TIM eMagazine Vol.2 Issue 9
Our boat approaches the site – a roiling, bubbling mass, seabirds
squawking overhead. “It is a bait-ball, a giant school of sardines
or other small fish driven up from the depths,” explains one of our
boatmen. By its fringes I note dark, triangular dorsal fins. Dolphins.
And dozens of them!
Suddenly, they start jumping. Ooohs and Ahhhs fill the air –
along with claps and cheers. I grin as I catch myself clapping along
with everyone else. I’ve been watching dolphins for years and it’s like
this every time.
Whales and Dolphins of the Philippines
Cetaceans include about 90 species of whales, dolphins and
porpoises. They’re mammals – not fish. About 30 cetacean species
inhabit or pass through Philippine waters, ranging from the
2.5-meter Irrawaddy dolphin to the 30-meter blue whale. The Tañon
Strait, a 161-kilometer channel dividing Cebu and Negros, is home
to 14 types of cetaceans, most of which can be seen around Bais
City, a quaint coastal town near Dumaguete in Negros Oriental.
“Cetaceans are extremely important for the marine ecosystem,”
says Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines Director Dr. AA
Yaptinchay. “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’ – thereby fertilizing the sea surface with their poop,
which encourages plankton growth.”
AA and his Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines crew have
been working to conserve cetaceans and other charismatic species
for years.
Once hunted and slaughtered for their meat and blubber, all
cetaceans are now protected in the Philippines by the amended
Fisheries Code. Still, many die because of accidental entanglement
in fishing gear, which can cause the air-breathing mammals to
Dolphins painted on a tour boat come to life in Bais, where a good day. Bais is
45 kilometers northwest of Dumaguete, about an hour’s drive away.
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