 307 genera
 Mangroves: 307 genera
 Seagrasses: 19 species
 Underestimates!
 Fauna in most locations not fully described
Source: Padilla, J.E. (2008). Analysis of Coastal and Marine Resources: A Contribution to the Philippine Country Environmental Analysis.
Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPHILIPPINES/Resources/WBCEAPhilCoastalandMarineSectorReportFINAL.pdf

6.
Major Species Produced
 Commercial value

7.
FISHERIES
Harvest
Process
Market
Develop
Conserve
& Manage

8.
Fisheries Industry
 The sector engaged in the production, growing,
harvesting, processing, marketing, developing,
conserving and managing of aquatic resources and
fisheries areas
Source: Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.

9.
Fisheries Products
 Fresh Agricultural and Fisheries Products
 Agricultural and fisheries products
 Natural state or habitat
 Agricultural areas or bodies of water used for
aquaculture.

10.
How important is fisheries?
 Contribution to GDP:
 2.2 - 4.4% (inflation-dependent)
 24.4% of GDP derived from agriculture
55%
33%
9%
3%
12%
% of Philippine GDP
Services
Industry
Agriculture (other
kinds)
Fisheries (as part
of Agriculture)
Source: The Philippines Country Report, Global Finance Mag
http://www.gfmag.com/gdp-data-country-reports/198-the-philippines-gdp-country-
~3%
contribution to
PHL GDP

11.
Philippine Fisheries: Growth Trends
10.00
8.00
6.00
4.00
2.00
-
(2.00)
(4.00)
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
-
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
"volume ('000 MT)" growth (%)
15.00
10.00
5.00
-
(5.00)
(10.00)
(15.00)
(20.00)
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
-
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
volume ('000 MT) growth (%)
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
-
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
-
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
volume ('000 MT) growth (%)
10
8
6
4
2
-
(2)
(4)
(6)
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
-
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
volume ('000 MT) growth (%)
Municipal
Commercial
Aquaculture
Total

12.
CORAL REEFS
 Natural aggregation of coral skeleton
 with or without living coral polyps
 intertidal and subtidal marine waters
 largest biogenic structures on the planet
Right: Great Barrier Reef,
Australia

13.
Coral Reefs
 support assemblages of living corals and many other
organisms
 Fish
 Mollusks
 Marine worms
 Crustaceans
 Algae
 Sponges

14.
Coral Reefs
 “Tropical Rainforest of the Sea”
 A single reef can support up to 3,000 species of marine life
 Contributes 8-20% of the total fish caught/landed or
an average of 15MT/sq. km
Source: BFAR Thrusts Powerpoint Presentation. BFAR Strategies to Ensure Sustainable and Inclusive Growth
for the Fisheries Sector, prepared by Information and Public Relations Group (Melannie R. Guerra)

15.
Coral Reefs: Worldwide
This new map of coral reefs systems rates the reefs by their exposure to
different stress factors. The exposure index ranges from 0-1, with green
indicating sites with a low exposure index (most likely to benefit from
management), and red indicating sites with a high exposure index (less
likely to benefit from management

16.
Coral Reefs: Philippines
 The Philippines has about 25,000 to
27,000 km2 coral reef areas
 Annual economic benefits US$1.1
billion per year
 But only about 5% are in good
condition, and only 1% in excellent
condition
 Major threats are destructive fishing
practices including cyanide poisoning
and blast fishing; sediment spilling
into the sea due to deforestation and
urbanization; and climate change
Coral reef conditions in the Philippines
(Nanola et al, 2004)

17.
Threats: Dynamite Fishing
 1987 study:
 25% of all municipal fish landings (equivalent to 250,000
metric tons per year) came from blast fishing
 2002 study:
 70% of Philippine coral reefs degraded
 annual fisheries production was reduced by about
177,500 metric tons in the 1990s

18.
Threats: Dynamite Fishing
 Like Cambodia, China, and Japan, the Philippines
shows over 70% of its reefs threatened and over 35%
percent classified as high risk.
 Regularly bombed reefs exhibit 50–80 percent coral
mortality.
 Over 2/3 of reefs in the Philippines are threatened by
destructive fishing.

19.
Threats: Fishing Malpractices
 Trawl Nets
 Muro-ami
 Superlights

20.
Threats: Ocean Dumping
 Deliberate disposal of waste at sea
 Pollutants, mainly man-generated
 Ballast water
 Wastes soak up oxygen in the sea and
release toxic chemicals
 Ballast water may encourage
proliferation of organisms that
hamper the growth of naturally-occurring
fishes

21.
Threats: Ocean Dumping
 Oil spills

22.
Threats: Climate Change
 Impact: Coral bleaching
 When under stress, corals may
expel their zooxanthellae, which
leads to a lighter or completely
white appearance, termed
'bleached‘
 Stress Factors:
 High water temperatures
 ocean acidification

23.
CORAL TRIANGLE INITIATIVE
http://www.coraltriangleinitiative.org/

24.
Coral Triangle Initiative:
What is it?
 The Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries,
and Food Security (CTI-CFF) is a multilateral
partnership of six countries working together to
sustain extraordinary marine and coastal resources by
addressing crucial issues such as food security,
climate change and marine biodiversity.

25.
Coral Triangle Initiative:
Area Spanned, Component Countries
 Indonesia
 Malaysia
 Papua New Guinea
 Philippines
 Solomon Islands
 Timor-Leste

26.
Coral Triangle:
Why so special?
 5.7 sq. km of ocean water
 Contains at least 500 species of reef-building corals in
each ecoregion
 Global center of marine biodiversity
 Resources sustain the lives of over 120 million people
 WWF: Top priority for marine conservation

27.
CTI Regional Plan of Action
 Port Moresby, Papua New
Guinea in March 2009
 living and non-legally binding
document
 conserve and sustainably
manage coastal and marine
resources within the Coral
Triangle region
 takes into consideration laws
and policies of each country

28.
Our Own: TUBBATAHA REEF
 Sulu Sea, Philippines
 Discovered by divers in
the late 1970s
 composed of two huge
coral atolls and a
smaller coral structure
20 km north of the
atolls
 North Atoll
 South Atoll
 Jessie Beazley Reef

29.
Tubbataha Reef
 10,000 hectares of coral reef
 600 species of fish
 360 species of corals (about half
of all coral species in the world)
 11 species of sharks
 13 species of dolphins & whales
 100 species of birds
 Nesting Hawksbill & Green sea
turtles.
Source: http://www.tubbatahareef.org

30.
Tubbataha Reef: History
 “Tubbataha” comes from the
Samal language meaning “long
reef exposed at low tide”
 Visited often by Samals

31.
Tubbataha Reef: Concerns
 1980s: Overfishing due to emergence of motorized boats
 Became a fishing destination
 Cyanide fishing
 Dynamite fishing
 In 1988, in response to a strong campaign by scuba divers
and environmentalists, and with the endorsement of the
Provincial Government of Palawan, then President Corazon
Aquino declared Tubbataha as a national marine park – the
first of its kind in the country.
Source: http://tubbatahareef.org/wp/history

32.
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
 Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park:
 97,030-hectare Marine
Protected Area (MPA)
 Palawan

33.
What is a marine protected area?
 A region in which human activity has been placed
under some restrictions in the interest of conserving
the natural environment
 Idea similar to that of national parks
 2.47% of Philippine territorial waters*
http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/philippines/marine-protected-areas

34.
TUBBATAHA REEF: DISASTER

35.
Tubbataha Reef Disaster: Details
 January 17, 2:25 AM
 USS Guardian, a United States minesweeper, ran aground
on Tubbata
 “The ship had been transiting the Sulu Sea between the
southwest Philippines and Malaysia after a port visit to
Subic Bay. The ship was stuck about 80 miles east-southeast
of Palawan Island.” http://www.stripes.com/news/navy/sasebo-based-
navy-ship-runs-aground-off-philippine-coast-1.204215

36.
Tubbataha Reef Disaster: Damage
 As of January 19, 2013, 2/3 of the boat was submerged
beneath the reef, according to WWF
 Damage estimated at P12,000 per square meter
 Will take more than 200 years for the reef to recover
 Coral reefs take time to rehabilitate

37.
Tubbataha Reef Disaster: Liabilities
 MANILA, February 5, 2013 - Since the grounding of the USS
Guardian on the Tubbataha Reef on January 17, a series of
meetings between the Philippine Government and the
United States (U.S.) Embassy officials have been held to
discuss the incident.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/293562/news/nation/joint-phl-us-statement-on-the-
uss-guardian-grounding-on-tubbataha-reef
 “the United States will provide appropriate compensation
for damage to the reef caused by the ship” – Ambassador
Harry K. Thomas, Jr.
 How can this damage be measured?

38.
Tubbataha Reef Disaster: Liabilities
 Philippine action: formation of the Maritime Casualty
Investigation Team (MCIT) by the Philippine Coast
Guard in accordance with its standard procedures and
resolutions of the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) on serious maritime incidents to
establish the circumstances and causes of the
grounding on Tubbataha Reef and to formulate safety
measures to prevent a repetition of this incident.

39.
Tubbataha Reef Disaster: Liabilities
 In the meantime, the United States is coordinating
closely with PCG in the salvage operation to extract
the USS Guardian from the reef.

40.
MANGROVES
 Act as nursery to young fish,
crabs, prawns and a feeding
ground to many
economically important fish
species
 Protect coastal villages from
waves and storms
Source: BFAR Thrusts Powerpoint Presentation. BFAR
Strategies to Ensure Sustainable and Inclusive Growth
for the Fisheries Sector, prepared by Information and
Public Relations Group (Melannie R. Guerra)

41.
Mangroves: Resource Potential
 One hectare of mangroves generates 1,100 kg - 11,800
kg fisheries catch; with a market value of US$900 –
US$12,400 per year

42.
Mangroves: Status
 Major causes of the decline
in the Philippines:
 Aquaculture
 Timber and charcoal
production
 Human settlement
 Salt pond construction
 Industrialization
 Pollution
Mangrove resources decline in the Philippines
500
288
175
140 138
117
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1920 1970 1980 1988 1993 1995
Mangrove Area (in thousand hectares)
Source: Melena, et.al., 2000

43.
Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998
 Department of Agriculture Administrative Order #6,
Series of 1998. Implementing Rules and Regulations
Pursuant to Republic Act 8435: An Act Prescribing
Urgent Related Measures to Modernize the
Agriculture and Fisheries Sector of the Country in
order to Enhance their Profitability and Prepare Said
Sector for the Challenges of Globalization Through An
Adequate Focused and Rational Delivery of Necessary
Support Services, Appropriate Funds Transfer, and for
Other Purposes

44.
Objectives

45.
Principles Accorded To

46.
Conservation Efforts
 Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)
 Under the Department of Agriculture
 government agency responsible for the development,
improvement, management and conservation of the
country's fisheries and aquatic resources

47.
BFAR’s Interventions
 Resource enhancement
 Conservation measures
 Resource protection
BFAR works together with local governments in order to make sure
that the laws pertaining to the seas are implemented to their full
strength.

48.
BFAR: Resource Enhancement
 Mangrove enhancement for
aquasilviculture
 Mangroves can be managed
for silviculture and give annual
income up to $11,000/ha/yr
(Primavera, 1993).
 At 3T mangrove trees per
hectare; the total expected
mangrove cover from 2011 to
2012 is estimated at 8,758 ha
Mangrove Propagules Planted

49.
BFAR: Resource Enhancement
 Mangrove Rehabilitation
 Of the total cost of 8 pesos per
mangrove propagules planted, 6 pesos
will go directly to the participating
fisherfolk as additional income
 The remaining 2 pesos will cover the
hiring of Community Organizers -
hence, jobs are also being generated.
Particulars Unit Cost
Mangrove
propagule
P1.50
Planting (per pc.) P2.00
Survival (per pc.) P2.50
Administrative
Cost (organizing,
meetings and
other related
activities)
P2.00
Total P8.00

50.
BFAR: Conservation Measures
 Sardine “closed season;” fishing bans
 Seasonal closure to promote regrowth of fish populations
 Expansion of sardine closure area to include Visayan Sea
and the Burias Pass
 Sardine production volume is expected to increase by 3-
folds after 2 years of continuous compliance by
commercial fishing vessels
 Tuna catch is also expected to improve; the sardines being
part of its food

51.
BFAR: Resource Protection
 Apprehension and control over illegal harvesting and
trade of precious corals
 Minimization of overfishing and other forms of
destructive fishing
 Intensified monitoring, control and surveillance
activities

52.
Bantay Dagat
 The Bantay Dagat(Sea Patrol)
is a civilian fisheries
patrol force made up of
volunteers that try to keep a
24 hour watch on Philippine
coastal waters up to 15
kilometers from shore
 To address lack of patrol
boats and other technical
equipment (e.g. GPS) in some
provinces
Source: http://philippinenavy.tripod.com/bantay.html

53.
Bantay Dagat
 While extremely helpful to provincial fisheries, many
have risked their lives in the dangerous effort of
pursuing fishermen who conduct illegal activities.