Crown-of-thorns starfish ‘Dap-ag’ outbreak seen in 14 areas

CEBU, Philippines — At least 14 areas in Cebu and 50 marine protected areas are currently being plagued by an “outbreak” of the crown-of-thorns starfish, locally known as dap-ag, according to the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

In an interview with reporters on Thursday, PDRRMO head Baltazar Tribunalo, Jr. said the effects of the weak El Niño has worsened the situation because from five areas, the purported outbreak has spread to 14 localities.

He said the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office recommended for the event to be classified as an outbreak because of the rapid proliferation of these large starfish.

Tribunalo said the more these types of starfish grow in number, the more corals will be damaged because they prey upon hard or stony, coral polyps; and these starfish commonly proliferate when the sea temperature rises.

Earlier, only five municipalities were reportedly affected by the crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak; Tabogon, Tuburan, and Moalboal in the Cebu mainland, and Poro and Tudela in Camotes Island.

Based on the latest data, the entire Camotes Island is now reportedly affected by the outbreak that now includes two of its four municipalities --San Francisco and Pilar.

Aside from Camotes, Bantayan Island with three municipalities (Santa Fe, Bantayan, and Madridejos) has also been observed experiencing the same oubreak.

The other nine areas affected are the towns of Cordova, Dalaguete, Argao, Santandar, Samboan, San Remegio, Oslob, Carmen, and Talisay City.

Off the shores of these towns are certain marine protected areas that are abundant with coral reefs which are also home to a variety of fish species that are sources of food for locals.

Tribunalo said PENRO already submitted a proposal to his office for the latter to be allocated funds amounting to P1.3 million. However, he said this is yet a “conservative” value.

Based on PENRO’s proposal, the bulk of the amount will be earmarked for the cash-for-work or food-for-work initiative tapping divers or the fishermen themselves in the affected towns. They will be tasked to remove these crown-of-thorns starfish but are advised to be careful because these starfish have venomous thorn-like spines covering its upper surface.

Tribunalo said as an immediate intervention, the Capitol will be launching a cleanup drive sometime next week.

He said the challenge is unlike the other impacts of El Niño that are very visible, because it requires experts or workers to dive into the reef to check the corals.

On PENRO’s long-term intervention, the office proposes for the Capitol to allot a significant share of P18 million for coral rehabilitation that may take as long as three years. There will also be a close monitoring of the affected marine protected areas.

During the 2015-2016 El Niño episode, the damage to Cebu’s fisheries sector reached P759,100.

With this latest El Niño episode, PDRRMO launched again a comprehensive damage assessment to determine the extent of the damage and losses to Cebu’s crops, livestock, fisheries, and water supply

Based on the initial consolidated report of PDRRMO, there has been a significant drop in fish catch, and also fish kill in aquaculture livestock, particularly milkfish (bangus). Fishermen also complained that they cannot fish longer during daytime due to the intense heat.

Also, about 350 hectares of seaweed (guso) farms were damaged in Bantayan Island, a significant number of which is the 300 hectares in Bantayan town. The damage has been pegged at P28 million.

All in all, PDRRMO estimated the damage to and loss of crops, livestock, fisheries, and water supply at P100 million. — BRP (FREEMAN)