‘No fishing zones’ in Palawan’s Snake Island

The Ecosystems Research & Devt Bureau (ERDB) has asked local government units to demarcate “no fishing” zones in “coral bleached” Snake Island, Palawan to help replenish depleting fish inventory in the tourist haven.

In 2012, the government closed from the public the Snake Island, which is found in a cluster of islands around El Nido, Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

While a rehabilitation program has shown initial success, ERDB’s monitoring team still finds reason to impose a fishing ban on the identified areas to save the coral reefs in the fringing and winding 7.5 hectare island.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ordered the closure of Snake Island after finding evidence of coral bleaching-- turning to white of corals as these lose the greenish-brownish color of organisms called zooxanthallae of the Alveolata group that reside in coral surfaces.

These photosynthetic organisms are destroyed as a result of global warming (increase in temperature of oceans, sea level rise, acidification), overfishing, and use of destructive fishing such as of dynamites.

A 2016 review of DENRERDB showed that significant portions of the reef have started to provide spaces for settlement of young coral colonies.

However, some parts have been found to have high algal cover (algal bloom), which is known to hinder the recovery of affected corals.

Rapid succession of algae on reef structures might be caused by the reduced population of herbivorous or plant-eating fish species coupled with the influx of excess nutrients from nearby tributaries, said Jose Isidro Michael Padin, supervising science research specialist at ERDB.

The assessment showed that exhaustive fishing in the area resulted in the decline of algae-feeding fish, leaving no natural control measure for the increasing algal bloom.

Delineating no fishing zones in the island will help coral reef rehabilitation.

“In order to protect the Island and to help in the recovery of the corals in the area, there is a need to delineate areas for fishing and non-fishing. This will allow the coral reefs to recover,” said ERDB Sofio Quintana.

Padin said ERDB’s effort to restore corals in Snake Island was worth it.

“Hard corals can survive a bleaching event and return to their normal state unless the unfavorable conditions continue for a prolonged period of time,” Padin said.

Another factor which can hinder the recovery of the coral reef is the growing population of sea stars.

These sea stars belong to a species which feed on healthy coral polyps leading to the bleaching of some Acroporid corals. The outbreak of sea stars may be caused by increased nutrients in the water or the removal of its predators, or both.

The ERDB research team is continuously monitoring its population and is looking at the possibility of resorting to necessary control methods such as manual removal or induced death.

A fishing moratorium to increase fish population in Snake Island has also been discussed to curb the decline of fish stocks in Honda Bay.

Quintana assured the ERDB would continue to provide science-based information which will help in protecting the natural beauty of Snake Island.

Snake Island is envisioned to become an exhibition area for three ecosystems— coral reef, sea grass beds (from monocotyledon plant group of grasses, lilies and palms that form underwater meadows) and mangroves.

With DENR’s rehabilitation, the Snake Island has been replanted with 17 hectares of nine species of mangroves.

Fishery stocks including dalagang bukid and talakitok have been restored as surface fishes as bottom dwellers.

The rehabilitation of Snake Island is part of a larger program of DENR to restore health of natural resources in degraded ecotourism sites including the entire El Nido.