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.
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