Raising awareness in dolphin, whale strandings pushed

PALO, Leyte – The Philippine Marine Mammal Stranding Network is working to increase awareness in responding to marine mammal strandings.

The organization plans to tap fishermen and law enforcers as first responders, which can apply citizen science to document sightings and strandings of marine mammals such as dolphins and whales especially in identified hotspots in Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 12.

BFAR Director Allan Poquita said that since the organization was founded in 2005, it has trained and certified 4,100 respondents and tapped local governments for its awareness campaign.

"We have to come up with a realization na may paraan to save stranded mammals. Karamihan ng napupunta sa dalampasigan may rason. We have to educate the public to help agencies to protect animals and keep the public informed in the context of marine environment," Nelson Bien, BFAR 2 regional director, said during the 6th Philippine Marine Mammal Stranding Network National Symposium here on Thursday.

Poquita said that by protecting marine animals, the environment will also be protected, that is why they are recruiting more veterinarians to respond in dolphin and whale strandings.

"Protecting mammals is also taking good care of humanity and it's worthwhile because the Philippines is so huge but we have limited resources," he said.

Dr. Lemnuel Aragones, president of PMMSN said growing pollutants such as chemical toxins, biotoxins; influence of increasing fishing effort; and human activities cause a third of the 100 cases of strandings.

Other causes are weather conditions, old age, health conditions of the mammals.

The most common stranded mammals reported are the spinner dolphin and Fraser's dolphin, which according to BFAR 8 Regional Director Juan Albaladejo are also the most common marine mammals in Eastern Visayas.

Only 16 percent of rehabilitated marine mammals in the Philippines survive, but the figure is already considered high in the global context, Albaladejo said.

On the other hand, 90 percent of stranded sea cows or dugong die because most of the strandings is human induced, and offspring have no chance of surviving if the mother is caught.

BFAR is updating its stranding database so it can properly identify the areas where it needs to focus its awareness efforts.