MV Double Prosperity perils endangered species

By SERAFIN N. RAMOS JR.

ALABEL, Sarangani (June 9, 2011) - Bacud Reef, rammed by overseas bulk carrier MV Double Prosperity that has since been stuck there since May 8, is one of the few sites in the Philippines where the endangered Mameng lives.

Also, the present status of the density and fish biomass of reef fishes in Bacud Reef is comparable with Tubbataha Reefs.

“The initial assessment data conducted in May 2011 for Bacud Reef showed an estimated fish biomass of 81mt/km2,” according to a research paper by Cleto L. Nañola Jr. of the University of the Philippines and Rina Maria P. Rosales of the Resources, Environment and Economics Center for Studies, Inc.

“Moreover, the reef areas in Kiamba are one of the few sites in the Philippines where Mameng (Napoleon wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus) was sighted. This species was also seen in Bacud Reef during the rapid assessment conducted in May 2011. Napoleon wrasse is one of the most valuable fish in the international live reef food fish trade because of its taste and rarity that lead to its high demand and retail prices. In 2010, it was declared as an Endangered species under the IUCN Red List of Threatened species,” the researchers said.

Furthermore, there were only few sites in the Philippines that Mameng can be found including Tubbataha and fringing reefs in Palawan, Nañola bared in another paper. This makes the area a very important place for Mameng conservation. At present Sarangani including Kiamba had been identified as one of the priority area for Mameng conservation.

Nañola said the estimated fish biomass of 81.66 mt/km2 in Bacud Reef falls under “very high category” (fish biomass greater than 41 mt/km2) based from the current classification of reef fish biomass for the country.

“Compared to other offshore reefs, this estimate is already very high and comparable with the 2009 fish data in Tubbataha. However, the recent average fish biomass data for Tubbataha in 2010 had jumped to 109 mt/km2,” Nañola said. “Tubbataha is by far had the greatest fish biomass estimates in the country topped by the piscivores.”

According to www.tubbatahareef.org, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is home to some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world. Rising from the volcanic depths of the Sulu Sea in the western Philippines, these magnificent atolls encompass an astonishing diversity of marine life. Tubbataha is the Philippines' first national marine park and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a place of global importance being preserved for future generations of humankind.

Bacud is an offshore reef situated 7 km. from the shore and covers an area of approximately 141,466 m2. The area falls under NIPAS (National Integrated Protected Area System) through Presidential Proclamation Number 756 promulgated in 1996 encompassing the municipal waters of Maasim, Kiamba and Maitum with a total area of 2,150 km2. In 2006, Bacud Reef was declared by the local government unit of Kiamba as restricted multiple-use area wherein only marginalized hook and line fishing is allowed.

MV Double Prosperity, which is twice the length of a football field, is precariously aground in Bacud Reef right now.

A total of 145 species belonging to 29 families of reef fishes were observed in Bacud Reef. Sixty one species were commercially important or target species dominated by the surgeonfishes (13 species), wrasses (10), triggerfishes (7 species), goatfishes (4 species), parrotfishes (4 species), snappers (3 species) and others. Nine indicators species were recorded represented mostly by the corallivores. Interestingly, a total of 22 species of butterflyfishes was observed considering the reef area is relatively small and offshore, according to Nañola.

At present, Sarangani falls in one of the biogeographic regions (Celebes Sea) in the country where reef fish diversity is high, according to Nañola and Rosales.

A damaged reef takes time to recover and is highly dependent on various factors that are detrimental to its recovery such as siltation, nutrient input, crown of thorn infestation, physical state of conditions, and its current state as either overfished or not.

Nañola and Rosales said reefs with some coral fragments surviving after the damage may take 10 years to recover. But for severely damaged reefs, it may take more than 20 years to recover. In some models, effects of coral damage on fish abundance may take 3 to 10 years to be noticed. In some of the long term monitoring reports of reefs in the Philippines, it was observed that reef recovery may take 9 to 18 years before reef fish biomass will attain a “pristine state”. (Serafin N. Ramos Jr./SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)