HERE’S an excerpt from a story from the Inquirer Southern Luzon Bureau:
MASBATE CITY–Four youths here have found blogging a chance to tell the world not only about the beauty of the seas surrounding this island province but also about the threats that could doom their rich marine ecosystems.
Representing the country at the international forum “Fishes Feed Us,” Ralph Cedie Fabon, 13, Kristine Yentyl Esber, 14, Soccii Nenotchka Tuason, 15, and Philip Joseph Alarcon, 15, all from Masbate, joined the exchange of ideas with youths from India, Malaysia, Philippines, and the United States on the global fish crisis.
The Fishes Feed Us blog was a project of the Arts and Science Collaborations Inc., a nongovernment organization based in New York City devoted to exploring the intersections of arts and science.
March 21st, 2008 at 11:03 am
This is a great blog and I am glad I found it. I love to learn everything I can about fly fishing because I never have been very good at it. I like to bass fish and have had pretty good luck with that. Striper fishing is way too easy but I always get my limit. I found a great place to get the best prices and biggest selection on the stuff that catches big fish. You can find it at http://championfishtackle.com I am going to return here and try to participate in the replies if I can figure out something that will contribute to the conversation. Keep up the great blogging!
August 10th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
A very noble thing to do..indeed…on the other side of the story..the sad part of the story…our legislators are not even doing anything to provide support to this ecowarriors that we admire so much…I myself is one of the culprits in the ever worsening of our ecosystem…I wanted to help, but as always work gets in the way…I am hoping though that sooner I will be able to contribute financially to these noble poeple/group…
Saludo ako sa inyo..ecowarriors…!!!
August 10th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
It’s an absolute necessity. Every corporation should take the green path and reduce their eco-footprint.
August 10th, 2007 at 8:21 am
Hi Bert,
I did not know that you are a marine lover. I agree, these illegal dynamite fishermen are doing guerrilla style illegal fishing with these destructive methods.
Also just as bad are cyanide fishing which destroy small fishes, sensitive young marine life, important microorganisms, and whole ecosystems like the coral reef which is vital in propagating more fishes.
Worse of all are large trawlers and muro-ami and doubly worse when they do fine net fishing. They strip whole swathes of marine ecosystems clean leaving nothing left to propagate the next generation of sea life. These constant incursion of highly financed foreign fishing trawler and the partiality of the DFA favoring these foreign criminals makes the worst kind of destruction of all.
As suggested by some, all ships captured in illegal fishing should have its engines stripped and converted to be used into fast patrol boats for “Bantay Dagat”. The large ship hull can purged of oil and toxic materials then sunk to serve as artificial coral reefs. The trawling nets can be recycled for its nylon cords for industrial uses. Waste not, want not.
August 9th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
I was born in a far-flung barrio, near the seashore, a paradise, and, ohh, the nostalgia, just daydreaming about the sweet scent of the decomposing kelps and seaweeds lining up the stretch along the shore where the gentle waves break upon meeting the course-white sandy pebbles. I’m a natural rural native of the region, but I’m far away now. Still, I know the problems. The foremost real problem over there that destroys the rich marine eco system are the rampant dynamite fishing that occur daily, day and night. The natives are living in a hand-to-mouth daily existence-stop a dynamite fisher from plying his trade for a day, and you deprive his family from eating for a day. And so, the cat-and-mouse game between the dynamite fishers and the authorities, whenever they sometimes care to do some law enforcement, which is very seldom, is still being played up to the present. The complacent local government are no match to the problem. Stop the dynamite fishing and the problem is 70% solved. By then the rich marine eco system will slowly revive from it’s wanton destruction.
August 9th, 2007 at 10:25 am
A beautiful project, there is a growing support for protecting our marine ecosystems because of various efforts such as these. I support this wholeheartedly.
These new eco-warriors should look into the constant illegal fishing and other anomalies being done in our marine sanctuary Tubbhataha reef involving Chinese fishing vessels and government agencies which seem to protect these activities.
Check out: http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=78204615391