Student Leaders Urged to Support Marine Life Protection

Oceana Philippines, an organization whose advocacy focuses on restoring the abundance of Philippine seas, encouraged youth leaders to advocate for the protection of marine life.

Marlito Guidote, Oceana Philippines Director for External and Government Relations, addressed the participants of the 4th Campus Integrity Crusaders (CIC) Congress and Leadership Training to join causes that underscore marine protection and preservation.

“I’m sure pagdating sa kolehiyo, you will encounter many organizations that are not only based in your school but organizations coming from outside na may mga chapters sa college and universities. We recommend that you consider joining these registered and legitimate organizations,” Guidote said.

The resource speaker advised these student leaders to continue to educate themselves on the different issues of coastal ecosystem, citing bottom trawl operations as detrimental to seabed ecosystems and habitats.

Bottom trawling refers to a fishing method which uses huge nets that are dragged along the sea floor by one or more boats via long towing ropes attached to the sides of a main bag net.

Its catch often contains juvenile fishes, shrimps, and prawns.

Guidote shared that bottom trawling is banned from operating within 15 kilometers from the coastline. The latter, which is also known as the municipal waters, is reserved for municipal fisher folks.

Moreover, Guidote informed students to tell their parents not to buy juvenile fishes and other endangered species.

The participants were also reminded to use reef-safe sunscreen when swimming as most of the sunscreens contain substances that are destructive to corals.

Guidote added these harmful chemicals may suffocate corals and could result to bleaching, a state where corals turn into completely white due to ejecting of the symbiotic algae dwelling in their tissues.

“Bleaching means the death of a coral and it may take some time to colorize the coral. In fact, it takes almost 25-50 years for some species of corals para mag re-colorized para muling mabuhay, ” Guidote emphasized.

Established in 2014, Oceana Philippines closely coordinates with the government, private and academe sectors, civil society, and fisher folks to promote science-based policies to guarantee sustainable fisheries and marine ecosystems, which are beneficial to the Filipinos.

Meanwhile, this year’s CIC Congress and Leadership Training held in Escalante City was a venture initiated by the Office of the Ombudsman Region VI to converge high school student leaders and teachers in Western Visayas on youth empowerment. (LTP/LML-PIA Negros Occidental)