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.
No comments:
Post a Comment