by: Ike Seneres

We may not be able to eat the sea corals, but we can eat the fish and other marine life that are able to survive because of their dependence on these corals. And so, the math for this is very simple. The less corals in the sea, the lesser fish there will be, and that would not only mean lesser food for us to eat, it would also mean lesser livelihood for the fishermen who depend on the seas for their survival.

And so that is my answer to the greedy people who would ask me “what’s in it for me?”. What’s in it for them is the food that the fishermen could harvest to bring to their tables, even if they may not care for the livelihoods of these fishermen. And if that is not enough for them, I could tell them that if there are more corals in the seas, there will be lesser warming of sea temperatures that could also lessen global warming.

Years ago, my late friend Ernie Pelaez started an artificial coral reef project in Duka Bay Resort in Medina, Misamis Oriental. It is now being managed by his cousin, Jessie Pelaez. The idea behind the project is very simple. After introducing the “fake” coral reefs, it will create the right environment for the real, natural coral reefs to grow back, and because of that, the fish will come back and survive.

A similar project was started by the Filipino Inventors Society in Malabrigo, Lobo, Batangas. It is aptly named the “Sea Bliss Artificial Coral Reef Rejuvenation Project, implemented in cooperation with the BFAR and the local government. IKE SENERES/04-14-2024