Mindfully Greenie
It is one of this urbanite’s exhilarating moments to be awakened by the rhythmic sounds of the waves and seeing the sun slowly emerging from the night’s shadows, illuminating the landscape with its blazing rays. The excitement is clearly shared by the seabirds hovering in the horizon, looking for their first meal for the day; even fowls find something to eat in between the stones in the sand.
Then, the fisherfolk, with his wife and little girl, loom into the view. The couple are jointly lifting the non-motorized banca that will hopefully help them find the fish and other blessings from the sea for their daily sustenance. The father went into the small vessel and paddled his way into the ocean. The mother, her left hand holding their child’s, waved goodbye. In her mind perhaps, and in her husband as well, is the question, “Will the sea be kind to us today?”
Each day, this heart-wrenching scene repeats itself, all over our islands.
For those who know, and these include the fisherfolk themselves and their families, the fisheries and local government officials, scientists and non-government organizations and people’s organizations working in the fisheries sector, our seas are reaching a highly critical level due to overfishing resulting from illegal commercial and destructive fishing, ecologically damaging and largely unplanned coastal development such as reclamation, pollution, sedimentation and an almost-nil implementation of our otherwise world-class laws.
Added to this list and should be mentioned are the devastating impacts of a rapidly changing climate, which unfortunately, few among the officialdom discuss with the constituents.
The fisheries crisis demands urgent and sustainable solutions – now, and not when it is already too late.
Since 1950s, there had already been noted a decline in the catch per unit effort for small pelagic municipal fisheries. This is alarming as “more than 60% of population live in coastal areas and are highly dependent on fisheries resources.” Per the publication ‘The State of the Coasts 2012’, “Around 98.8% of the total fishers are in the municipal fishery sector while the remaining 1.2% are involved in commercial fisheries.”
With the depleted fish population issue staring at us in the face, is it any wonder that our subsistence fisherfolk are considered the poorest of the poor in what is labelled as the ecological superpower country called the Philippines? What a starking and starkling shameful irony it is.
It is heartening that there is an increasing number of local governments (but still less than mandated) collaborating with fellow local government units, national agencies and other stakeholders, in sustainably managing their marine ecosystems, thereby helping tremendously in alleviating poverty and food security issues in the country.
One such municipality is Bindoy in Negros Oriental which won as the nation’s top Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Council in 2015.
In Tañon Strait, the country’s largest marine protected area, and home of half of the entire country’s species of whales and dolphins, and vast hectares of mangroves, sea grass and coral ecosystems, the same challenges had permeated the protected seascape for decades.
Already earning the well-deserved recognition as a prime mover in the evolving story of Tañon Strait, the regional director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region 7, Isabel Montejo, calls repeatedly for a mind set of sustainability among all key players in this unique global heritage area.
This requires integrating social, environmental and not just economic factors in decision-making.
In his keynote speech, “The State of Tañon Strait,” before more than 200 members participating in the Tañon Strait Protected Area Management Board General Assembly, the second since its proclamation 18 years ago, he reported on the critical milestones that the governing body and its executive committee achieved a year after the historic February 2015 convening of the General Assembly. The achievements are indeed nothing short of spectacular.
Who can claim the exercise of the much-needed political will to conduct regular sea-borne patrol, apprehension and filing of cases against violators of environmental laws in Tañon Strait?
Who has made possible the inter-agency cooperation among local government units, fisheries and environmental agencies, and the police in partnership with civil society?
The expansion and the engaged membership in the coastal law enforcement alliance for Region 7 make possible a more focused collective drive to eradicate impunity and lawlessness in our oceans.
Inspired by the sincerity, dedication and commitment by our public authorities to protect and defend Tañon Strait from irresponsible and illegal practices of the past, civil society leaders also met and forge an understanding to be more effective partners of the government in restoring the ecological integrity and fisheries abundance in Tañon Strait, in particular, and our oceans in general.
There is a surge of tremendous energy and hope that, with the inspiring developments taking place, it is not far-fetched that Tañon Strait will become a model marine protected area not just in our country but in the world, this despite pressures from sectors which still cannot connect the dot of ecological sustainability and our responsible long-term choices.
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