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Monday, December 02, 2002
The lure of a sanctuary
By Ana Marie C. Cabigas
MANY moons ago the sea surrounding the Hambongan island in Inabanga, Bohol had been battered by dynamite explosions. Obnoxious chemicals seasoned the sea and poisoned the fishes. That was before the islanders there adapted the Community-Based Resource Management Project (CBRMP) and established a marine sanctuary. Today, the sound of waves battering the island shores dominate the air. The reefs of Hambongan island now flourish with colorful fish species.
As we took a round of the area, the pumpboat we were riding slowly glided over the calm waters outside the buffer zone of the sanctuary. And we were amazed to see butterfly fishes grazing on the newly rejuvenated soft and hard corals. These are marine animals made of skeletal forms and tiny living creatures called polyps. It is commonly called “gasang,” explained barangay councilman Ricardo Vitor. Vitor, who leads a group of fish wardens, enjoyed viewing the fish frolicking in the corals with the use of his traditional diving goggles.
Suddenly a school of sweet lips (lipti) appeared. They giggled with their tails like chicks as they headed for the seafloor to eat the fresh shells of sea urchins thrown by the fishermen guiding us. The fishes gobbled up what they could consume of the feedstuff as if it were the first time after so many years. It was also my first taste of fresh urchin’s meat.
Life for the marine organisms in Hambongan island was so terrible in the years back. As documented in 1999, with photo and video footages by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 7, the corals were massacred and suffocated with silt from the mouth of Inabanga river.
As a result, part of the island almost failed the hydrobiological assessment to qualify for the CBRMP. But the earnest desire of some fishermen to protect the remaining live corals was enough reason to consider it as one of the sites of the Inabanga Resource Rehabilitation and Development Project (IRRDP). This is a sub-project of CBRMP.
The people of Hambongan island then were muddled like the marine life. But they were reunited dramatically after a team of community organizers with the strong leadership of Inabanga Mayor Josephine Socorro C. Jumamoy incessantly brokered the thrust of CBRMP.
A series of consultations, orientations, formal trainings and a cross-visit to the successful marine sanctuary in Apo island, Dauin, Negros Oriental just for the Hambonganons were facilitated by IRRDP, BFAR 7, and the regional CBRMP Office. For the fishermen, to see is to believe. What they saw in Apo island became an inspiration and a beacon to them.
The year-long struggle of the Hambongan Resource Managers’ Organizational (HRMO) and the rigid law enforcement by the municipal Philippine National Police (PNP) and Bantay Dagat of Inabanga turned victorious. If there are violators recorded by the Inabanga PNP these are either from Cebu or the nearby towns.
Surely, love begets love – by men for the sea and by the sea for men. The sea in Hambongan island and in other coastal barangays of Inabanga is returning good catch to fishermen in an average of four to six kilograms per two to three hours. This is based on the reef and stock assessment conducted by BFAR 7 with the participation of people’s organizations (POs) formed by the IRRDP. Fish yield includes parrot (molmol), surgeon (indangan), grouper (lapu-lapu), mackerel (anduhaw), and various species of damsel (palata) fish.
The fingerlings are now visible along the coastline and in the mangrove plantation area of the island as they seek shelter and food during high tide. Also undisturbed and proliferating are crabs, shrimps, squids, and octopus.
The journey of IRRDP in Hambongan island to ease poverty and achieve a balanced marine ecosystem is spotting bright lights. The challenge to carry on these efforts and illuminate the entire community of Inabanga depends greatly on the strength of the PO in the island, the never-ending political will and support of the barangay and municipal leaders of Inabanga, and concerned government agencies.
Hopes are high among IRRDP implementors that after 10 years the reefs in Hambongan island will not only lure people and big fish but will also reap good fortune for the islanders and for the entire province of Bohol. |
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