LOOK: New bale of baby turtles released

Children watched with thrill as they released the first bale of Olive Ridley baby turtles, which is part of around 200 hatchlings at All Hands Beach Resort in Subic Bay Freeport Saturday (Dec. 10).

The releasing of hatchlings has been attracting tourists to Subic Bay as visitors are given the opportunity to participate in preserving this highly endangered turtle species.

The All Hands Beach regularly hosts turtles on its shores and the owner of the beach has ensured that they return to their nesting ground without being “disoriented” and the eggs laid will be protected until they hatch and are ready to make their trip to the open sea. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings released

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: Ninety-six Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings, a seriously endangered species of sea turtles, slowly crawled their way to the sea after they were released at the beach here last Saturday.

Amethya dela Llana Koval, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Ecology Center manager, said the ritual is a tradition these turtles must follow for them to remember their footprints when they decide to come back to the same place years later to nest and lay their eggs.

The All Hands Beach, like most other coastal areas in this former US naval base that is now a bustling freeport and economic zone, regularly hosts turtles on its shores and the owner of the beach has ensured that they return to their nesting ground without being “disoriented” and the eggs laid will be protected until they hatch and are ready to make their trip to the open sea.

According to experts, these turtles have a very small chance of survival once they are in the sea and only a mere one percent of them are likely to survive the perilous journey.

“There are actually 105 in this batch of turtle eggs but six did not make it that’s why only 96 are being released now,” says Nick, a turtle expert at the beach who watches over the eggs throughout their hatching period.

According to him, female turtles lay about a hundred eggs but may nest up to three times in a year.

The nesting season starts somewhere in the latter half of the year and lasts until December.

Aside from SBMA Ecology Center officials and other Subic investors, beach goers joined in releasing the hatchlings.

Koval said more people should be encouraged to help in preserving the endangered pawikan turtles as well as other sea creatures by avoiding the use of plastics and throwing them in the sea.

“These turtles sometimes mistake the plastic for jellyfish and ingest them, resulting in their death,” she added.

The Olive Ridley, which has a lifespan of up to 50 years, feeds on jellyfish, snails, crabs, shrimp and occasionally eat algae and seaweeds. (Patrick Roxas, Manila Times)

PHOTO:
newly-hatched baby turtles scurrying their way to the sea at the All Hands Beach in Subic Bay Freeport (photo from Ameth DL Koval's FB page) 

http://www.manilatimes.net/olive-ridley-turtle-hatchlings-released/296541/

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Triathletes help release pawikan hatchlings in Subic Bay

Participants in the upcoming Century Tuna 70.3 Triathlon take time off from training to help release into the sea Olive Ridley sea turtle hatchlings in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, ​last ​Wednesday morning, along with Environment Specialist Rhea Jane Mallari (center in blue shirt) of the SBMA Ecology Center.

Around 150 newly-hatched Olive Ridleys, which are among the endangered species of sea turtles or “pawikan”, ​have been​ released at Dungeree Beach, which will be the kick-off site for the Century Tuna 70.3 Triathlon on Sunday, March 6.

(AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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Olive ridley sea turtle rescued by Olongapo fishermen

OLONGAPO CITY – Three fishermen rescued an olive ridley sea turtle on Friday at the lighthouse area in Barangay Kalaklan.

Roel Avia, Dennis Galvez, and Kevin Del Pilar found the 22-inch sea turtle at the lighthouse area Friday morning. The three teenagers turned over the marine animal to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Ecology Department.

SBMA Deputy Administrator Atty. Chot Kabigting said that the teenagers turned over the sea turtle, fearing that the animal might get tangled up in fishing nets if released near the shore. He ordered the SBMA Harbor Patrol to release the sea turtle away from the fishing nets.

The Ecology Dept. tagged the animal and hopes to see it migrate again in Subic Bay next year.

“It was probably nesting here, thank goodness that there are fishermen like these teenagers, who are still taking care of our marine life,” Kabigting said.

SBMA environment management specialist Rhea Jane Mallari, who was about to monitor the giant clams in Subic Bay, led the release of the turtle a few meters from the shore of All Hands Beach Resort.

Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino lauded the efforts of the three teenaged fishermen, stating that people should take from them their effort in assuring the life of a marine animal.

“Nakakatuwa at meron pa palang mga mangingisda sa atin na magpoprotekta ng kalikasan. Dapat talagang tularan ng ibang mangingisda ang mga kabataang ito,” Paulino said.

The olive ridley turtle that the boys rescued was 69 cms wide, 64 cms tall and was around 40 to 60 years old. With many beaches surrounding the area, Subic Bay has been a favorite nesting ground for these endangered animals. (Jonas Reyes, Manila Bulletin)

PHOTOS:

[1] Fisherman Dennis Galvez (left) and an SBMA Harbor Patrol officer carry the olive ridley sea turtle that was found in Olongapo City on Friday. Galvez and two other boys, Roel Avia and Kevin Del Pilar, rescued the turtle in Barangay Kalaklan and turned it over to the SBMA Ecology Dept. (Jonas Reyes)

[2] SBMA Ecology Center manager Ruel John Kabigting (left) and SBMA environment management specialist Rhea Jane Mallari give a good luck pat to an Olive Ridley sea turtle before members of the SBMA Harbor Patrol release it back to the open sea on Friday morning. The sea turtle, locally known as pawikan, an endangered species, nearly got entangled in the nets of fishermen from Olongapo City, who later turned it over to the SBMA. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

http://www.mb.com.ph/olive-ridley-sea-turtle-rescued-by-olongapo-fishermen/

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Philippine bird festival highlights Subic Bay's endangered parrot

The Green Racquet-tail (Prionitirus luconensis), an endangered parrot species making its last stand in Subic Bay, takes the spotlight in the 10th Philippine Bird Festival in Balanga City, Bataan.

With the theme “Ibon at Kalikasan, Kayamanan ng Bayan (Birds and Nature, Our Nation’s Treasure),” the Philippine Bird Festival aims to raise awareness and appreciation of Philippine birds. The vulnerable Green Racquet-tail is featured as the logo of this year's bird festival.

The last remaining population of Green Racquet-tails is found within the protected Subic Bay Forest Reserve.

This species is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that any international trade in the Green Racquet-Tail should be carefully monitored.

Despite these measures, this bird remains vulnerable to extinction and further measures, such as the protection of other key populations and improved efforts to prevent illegal logging, have been recommended.

The 10th Phiippine Bird Festival is spearheaded by the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP), a non-government organization promoting recreational birdwatching and the responsible enjoyment of nature.

“The main purpose of the bird fair is to showcase what birds are for, their ecological effect and contribution,” said WBCP President Gina Mapua, who pointed out that birds are good indicators of how healthy the environment is.

Speaking at the recent launching of the event, Mapua said: “Without birds, there will be no forests – they are main planters of our forests. They are our ecological friends.”

“What we’re trying to push is the protection of birds because they protect us,” she added.

Every year, the festival, in partnership with local government units (LGUs), academic institutions and environment conservation groups, goes to various places in the country to highlight bird species unique in every island.  (SNL)

Click here more information on the Green-Racquet Tail

PHOTO:
A Green Racquet-Tail seen at the Nabasan area in Subic Bay. Named to be so because of its racquet-like tail extensions. This species has been uplisted to Endangered on the basis that its population is estimated to be very small, and thus less numerous than previously thought. (photo courtesy of manilaoldtimer.net)

Related story:
http://www.mb.com.ph/10th-philippine-bird-festival-draws-thousands/

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59 baby sea turtles released in Subic Bay

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Zambales—Tourists took time off from the holiday revelry at a local beach to release 59 olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) hatchlings into the Subic Bay on Saturday.

Around 50 tourists, some of them children, gathered on the shore of All Hands Beach here at 8 p.m. to set the sea turtles free.

Marife Castillo, officer of community environment and natural resources office, said several adult olive ridley sea turtles laid eggs on the resort’s beach last month.

Castillo, who witnessed the release, said All Hands Beach is among the seven major beach areas inside the free port that had been identified as nestling sites for marine turtles (pawikan).

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Ecology Center identified the beaches of Waterfront Area, Dungaree, Edgewater, Grande Island, Camayan, and Minanga as the other nesting sites for sea turtles.

Emerita Sebial, chief of protected areas, wildlife and coastal zone management service in Olongapo City, said three of the seven species of sea turtle in the world could be found in Zambales province.

Aside from the olive ridley, Sebiang said they received reports that green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) have been seen in the province.

Sebial said they released the baby sea turtles at night because fewer predators roam the sea at that time.

SBMA Chair Roberto Garcia asked residents and visitors of the free port to support the agency’s marine turtle conservation program.

“These are gentle creatures that need our protection, for without our help they would likely face extinction,” Garcia said in an earlier statement.

He said the SBMA recently launched its “Guard My Nest” sea turtle conservation program to make Subic establishments more “pawikan friendly.”

“This is why we discourage pavement constructions on the beach where the turtles lay eggs, and urge establishments to minimize lighting at night because this disorients the pawikan,” Garcia said.

Angel Bagaloyos, officer in charge of the SBMA Ecology Center, said sea turtles lay eggs mostly during the cold months, from September to February. (Allan Macatuno, Inquirer Central Luzon)

59 baby sea turtles released in Subic Bay

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SBMA urges stakeholders to guard pawikan nests

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia made a personal appeal to residents and visitors in Subic Bay Freeport Zone to be mindful of nesting places of sea turtles in the free port, and report any sighting and nesting to the agency’s Ecology Center.

“These are gentle creatures that need our protection, for without our help they would likely face extinction,” Garcia pointed out.

“So I’m making a personal appeal to everyone to support our marine turtle conservation program. The presence of these sea turtles or pawikan makes Subic a very special place,” he added.

Garcia said that the SBMA recently launched its “Guard My Nest” sea turtle conservation program to enjoin stakeholders’ participation in making Subic establishments more pawikan-friendly.

“This is why we discourage pavement constructions on the beach where the turtles lay eggs, and urge establishments to minimize lighting at night because this disorients the pawikan,” Garcia said.

“Most of all, we are asking everyone to help keep our beaches clean so that they remain suitable for nesting,” he added.

At least seven beach areas in the free port have been identified as nesting sites for marine turtles. These are the beaches at the Waterfront area, All Hands, Dungaree, Edgewater, Grande Island, Camayan, and Minanga.

“All of these areas, however, contain beach resorts and other commercial tourism establishments, which makes it really important for Subic stakeholders to join us in this campaign,” Garcia also said.

According to Angel Bagaloyos, officer in charge of the SBMA Ecology Center, one out of the six marine turtle species, the Olive ridley, visit Subic Bay to lay eggs, and mostly during the cold months from September to February. Sightings of two other species have been reported here, as well.

This nesting season, the SBMA Ecology Center has already recorded sea turtle nesting at All Hands Beach, with a total of 268 eggs laid; Grande Island, with a total of 835 eggs laid; and Camayan Beach, with a total of 314 eggs.

The eggs are expected to hatch starting this month, and until February, said Rhea Jane Pescador-Mallari, project coordinator of the “Guard My Nest” program.

To help protect the marine turtles, the SBMA Ecology Center tags visiting nesters to add to a global database, guards known nesting sites from predators, and, along with local stakeholders, releases hatchlings to help ensure their survival. (HEE/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTOS:

[1] An Olive ridley sea turtle comes to Subic Bay to lay eggs

[2] A marine turtle nest

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Goodbye Tonka - Subic marine park’s last false killer whale dies

SUBIC BAY FREE PORT—The last of the highly trained false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) that have become star attractions at the Ocean Adventure Marine Park here died on Saturday, park officials announced on Thursday.

Tonka, who was 18 years old, succumbed to an inoperable bowel disorder, “despite the best medical efforts and 24-hour care,” said Gail Laule, executive vice president of Ocean Adventure. The disorder that killed Tonka was “common to false killer whales in the wild and those in human care,” Laule added.

Tonka was reportedly the last of six false killer whales that Ocean Adventure had imported in 2001 for display at its open-water park here.

Ocean Adventure had four species of cetaceans: false killer whale, bottlenose dolphin, rough-toothed dolphin and spotted dolphin.

Laule said Tonka was rescued in 1996 from the Japanese drive fishery, which she described as a tightly regulated program to control wild populations of whales and dolphins to protect Japanese coastal fish stocks.

For the next 18 years, Tonka reportedly lived with other cetaceans in Ocean Adventure’s natural open-water lagoons where he could dive deep, swim fast and catch live fish, Laule said.

The park official added Tonka and the other marine mammals at Ocean Adventure were at the core of a strong educational and conservation agenda.

“Tonka won the hearts of millions of visitors and schoolchildren and helped educate and motivate them to protect the oceans and the animals that inhabit them,” Laule also said.

The death of Tonka, however, revived calls by animal-rights groups like the Earth Island Institute (EII) and the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) to shut down the marine park here.

On Tuesday EII announced that it will conduct a picket in front of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Industry in Quezon City to protest Ocean Adventure operations in the wake of Tonka’s death.

However, Timothy Desmond, chairman and chief executive officer of Ocean Adventure, said in a separate statement that Tonka’s death is now being exploited by animal-rights groups “to get attention for themselves so they can make profit.”

“Groups like EII and PAWS, who do nothing directly beneficial for the cause of animal welfare, should stop using the natural death of a false killer whale for their fund-raising activities by seeking publicity,” Desmond said.

He added that, for many years, EII and PAWS have engaged in a campaign attacking the reputation of Ocean Adventure “by deliberately making false claims and generating negative publicity against the company.”

“The truth is, these groups know next to nothing about these animals. All they know, and what they are good at is making noise to damage us economically.” (Henry Empeño, BusinessMirror)

PHOTO:
Tonka, a 10-year-old false killer whale at Ocean Adventure. Photo courtesy of the Free Tonka Facebook page

http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/regions/38952-subic-marine-park-s-last-false-killer-whale-dies

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SBMA seeds more ‘taklobo’ in Subic Bay

More giant clams or “taklobo” have found their way into Subic Bay through a marine resources conservation program of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the active participation of various stakeholders in this free port.

SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said the agency recently seeded the Ilanin Bay here with 200 taklobo seedlings for this year’s clam-seeding project, as part of the agency’s vision to make the Freeport an eco-urban center which merges industrial development with eco-tourism.

The SBMA purchased the giant clams from the UP Marine Science Institute in Bolinao, Pangasinan with proceeds from this year’s “Takbo para sa Taklobo” fundraising project initiated by the SBMA Ecology Center.

“This is already some sort of a social responsibility project supported by the whole Subic Bay Freeport community,” Garcia explained.

“Everybody pitches in here — from students to workers at locator-companies, to SBMA employees and Freeport Zone residents. We’re very much happy to be involved because we know we’re helping make a better world,” he added.

Giant clams (tridacna gigas), which can live up to a hundred years, are considered an endangered species and serve an integral part of the coral reef system.

SBMA marine biologist Dorothy Joyce Ardiente said their decline could have an adverse effect on the biodiversity of the marine ecosystem, which is why the SBMA has decided on clam seeding as its cornerstone marine conservation program.

The clams, which measure an average of 15 centimeters in diameter when they are seeded, can grow up to 1.5 meters in diameter and weigh up to 258 kilos.

The “Takbo para Taklobo” conservation run has caught on the Subic Bay Freeport community ever since SBMA environment specialist Rhea Jane Pescador conceptualized it in 2010 as a environmental awareness project of the SBMA Ecology Center

The event has been attended by some 1,500 runners in the inaugural run, and by more than 2,000 participants last year. The project raised P54,000 in 2010 and P84,340 last year. (MPD/SBMA)

PHOTO:
A volunteer diver holds up a crate containing giant clams bound for seeding at Ilanin Bay in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The project is part of the SBMA’s marine resources conservation program.

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