A group of researchers studied the status of Asid Gulf and its prospects for management and development.
Conducted under the Marine Resource Assessment of Asid Gulf (MRAG) project, the study revealed the presence of highly-priced fishes and invertebrates in the gulf. These include scallops, sardines, seahorses, sea cucumbers, sea snakes and abalone, among other species.
The MRAG which is led by Prof. Victor S. Soliman of the Bicol University Tabaco Campus (BUTC) in Tabaco City was the first major scientific study that looked into the status of Asid Gulf.
Prof. Ronnel R. Dioneda, Sr. and Prof. Antonino B. Mendoza, Jr. of the Research Department of BUTC served as project component leaders.
Funding was provided by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and project activities were implemented in collaboration with the Masbate School of Fisheries in Milagros, Masbate.
After about half year of field surveys and laboratory analyses, the group revealed the wealth and status of resources that are found in Asid Gulf. According to them, sardines are the major pelagic species comprising 26% of the whole fishery production of 11,600 t/yr (in the gulf or in the Philippines) using the latest taxonomic identification. The group also identified Sardinella lemuru as the gulf’s dominant species.
Similar to those reported in other parts of the Philippines, the sardine stock in the gulf shows signs of overfishing. They are fished before they mature and their harvest level needs to be rationalized within its biological limits.
Adductor muscles are the most priced part of a scallop. These are the juicy, creamy and soft thread of muscles that are dubbed as “food for the gods”. Each muscle is about 10% of the total weight of a live scallop. This means the remaining 90% of the animal, including the shells, were often thrown away. This was particularly true from 1993 until 2003 when scallops were exceedingly abundant in the gulf. In fact, during those years, the only factor that would determine the amount of scallops to be harvested by a diver was the size of his boat.
The study also reported that coastal habitats of the gulf consisting of coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass/seaweed beds showed high levels of perturbation. Live coral cover was “fair” in selected sites while mangroves showed significant degradation.
Seagrass and seaweed beds, on the other hand, were in varying levels of disturbance apparently due to operation of certain fishing gears. Interviews with fishers revealed that illegal fishing methods (e.g., trawl, Danish seine, blast fishing) were being practiced in the gulf.
Simple digital analysis of images obtained from Google Earth showed the presence of small critter-like objects in the gulf which were later zoomed into large boats. Whether the boats were operating is a matter of conjecture.
Prompted by the results of the study, the Provincial Council of Masbate, with the backing up of local governments in the area, undertakes to pass a resolution which will develop a Scallop Development and Management Program for Masbate. The resolution seeks to protect the resources of the gulf with scallops as key flagship species.
With protective management and development for scallops at the fore, the program is expected to rehabilitate the gulf and its ecosystem as a whole including the human communities. For this purpose, scallops will be considered as the sentinel species.
MRAG experts explained that sentinel species serve as indicator of the quality of an ecosystem. In this case, if scallops are revived, the gulf will be nursed back to good health.
The study Pelagic fishery and coastal habitats of Asid Gulf, Masbate assessment and challenges for management was awarded as third Best Research Paper during the National Symposium on Agriculture and Aquatic Resources Research and Development (NSAARRD) on October 28, 2014 at Elvira O. Tan Hall, PCAARRD Headquarters, Los Banos, Laguna.
Initiated by the Los Baños-based PCAARRD, the NSAARRD recognizes the outstanding contributions of individuals and organizations in uplifting the state of research and development in the country, particularly in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources sectors.
Recognition focuses on the research and development outputs that fuel the Council to address its task in providing science-based know-how and tools that will enable the agricultural and aquatic sectors to raise productivity to world-class standards.