BFAR: Reclamation will destroy fish spawning area of Manila Bay

A ranking official of the agriculture department has expressed concern over the planned reclamation project in Manila Bay, which will affect the area where fishes multiply.

During the committee hearing on the resolution seeking a review of the mandate of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), Atty. Benjamin Tabios, OIC, Asst. Director for Administrative Services of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), said the planned reclamation project of Altech, Inc. will affect the spawning area at the Las Piñas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Eco-Tourism Area (LPPCHEA).

LPPCHEA was included in the Ramsar List of the most important wetlands in the world, along with the Tubbataha Reef in Sulu and the Underground River in Palawan.

Tabios said a study conducted by the National Fisheries Development Institute in 2012, indicated that the hot spot for spawning is in the Eastern part of Manila Bay.

"Every March, the volume of eggs laid is the highest in this area. Theoretically, if you will be conducting reclamation of the area, it might affect the area where they spawn," Tabios said.

Sen. Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises, said the lagoons and mangroves at LPPCHEA provide an ideal breeding area in the bay.

"That is one of the questions raised. If you close that, even if you don't cut it or don't touch it but if you reclaim beyond that, the natural flow of water will be destroyed. The spawning area will be gone. The mangroves will die. That should be a consideration also. Are we destroying biodiversity because of reclamation?" Villar said.

Dr. Giovanni Tapang of the Advocates of Science and Technology for the People and Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan (AGHAM), said an acre of sea grass allows 40,000 fish annually to develop, around 50 million small invertebrates to live, and gives an estimated US$ 20,500 contribution per year to the over-all economy.

"The National Reclamation Program aims to add around 38,272 hectares based on their map. Although this will increase our land area by around 0.13 percent, it will, however, reduce our water area, that means seagrass beds, by the same amount," Tapang said.

He said the lost seagrass will amount to the annual loss of 4.7 million invertebrates, 3.78 trillion fish, or a Php77 billion loss per year.

"Therefore, it should not be a very small matter to just show the map and not consider this very, very large impact not only to the environment but also to the economy and the livelihood of the people. Of course, there will be displacement of settlements, fishing grounds, flooding and environmental damage," he added.