By
Rey Anthony H. Chiu
TAGBILARAN CITY, Feb 27 (PIA) --
Five fish sanctuaries in Bohol got at least 20 brood stocks of giant clams each
area to enhance their biodiversity.
According to the Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO) coastal resource management coordinator, Adelfa Salutan, the clam seeding aims to improve and sustain marine protected area (MPA)) management.
“It also opens up alternative livelihood in the overall goal of reducing poverty incidence by securing food security for Bohol communities,” Salutan added.
The giant clams came from a clam hatchery in Bolinao Pangasinan and part of the P1.376 million giant clam seeding project of the provincial government of Bohol that aims to provide incentives and livelihood to MPA managers who could earn from the export of these exotic meat and novelty shells, Salutan stated.
The BEMO coastal resource management coordinator said that the establishment of MPAs is still the most effective way in the conservation and rehabilitation of the depleted and over-exploited coastal resources.
The Provincial Technical Working group on MPAs earlier cited studies that revealed the presence of giant clams (tridacna gigas) can increase the recruitment of variety of marine species as well as fast-track the restoration of the biodiversity.
Bohol governor Edgar Chatto said the proposal to seed giant clams in the fish sanctuaries came out naturally. The province helped people’s organizations manning the sanctuaries to assess their areas for seeding.
As the MPAs were assessed for the right parameters for the clams to survive and breed, Chatto sent technicians to the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) in Pangasinan for dispersal training, clam care in sanctuaries, monitoring, documentation and hatchery operations, Salutan said.
Provincial Socio-Economic and Environment Management Cluster head, Liza Quirog said the procured giant clams were sent through military transport with even Bohol key military officials and local government unit representatives handling the immediate transfer from the airport to their holding site in Bingag, prior to their eventual seeding in the five fish sanctuaries.
The five marine protected areas that received 20 giant clams each through their respective fishermen’s organizations were the marine protected areas of Bingag (Dauis); Basdio (Guindulman); Badinag (Anda); Sinandigan (Ubay); and Lipata in Carlos P. Garcia. (mbcn/RAHC-PIA 7, Bohol)