THE ROAD TO PROTECTION

Apo Island’s population reaches near a thousand, but infrastructure, access to fresh water and electricity are lacking, so a heavy reliance on the ocean has been instilled. Traditionally, the fishermen used the unsustainable practices of dynamite fishing and muroami – a destructive method of fishing that involves smashing large rocks or cement blocks onto the reef to scare fish into huge nets. In the past, no one saw this as a problem, as they assumed that the abundance would prevail. But gradually, their catch started depleting, and concerns developed.