Burger recipes

Burger King's first restaurant, originally called Insta Burger King, was opened on December 4, 1954 in a suburb of Miami, Florida by James McLamore and David Edgerton; both alumni of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. McLamore visited the original McDonald's hamburger stand belonging to Dick and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino, California; sensing potential in their innovative assembly line-based production system, he decided to create a version of his own. By 1959, BK had grown to five regional stores in and around the metropolitan Miami area. About this time,

McLamore and Edgerton decided to expand BK nationally by using a franchising system; a popular method for expansion due to its low capital cost for the parent company. They formed Burger King Corporation as the parent and began selling territorial franchise licenses to private owners across the US.[4]
Company headquarters in Miami, Florida
Restaurant in Redwood City, California

In 1967, after eight years of private operation, the Pillsbury Company acquired Burger King and its parent company Burger King Corporation. At the time of the purchase, BK had grown to 274 restaurants in the United States. Even though Pillsbury owned and operated the company, BK was still the object of a series of failed and successful acquisitions and divestitures. In 1973, Chart House, owner of 350 BK restaurants at the time and one of BK's largest franchise groups, attempted to purchase the chain from Pillsbury for $100 million (USD). When Chart House's bid failed, its owners, Billy and Jimmy Trotter, suggested that Pillsbury and Chart House spin off their respective

Burger King holdings and merge the two entities into a separate company, an offer Pillsbury also declined. After the failed attempts to acquire BK, the relationship with Chart House and the Trotters began to sour; in 1979 BK successfully sued Chart House for improperly acquiring locations in Boston and Houston.[4] In 1984, Pillsbury purchased Chart House's successor DiversiFoods for $390 million (USD) after a separate, independent $525 million DiversiFoods management-backed leveraged buy-out of the company failed.

BK, and former corporate siblings, Bennigan's, Steak and Ale, Godfather's Pizza (part of the DiversiFoods acquisition[7]), Quik Wok and Häagen-Dazs ice cream shops, remained under the Pillsbury corporate umbrella until Pillsbury divested its restaurant holdings in 1989 and sold Burger King to British alcoholic beverage manufacturer and distributor Grand Metropolitan PLC. In 1989, under the ownership of Grand Met,

Burger King acquired many locations of its major UK rival Wimpy when the parent company bought the Wimpy's brand from its previous owner United Biscuits and re-branded them as Burger King, giving it an even greater presence in that country. While other "Wimpy" locations are still in operation presently, they are now independent from BK and no longer have the presence they once did. In 1997, Grand Metropolitan merged with Guinness to form a company called Diageo. Diageo maintained ownership of BKC until 2001 when Diageo decided to focus solely on their beverage products and divest itself of the chain.

By the time of the sale, Burger King's revenues and market share had declined significantly, Burger King had fallen to a near tie for second place with rival Wendy's in the US market for hamburger chain restaurants.[8] For many years leading into the early 2000s Burger King and its various owners plus many of its larger franchises closed many under-performing stores. Several of its largest franchises entered bankruptcy due to the issues surrounding the performance of the brand

In 2002, a troika of private equity firms led by TPG Capital, L.P with associates Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners agreed to purchase BK from Diageo for $1.5 billion (USD), with the sale becoming complete in December of that year. The new owners, through several new CEOs, have moved to revitalize and reorganize the company, the first major move was to re-name the BK parent as Burger King Brands.

The investment group initially planned to take BK public within the two years of the acquisition, this was delayed until 2006. On February 1, 2006, CEO Greg Brenneman announced TPG's plans to turn Burger King into a publicly traded company by issuing an Initial Public Offering (IPO). On February 16, the company announced it had filed its registration for the IPO with the Securities and Exchange Commission. On May 18, 2006, Burger King began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BKC and generated $425 million in revenue, the largest IPO of a US-based restaurant chain on record.

International expansion

While BK began its foray in to locations outside of the continental United States in 1963 with a store in San Juan, Puerto Rico, it did not have a large international presence. This situation changed shortly after the acquisition when Pillsbury opened its first international restaurant in Canada in 1969. Other international locations followed soon after: Oceania in 1971 with Hungry Jack's and in Europe in 1975 with a restaurant in Madrid, Spain.

Beginning in 1982, BK and its franchisees began operating stores in several East Asian countries, including Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea. Due to high competition, all of the Japanese locations closed by the end of 2001. BK reentered the Japanese market in mid-2007.[15] BK's Central and South American operations began in Mexico in the late 1970s. While Burger King lags behind McDonald's in international locations by over 12,000 stores, it has managed to become the largest chain in several countries including Mexico and Spain.

To assist in its international expansion, Burger King has established several subsidiaries to develop strategic partnerships and alliances to expand into new territories; in Europe, Burger King's subsidiary Burger King Europe GmbH is responsible for the licensing and development of BK franchises in the that market, Africa and Western Asia. In Asia, the BK AsiaPac, PTE. Ltd. business unit handles franchising for East Asia, the Asian subcontinent and all Oceanic territories except Australia.

Over the ten year period starting in 2008, Burger King sees 80% of its market share to be driven by foreign expansion, particularly in the Asia-Pacific and Indian subcontinent regional markets. While the TPG-lead group has continued BK's international expansion by announcing plans to open new franchise locations in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and Brazil, the company plans to focus on the three largest markets, India, China and Japan.

The company plans to add over 250 stores in these Asian territories, as well as other countries such as Macau, by the end of 2012.[ Its expansion into the Indian market has the company at a competitive disadvantage with other QSR vendors such as KFC because the country's large Hindu majority's aversion to beef. BK hopes to use their recent non-beef products, such as their TenderCrisp and TenderGrill sandwiches, as well as other products to help them overcome this hurdle to expand in that country.

marine ocian

Animated map exhibiting the world's oceanic waters. A continuous body of water encircling the Earth, the world (global) ocean is divided into a number of principal areas. Five oceanic divisions are usually recognized: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern; the last two listed are sometimes consolidated into the first three.

An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface (an area of some 361 million square kilometers) is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas. More than half of this area is over 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) deep. Average oceanic salinity is around 35 parts per thousand (ppt) (3.5%), and nearly all seawater has a salinity in the range of 30 to 38 ppt.

Learn How Several Acne Treatment Skin Care Methods Can Help Get Rid of Acne Scars

People who suffer from acne are not only tortured by their current skin condition but also by the concern of having acne scars after curing their acne. In most cases, acne scars eventually fade after several months or years. However, some stubborn acne scars will linger for longer periods of time. This can cause a very low self confidence in one person especially if the acne scars are present on the facial skin.

There are two types of acne scars. The first one is the hypertrophic or keloid scars and the second one is the unsightly crevices and craters on the skin surface. Some people can easily get rid of their acne scars by applying vegetable or fruit facial packs, rubbing potato slices on the scarred areas, and using acne treatment skin care with exfoliating ingredients.

Not all people can get rid of their acne scars by using natural or commercially prepared products in the market. But thanks to advancements in technology and science, they can now enjoy a scar free life forever through the acne treatment skin care procedures done by professionals. These procedures are a bit pricey but the results are simply amazing.

The first procedure is called laser treatment which is performed by trained and licensed dermatologists. The scarred skin is removed layer by layer using lasers in the dermatologist’s clinic. The upper layer of the skin that exhibits the acne scars is replaced by new skin underneath. If your acne scars run deep below the skin surface, you will have to undergo several laser treatments before you can see any improvement on your skin.

Another acne treatment skin care method is called dermabrasion or microdermabrasion. Just like the laser treatment, this method aims to bring out the fresher skin underneath. This procedure uses fine aluminum crystals and a rotating instrument to “power peel” your acne scarred skin. The greatest thing about this method is that it also brings back the luster to your skin thus giving you a healthy glowing skin. In some cases, you may need several treatments before any results could be noticeable.

Acne scars can also be treated with chemical peels. However, if you have very sensitive skin, you cannot undergo this method. The chemicals used might burn your skin surface and might even bring back acne outbreaks on your skin. It is also important to consider undergoing chemical peels from a dermatologist rather than having one in the salon.

The last result of treating your acne scar is by going under the knife. Plastic surgeries have been done in several patients who suffered from severe acne. This is the most expensive acne treatment skin care procedure among the four methods mentioned. However, if your scars really run deep that no skin resurfacing methods can help, then this is your only option.

Having acne scars can really hurt one’s feelings when they’re out in the public but it’s a good thing that technology and science came up with the aforementioned methods to help people who suffered from acne. You must remember though that all of these methods should only be performed when you are no longer suffering from acne.

About the Author
Skincare, acne and health expert. I also have been building a variety of websites for the last 3 years. Julia Elorriaga LastSkinCare.com For more information about Acne visit Acne - LastSkinCare.com

50 Ways to Use Essential Oils for a Cleaner, Sweet-smelling Life

1. For Scent-Sational wash, place a few drops of your favorite EO onto a small piece of terry cloth and toss into the clothes dryer while drying. Alternatively, add 5 drops of EO to 1/4-cup fabric softener or water and place in the center cup of the wash

2. Revive potpourri by adding a few drops of EO.
3. Freshen air by adding a few drops of EO to water in a spray bottle and spray.
4. Add a few drops of EO to a pan of water and simmer on a stove or in a potpourri pot.
5. For a scented candle, place a drop or two of EO into the hot wax as the candle burns.
6. Eliminate household cooking odors, add a few drops of Clove oil to a simmering pan of water.
7. For tired, aching muscles or arthritis, mix 1-drop Cajuput, Sage, and Basil oil to 30 drops vegetable oil and use as a massage oil.
8. Ease headache pain by rubbing a drop of Rosemary/ Lavender oil onto the back of your neck.
9. Blend your own massage oil by adding 3 drops of your favorite EO to 1 oz. Jojoba or other skin-nourishing vegetable oil.
10. For fresher smelling carpets, add 10 drops of EO to a box of cornstarch or baking soda, mix well, let set for a day or two and then sprinkle over the carpets in your home. Let set for an hour or more, than vacuum.
11. To make a natural flea collar, saturate a short piece of cord or soft rope with Pennyroyal or Tea Tree oil, roll up in a handkerchief and tie loosely around the animal’s neck.
12. Smelly feet or shoes can be remedied by either dropping a few drops of Geranium EO directly into the shoes or by placing a cotton ball dabbed with a few drops of Lemon oil into the shoes. Athlete’s foot? Tea tree oil is great.
13. Household odors? Put a few drops of your favorite EO on a cotton ball and place in your vacuum cleaner bag. Lemon and Pine are nice; Rose Geranium helps with doggy odor.
14. To fragrance your kitchen cabinets and drawers, place a food scent EO dabbed on a cotton ball in an inconspicuous corner.
15. Are mice a problem? Place several drops of Peppermint oil on cotton balls and place them in problem locations.
16. Scent the bathroom by placing oil-scented cotton balls in inconspicuous places or sprinkle oils directly onto silk or dried flower arrangements or wreaths.
17. To promote healing, apply 1 or 2 drops true Lavender oil and Tea Tree oil directly to cuts, scrapes or scratches.
18. Homemade soaps are pleasant and offer therapeutic effects when scented with EOs. Use Spirit Soaps that contain pure aromatics.
19. Home-made sachets are more fragrant when EOs is blended with the flowers and herbs.
20. Scent an entire room, set a calming or uplifting mood. Use a drop of EO on a radiator, scent ring, or light bulb. Do not put EO in the socket.
21. For “scentual” hand washables, use a few drops of your favorite EO or blend in the final rinse water.
22. Anise oil has been used by anglers for years to cover up the human scent that scares the fish away. Use a drop or two on the fingertips and hands before baiting up.
23. Create your own personal essence! EOs and blends make wonderful perfumes. Add 25 drops to 1 oz. perfume alcohol. Let age two weeks before using.
24. To dispel mosquitoes and other picnic or Bar-B-Q pests, drop a few drops of Citronella OR Eucalyptus citriodora oil in the melted wax of a candle or place a few drops on the Bar-B-Q’s hot coals.
25. Eliminate a troublesome wart by directly applying 1 drop of Lemon or Moroccan Blue Artemis EO to it. Apply daily until the wart is gone.
26. Rosemary and Basil promote alertness and stimulate memory. Inhale occasionally during long car trips and while reading or studying.
27. Selling your home? Fragrance sells! Fill the kitchen with the aroma of spices, such as Clove, Cinnamon and Vanilla by simmering a few drops of Cinnamon or Nutmeg EO. Create a warm, cheerful, inviting mood by sprinkling Geranium oil throughout your home. Add Cinnamon or Lemon oil to furniture polish and wipe down the wood.
28. Create a lovely, aromatic art piece by adding EOs to papier-mâché.
29. Infuse bookmarks and stationary with EOs. Use a few drops on paper, place in a sealed plastic bag & leave overnight to infuse the aroma. Send only good news on the perfumed letter.
30. To make gifts such as neck pillows or padded and decorative hangers more memorable put a couple of drops of EO on them before giving them as gifts.
31. Overindulge last night? EOs of Juniper, Fennel, Cedarwood, Grapefruit, Lavender, Rosemary and Lemon help soften the effects of a hangover. Make your own blend of these oils and use a total of 6-8 drops in a bath.
32. For a wonderfully scented wood fire, use EOs of Vetivert, Cypress, Atlas Cedarwood, Frankincense and Myrrh. Drop approximately 2-3 drops of oil or blend of your choice on a dried log and allow time for the oil to soak in before putting the log on the fire.
33. Flies and moths dislike Lavandin oil. Sprinkle in on the outside of your window frames.
34. For restful sleep, place 1 or 2 drops of sleep enhancing oils, such as Chamomile, Lavender, Neroli, Marjoram or Hops on your pillow before retiring.
35. When moving to a new home, first use a water spray containing your favorite EO and change the odorous environment to your own. Do this for several days until it begins to feel like your own space.
36. Ideal scents for the bedroom are Roman Chamomile, Geranium, Lavender or Lemon.
37. Make your own copper polish. Add 1 drop of Lemon EO to a soft cloth and gently buff.
38. When washing out the fridge, freezer or oven, add 1 drop of Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, Bergamot, Mandarin or Orange EO to the final rinse water.
39. For burns or scalds, drop Tea Tree oil directly onto the affected area.
40. To aid digestion and relieve an upset stomach - place 1 drop of Peppermint oil in 1/2 glass of water and
slowly sip.
41. To relieve teething pain in children, use 1-drop Chamomile oil on a washcloth wrapped ice cube.
42. To cool the body in summer and protect it in the winter, add 6-8 drops of Eucalyptus oil in the bath
43. To bring out a radiant glow in your skin, add 1 drop Geranium oil to your facial moisturizer.
44. For thicker hair, or to promote growth, place 1 or 2 drops of Rosemary on your hair brush before brushing.
45. When flu is going around add a few drops of Thyme to your diffuser or simmer in a pan on the stove.
46. To bring fever down, sponge the body with cool water to which 1 drop each Eucalyptus, Peppermint and Lavender oils have been added.
47. Create a better work environment. Lavender creates a calm, tranquil atmosphere while Grapefruit stimulates the senses and clears up stale air.
48. Alleviate anxiety and depression. Blend Geranium, Lavender & Bergamot, and use in a diffuser or add 6-8 drops of this blend to the bath.
49. A wonderful massage blend for babies is one drop Roman Chamomile, 1 drop Lavender, 1 drop Geranium diluted in 2 Tablespoons Sweet Almond Oil.
50. Headaches? Rub the back of the neck with 1-drop Peppermint oil diluted in 1-teaspoon vegetable oil.
51. Perfume! Make a blend of 20 drops Neroli + 10 drops Lemon + 5 drops of Patchouli. Umm, yum. Age for 2 weeks; add an equal amount of high-proof alcohol. Age again and use.
source

Dead Sea Cosmetics Guide - Get Natural Relief!!

Dead sea cosmetics protect human skin from aging and polluted atmosphere. These cosmetics keep you young and beautiful. Dead sea mud has been known for its powerful ingredients from ancient times. Dead sea mud mask contains rich minerals that stimulate and exfoliate your skin.

Dead sea cosmetics improve appearance of your skin. These cosmetics are helpful in preventing wrinkles and increasing elasticity that makes your skin young and exciting. Dead sea minerals play a significant role in skin-nourishment. Dead sea cosmetics don't include irritating chemicals or harmful ingredients.

Dead sea cosmetics are prepared with pure natural cosmetic products that really soothe your skin. You can easily maintain your skin with several Dead Sea cosmetic skin care items. Some beauty products or Dead Sea cosmetics contain minerals from Dead Sea or natural plants that are available near Dead Sea. AHAVA, Natural Sea Beauty, Mineral Care and Sea of Spa are some common Dead Sea products.

AHAVA is a plant that is found at Dead Sea surrounding area and is very calm to the skin. It is used to prepare balms, exfoliations and other beauty products. It works as good moisturizer for extremely dry skin. These great Dead Sea cosmetics offer smooth glow, which everyone desires. Dead Sea Cosmetics are used for natural relief.

Have You Ever Tried Sea Urchin Rice Bowl?

It is very popular Japanese sea food rice bowl especially in northern region. Oh, at first I have to explain about rice bowl style eating. In japan, steamed rice is the main food to take carbohydrate and protein in every three meal.

Steamed rice is very convenient food, as itself do not have strong taste, it can be adjusted to any dishes of fish, meat, vegetables and so on. So we Japanese use it to make rice bowl with those meat or fish putting them on rice. This is one of the Japanese original fast food.
You may know "Yoshinoya" in some US cities selling beef rice bowl.

Sea urchin, have you ever seen it in seaside or sea food shop?

It looks like a hedgehog or chestnut in spiky shell, but inside the spiky shell, you can find a lot of yellow or orange colored gonad and Japanese love to eat them.

Since the numbers of sea urchin gradually decreased in these a few decades, the sea urchin is not cheap enough to use it as fast food. Now sea urchin rice bowl costs more than 3000yen, 25 US dollars, however, you can enjoy it at reasonable price in seaside village in Aomori prefecture.

Local small restaurants usually have sea urchin rice bowl in their menu, and it costs less than 1500 yen with a lot of fresh sea urchin.

Nuidou syokudou is one of the famous small restaurant in Sai village.

You can enjoy seafood set with sea urchin rice bowl at 1500 yen, and surprisingly, you will find a lot of sea urchin gonad put on the rice bowl, more than two times much than expensive one you usually can eat in Sushi bar in Japanese big cities.

The taste of sea urchin taste like ...no I cannot imagine any western foods. Try and enjoy it when you visit Japan.

Dog Food secrets

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You're about to discover the terrifying-truth about commercial dog food that is linked to the deaths of thousands of dogs across the US every single day.

Many world-famous Doctors of Veterinary Medicine and published Dog Care Experts universally agree any dog that eats commercial dog food is at a much higher risk of dying prematurely and by the time symptoms are noticeable, it's often too late to prevent an agonizing death except by lethal injection.

See their shocking, research-supported claims in this report.

Also in this report, I show you a simple solution proven to increase the lifespan of your dog by up to 134% and save you up to $10,000.

To discover these amazing secrets just continue reading and your reward is a super-healthy, incredibly-happy dog that stays by-your-side for up to 8.3-years longer than statistically predicted.Click here

Ocian park

Mabuhay! Welcome to Manila Ocean Park – the Philippines’ first state-of-the-art Oceanarium, open water marine habitat, boutique mall, restaurant row and function facilities all located in one complex at the back of the Quirino Grandstand. more info

Shark Anatomy

A Flawless Set of Teeth

The shark's jaws exhibit characteristics unique in the animal world, no terrestrial predator has jaws that come anywhere near matching them in their perfection.

The ancestors of modern sharks were equipped with an upper jaw fixed to the skull (as in man) and with a mouth located at the extremity of the head. Since the age of these fossil sharks, which had to content themselves with relatively small prey, the mouth has moved underneath the head, and the upper jaw, disengaged from the skull, has become mobile. The shark is therefore equipped with two mobile and independent jaws, enabling it to swallow much larger prey and to tear off much larger pieces of flesh.

The spectacular distance these jaws can open would be nothing were they not subtended by muscles of exceptional power. The shutting force of a shark's jaws was measured a few years ago using an apparatus tested by J. N. Snodgrass which he called the "gnathodynamometer". With the help of Dr. Perry Gilbert he measured the dentition strength of the Tiger Shark, the Lemon Shark and the Dusky Shark. The maximum force recorded for for a single tooth of a Dusky Shark was 600 kilos per 2mm squared, or 3 tons per square cm. Even then it should be noted that their specimens were not more than three meters long, so doubtless this enormous force must be doubled for animals of 5 or 6 meters in length. As an indication, the strength exerted by a human jaw is 220 kilos per square cm for a man weighing 70 kilos (11 stone). It must also be remembered that, in addition to cutting, these jaws are capable of crushing bones.


The Great White Shark as seen by Bloch in 1785 in his Histoire naturelle du poisson. This encyclopedia entry served as a model for a very long time and even its errors were taken up (in particular here the inversion of the upper and lower teeth).
(Click the thumbnail for a larger image)

Besides its extensibility and its Herculean strength, the jaw of the shark possesses a third formidable feature: a set of teeth whose anatomy and manner of replacement are also unique in the animal kingdom. The shark's teeth can be renewed indefinitely as fast as they are lost either at the time of an attack or when they fall out spontaneously. Several sets of reserve teeth exist behind the set that is functional at the time, i.e. the one that sits on the ridge of the jawbone. There are thus at least five sets, covered to varying degrees with buccal mucous membrane depending on whether they are number five, four, three or two in line. If one or more teeth in the functional row are exposed at the root, broken or torn out, the corresponding tooth or teeth of the next row will move up and become functional.

Furthermore, the teeth are held fast on a very strong fibrous tissue, allowing them to be erected when the mouth is opened. The opening movement makes them turn forwards and outwards, enabling the shark to bite firmly and to hold on to what it bites. Taking into account the fact that each one of these teeth itself bears smaller teeth, making it a veritable saw, and that its concavity at the rear gives it qualities of a hook, one can understand why the wounds left by such a formidable jaw are always dramatic, if not fatal.

Even when dead, the animal remains a potential danger to guard against. A jaw that has been cut away from its surrounding muscles, and placed on the deck of a boat to dry in the sun has a good chance of suddenly snapping shut again owing to retraction of the fibrous articulations. Woe betide the hand or arm that lingers too long; accidents have occurred on a number of occasions.

For the same reasons, the best way of removing the hook from the shark's mouth is to wait until the following day. Apparent death in this animal is often only an illusion, even several hours after it has been out of the water.

Our information on the rate of tooth replacement in the sharks stems in particular from the studies done by the American Samford Moss on species of scavenging shark. The Lemon Sharks, for example, renew their teeth every 8.2 days for the lower jaw and every 7.8 days for the upper jaw. This is doubtless an extreme case, and it seems that the largest species have a longer cycle, of the order of six months to a year. It has been possible to demonstrate this in a crude fashion through teeth gathered on the bottom of certain large aquaria.

The shape of the teeth is highly characteristic according to the order to which the animal belongs, and thus not only allows for the easy identification of a shark once captured, but also aids the identification of the species of shark responsible for an attack, when all or part of a tooth is found in the victim's wounds.


Dental Formula - This helps in the identification of a shark. 13/13, for example, means 13 teeth in the upper half-jaw and the same number in the lower half-jaw. In certain species (particularly in the requiem sharks), a few very small teeth can be seen in the center of each jaw, causing the formula to vary.

Endangered species

Citing the importance of mangroves to the environment, the marine scientists who attended the workshop strongly advocated for the immediate protection of mangrove forests in the country. They pointed out that mangroves provide a vital shoreline protection during storms. It is also a food rich nursery area for juvenile fish, shrimp and other rare and endangered wildlife.

Marine scientists have already identified 36 species of mangroves in the country. With the help of the World Conservation Union and the First Philippine Conservation Inc., 30 top scientists gathered in Lian, Batangas to conduct a study assessing the state of mangroves in the Philippines . They plan to identify whether some of the Philippine mangrove species can be included in the world’s endangered species, thus providing permanent protection to the country’s mangrove forests.

First Phil. Conservation Inc. director Gerry Reyes said that identifying possible endangered mangrove species is just the first in a series of steps to halt the destruction of mangroves. He added that cooperation of all sectors of society, from the affected communities to departments of government, must work together to protect the mangroves in the country and ensure the steady supply of fish for future generations.

From 30 to 2 kilos of fish catch

Vic Custodio, a fisherman for 25 years, recalls that he used to catch more than 30 kilos of fish a day. But every year since he started fishing, he has seen his fish catch decrease. Now he only catches two kilos of fish a day. He blames the rapidly expanding population and the use of illegal methods of fishing such as dynamite and cyanide fishing as the main causes of the decline in fish catch.

Custodio now fears what may come in the future. He believes that with the rate of decline of fish catch, his sons might not only lose their jobs as fishermen but they might also run out of seafood to eat.

Like the destruction of trees in our forests and mountains, marine scientists are also alarmed by the rate of the decline of mangroves in the country. Based on recent studies, eighty percent of mangrove forests in the country have been destroyed since the 1950s. With no significant protection and enforcement of marine preservation laws, the trend is expected to continue.

Marine experts warn of seafood shortage

Marine experts attending a workshop on global mangrove conservation in Calatagan, Batangas warn of a possible seafood shortage if the destruction and depletion of mangrove forests continues in the country.

Based on a study conducted by marine biologist Dr. Kent Carpenter of the World Conservation Union and coordinator for Global Marine Species Assessment, 80 percent of the mangrove forests in the country have been destroyed either by illegal loggers or to pave the way for coastal development such as the building of fishponds in mangrove areas .

a According to Carpenter, aside from the growing population and the use of illegal fishing by unscrupulous fishermen, one of the main reasons for the declining fish catch is the destruction of the country’s mangrove forests. Carpenter stressed the importance of mangroves in the marine environment for they are used as breeding grounds for small fish.

During an inspection of mangroves by several teams of marine scientists in a coastal barangay in Calatagan, Batangas, the fishermen in the village admitted to a steady decline of fish catch in the area.