Environmental office bares municipalities with highest collection of deadly starfish

By Rebecca S. Cadavos

Monday 16th of April 2012

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Apr 16 (PIA) -- The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Management Office (PENRMO) has been continuously extracting the crown-of-thorns starfish throughout Southern Leyte since it reportedly increased in number, particularly in the waters of Sogod Bay and in Maasin City.

In a mitigation report by Coastal Fisheries Resources and Management Office Provincial Head Eva Abad the municipality with the highest COTS extracted was Padre Burgos with 80,145, followed by Maasin City that extracted around 34,000 and in Limasawa with 25,461 by the end of March 2012.

Abad added that other municipalities which conducted COTS extraction include Macrohon with 3,000 deadly starfish collected; Tomas Oppus – 2,192; Malitbog – 23,565; Lilioan – 1,056; San Francisco – 1,143; Pintuyan – 1,054; Hinundayan – 356; Hinunangan – 863; Bontoc – 18; Libagon – 10; and Sogod with only one reported.

Crown-of-thorns starfish are locally known of dap-marine invertebrates that feed on corals which are marine sanctuaries and kills corals.

In the mitigation report, Abad informed that there were municipalities in the province not included in the COTS outbreak such as San Ricardo, St. Bernard, San Juan, and Anahawan.

The total crown-of-thorns starfish extracted as of April 2012 numbered 170,165 pieces, initiated by the provincial government with the assistance of volunteers throughout the province, Abad disclosed. “This does not include the different Dive Shop Divers collection,” she said.

The local government units concerned has been coordinating with different agencies including non-government organizations to assist in the COTS outbreak and how to mitigate its existence, such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Southern Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SLCCI), the GIZ, Provincial and Maasin City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, among other concerned agencies.

“We are proposing the production of IEC materials such as pamphlets and posters for public awareness which is now designed by PENRMO staff,” Abad said while other activities are properly coordinated with the other agencies. (ldl/rgc-PIA 8, Southern Leyte)