DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) here are amenable to organize an information network along the southern coast of the province to enhance rescue operations for stranded animals like sea turtles or “pawikans.”
Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) Viernov Grefalde and ENRD chief Manric Barillo agreed in a recent Kapihan sa PIA forum here that establishing an information network would result in a better referral system between residents of coastal barangays and government agencies.
This is also part of the solution proposed by the two government agencies to address the incidents of “pawikan” stranding and deaths reported in Brgy. Inalad, Siaton, which is more than 50 kilometers away from Dumaguete City.
Maria Lina Eparwa, a resident of Brgy. Inalad, shared during the forum that she saw a turtle carcass along their village coast in April.
When she asked other villagers if there were similar sightings over the past days, she learned that three dead turtles were also washed ashore but were immediately buried due to the stench.
Eparwa posted an image of the dead turtle on her Facebook page for public awareness.
She said the “lambaklad” installed by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) could be a possible reason behind the turtle stranding.
Lambaklad is a coined term for “lambat” (net) and “baklad” (corral).
It is a set-net technology adopted from Japan that uses a combination of nets, floaters, and stakes to create a barrier to capture fish.
The BFAR said in its website described this as a form of sustainable fishing.
Eparwa asked DENR to verify if the placement of the lambaklad is connected to the turtle stranding.
“(Ang) net parallel sa seashore, daghan ma-trap na mga isda including the pawikan. Ilang giingon, kay naa man video gi-show ang pawikan na na-trap, ila ra pod gibuhian. Ang pawikan, once ma trap sila, ma-stress sila. (If) imo sila ibalik dayon sa dagat, dili sila kabalik sa lalom. Mo-float ra na sila. Maagian sa mga pumpboat pwede siya maligsan,” she said.
(The net was installed parallel to the seashore. Fishes can be trapped including the pawikan. The residents showed a video of a trapped pawikan, which they released back to the sea. Once a pawikan is trapped, they get stressed easily. If you release them immediately to the sea, they don’t easily return to the ocean. They just float on the surface, which puts them at risk of being hit by pump boats.)
Eparwa said the villages followed what the BFAR instructed them to do, which was to release the stranded pawikans back to the sea.
In response to this, Grefalde said the DENR will hold a dialogue with BFAR to verify if the lambaklad project is contributory to the turtle stranding in Brgy. Inalad.
“Ato pod na i-attempt pod (istorya) ang BFAR. Ila man na gi-promote para fish catch sa ato pa, legal ang size sa nets, (ang concern) lang sa location. Ato pod na i-discuss sa BFAR na ayaw na lang dihang lugar if ang resulta diay ana is the termination of the sea turtle anang lugar,” Grefalde said.
(I will discuss this with BFAR. But since they are promoting this, then the size of nets is legal but our concern is the location. We will discuss this with them and suggest placing it somewhere else if its current location would cause termination of sea turtles in that area.)
Grefalde said residents should have reported past incidents of pawikan stranding first to the Municipal Agriculturist Office (MAO) if the incident was related to any fishing activity, or to the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) for immediate action and guidance on what to do in case of a pawikan stranding.
“Kato sa Siaton is a special incident. Kinahanglan gud ta network for information. Iinform ang MAO kay ang fisheries act mostly devolved function na siya. Ang BFAR regulatory ra. Ang Municipal ENRO ang in-charge sa dili masulod sa Mao mao na kon motawag nimo sila,” he said.
(What happened in Siaton was a special incident. We really need an information network for this. They should have informed the MAO because the Fisheries Act is a devolved function in which the BFAR is only a regulatory agency. On the other hand, the municipal ENRO is in charge of other marine species. They could also call them.)
“Naa mi gitawag og DENR quick reaction teams para mao na moresponde kanang stranding. We seek to improve, ato kontakon ang exact government agency,” he added.
(We have quick reaction teams who are ready to respond to marine animal stranding. We seek to improve, and we should contact the appropriate government agency.)
Further investigation pushed
Meanwhile, Barillo pushed for further investigation on the turtle stranding.
“We cannot attribute the cause of the death sa turtle kung didto ba siya namatay sa lambaklad. Maybe there are other factors na nakaingon. Mamatay ang gud ang turtle kun makatulon og plastic. Ikaduha basin naay spear fishers na naakita ana kay,” Barillo said.
(We cannot just attribute the cause of the death of the turtles to the Lambaklad. Maybe there are other factors. Turtles die when they swallow plastic. Another cause would be spearfishing.)
Barillo added that local government units (LGUs) can revisit their Integrated Coastal Resource Management Plans that serve as basis in assessing the impact of livelihood interventions along coastal areas.
He also pushed for the creation of a wildlife rescue network in the area.
“Wala pa ta na-organize didto na wildlife rescue unlike along the Tañon strait we have two clusters of alliances, if ever naa stranding these alliances sa mga adjoining LGUs naa sila capability how to handle it,” he said.
(We haven’t organized a wildlife rescue there unlike along the Tañon strait, we have two clusters of alliances. If ever there are strandings, these alliances composed of adjoining LGUs have the capability to handle it.)
Barillo said that Barangays Inalad, Sumaliring, and San Jose in Siaton town were the sites for a study on seagrass earlier conducted by Silliman University and sea turtles thrive in this environment. (RAL/PIA7 Negros Oriental)
