Action Asia - February-March 2018

— March/April 2018

on the Visayan island of Negros in the central

Philippines. We’re here to look for cetaceans, an

order of marine mammals that includes about

90 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

About one third of these species inhabit or pass

through Philippine waters, ranging from the

2.5-metre Irrawaddy dolphin to the 30-metre blue

whale. The Tañon Strait, a 161-kilometre channel

dividing Cebu and Negros, is home to 14 species,

most of which can be seen around Bais.

“Cetaceans are extremely important for the

marine ecosystem,” Dr A.A. Yaptinchay, Director

of the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines,

had told me in Manila before we’d left. “Most

are apex or top-level predators which regulate

populations of fish and squid – thereby keeping

the ecosystem balanced to promote diversity. The

bigger whales, especially filter-feeders, contribute

to nutrient distribution in the sea through a ‘whale

pump’ – fertilising the sea surface with their poop,

The whale and dolphin species at home in the Tañon Strait between

Negros and Cebu make it a hotspot for lovers of cetaceans.

Bais on which to build

By Gregg Yan

LIKE A SPORTS TEAM BEFORE A BIG GAME,

we clasp our hands and bow our heads in prayer –

except we’re bobbing in the middle of the ocean,

surrounded by sweaty boatmen.

Captain Ricardo Reynaldo finishes his prayer

and gestures to the water.

“The Tañon Strait is famous for its dolphins

and whales. Each has its own personality:

bottlenose dolphins stay near the shallows, while

spinner dolphins play in open waters. Larger

Risso’s dolphins like to float upside down, tails

sticking out of the water – but rarest of all is the

pygmy sperm whale. It is very shy and only passes

through our waters. It’s been three months since I

saw one. But perhaps,” he smiles, “someone down

there heard our prayers.”

The predicament

We’re aboard the Ezrha, a motorised banca out

of Bais, a quaint port town near Dumaguete

which encourages plankton growth.”

Once hunted for their meat and blubber, all

cetaceans are now protected in the Philippines.

Still, many die because of accidental entanglement

in fishing gear, which can cause air-breathing

mammals to suffocate or drown. Known as

bycatch, this is estimated to cause the deaths of

over 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises

globally every year. Other threats include marine

debris and plastic pollution, habitat destruction,

overfishing and hunting – which sadly still occurs

in remote parts of the Philippines.

“Charismatic creatures like dolphins bring

in millions of pesos from ecotourism, enriching

the lives of the people of Bais and other coastal

areas,” said Atty Gloria Estenzo-Ramos, local

head of Oceana, an international NGO focused

on protecting the seas, at the end of our cruise.

“Together with our allies, we work to conserve

fisheries in the Tañon Strait by looking at the

34 Environment