TawiTawi-ReefAssessment-Feb2009

8/11/2019 TawiTawi-ReefAssessment-Feb2009

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Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program is financed by the U.S. Agency for I nternational Development and implemented inpartnership with the Mindanao Economic Development Co uncil

February 2009


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Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program is financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development andimplemented in partnership with the Mindanao Economic Develo pment Council

February 2009


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CONTENTS

PREFACE 3

1.0 SUMMARY 4

2.0 CORAL REEF ASSESSMENTS .. 6

Site Lato Lato . 7Site Tangu . 9Site Laa . 13

Site Sanga Sanga . 17

3.0 GEM AQUACULTURE STAFF TRAINING .. 22

4.0 REFERENCES 27


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Under the agreed Scope of Works noted in the contract agreement, recent worksundertaken in the Tawi Tawi were with the following premise.

Mr. Don E. Baker will be engaged as Coral Farming Consultant to theMariculture Group of the GEM Business Development Team. He will report toMariculture Team Leader Stanley Swerdloff, and will be assisted in his fieldwork by Mariculture Team technical assistants. Mr. Baker will determine thetechnical and business feasibility of commercial coral farming, with a targetedoutput to the world-wide marine aquarium market.

Works commenced on January 30 th, 2009 to implement coral farm feasibility projectworks to:

- Conduct approximately three weeks of site surveys to determine suitable coral

farming areas, with particular reference to offshore islands with clean water andsuitable substrate

-- Identify potential coral grower groups (primarily MNLF clusters)

-- Undertake a one-day training of Mariculture Team staff in coral culturetechniques

This Report is presented as a fulfillment of the USAID requested interim assessment ofon site works.


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Considered the most biodiverse ecosystem type on Earth, coral reefs harbor 1 of every 4marine species documented globally. Only 10% of the existing coral reef ecosystems ofthe Pacific region have been fully explored and species catalogued.

It has been determined that a minimally productive acre of a coral reef can produce anequivalent of more than 75,000 aquarium size small coral colonies in one year(Borneman, 2001). This perhaps is why coral farming efforts are underway in Indo-Pacific region to cater too the growing international marine aquarium trade.

With regards to assessing the coral reef health and conditions in the Tawi Tawi region, itis entirely possible to even identify new species of corals and fishes that would add morevariety to the marine aquarium trade.

This brief coral reef survey was commenced with the idea / plan of determining thoseareas with the best fit conditions to sustainably accommodate a Provincial coral farmingendeavor to cater to the international marine aquarium trade markets.

The very first best fit criterion for site suitability is the abundant presence of marketdemand coral types that comprise primarily of:

- Colorful hard ( SS cc llee r r aa cc ttiinn iiaa ,, MMiillllee pp oo r r iinn aa ,, HHee lliioopp oor r aa cc ee aa )) branching types (i.e. Acropora, Porites, Anacropora)

- Colorful soft corals but limited to non-toxic types

With the above in view, two major site categories are to be determined through field sitevisits and investigations:

-- Community Coral Farm Units (CCFU) / offshore areas suitable with available,willing, and qualified manpower to maintain underwater coral culturing tables(CCT)

-- A receiving / holding / shipping (RHS) site that will not only be able to receivecultured corals from the CCFU but also be able to culture additional coral stocksto ensure shipment quality & quantity.

To address the tentative site survey selection, and start planning the full spectrumlogistics involved with this mariculture endeavor, the criteria for determining the best fitlocations for the above two categories are also as follows.

No high population centers close by (i.e. considerations of nutrient /eutrophication affection/s & of course, security of the seedlings)

No coastal agriculture/plantation/construction runoff affections that reduce lighttransmission to reef & cause eutrophication conditions (present & future dev)

Good water clarity/visibility and stable temperature year round (to concurrentlyculture a higher number of genus types)


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Good water movement from tidal changes and area current flow but not strongflows

Closeness of farm sites to transport product to market - via specialized carrierboat for longer transport to simple boats for short distances. 'Market' is basicallyan adequately arranged/setup Receiving/Holding/Shipping facility (RHS) to buythe product from farmers.

Available coastal fisher communities to provide manpower to maintain CCTs.

RHS must be close by air cargo facilities to start/begin the international exporttrain of value enhancement / appreciation.

Indicator species, such as the presence of or lack of presence, were used to determinethe overall health of the site area. Such types of marine life used are:

- Sea urchins- Butterfly fishes- Giant clams (Tridacna)

The distribution and abundance of these types of marine life can often be directlycorrelated with the distribution and abundance of the live corals. For example, if a coralreef site is adversely affected by traumatic environmental conditions, such as pollution,over harvesting, and aberrant fishing methods (explosives & chemicals), their health willdeteriorate. This deterioration can often be detected by observing the above types ofmarine life. In short, if a reef site harbors several types of coral eating butterfly fishesthen it may be construed that there is an adequate abundance of live coral present tocater to their daily sustenance.

Site specific parameters for several Tawi Tawi regional coral reef sites were assessed inthis Interim Report. Additional reef sites in the Province will be assessed Feb 13 th to17 th.

At each site, digital underwater photographs were taken of both hard and soft coralsfound there. In addition, time and duration of the assessment was recorded along withGPS data via a Magellan type hand held unit or navigational chart reference.

In addition to live corals present, dead skeleton sections and pieces were observed toassess what types of corals that once thrived at the site area prior to explosive orchemical fishing methods affecting the reef bottom but could very well be re-grown in the

site.

It is important that there are more than a few coral reef sites to locate CCTs so as toensure optimum availability of cultured coral products for international export. LocatingCCTs on one or two coral reef sites could seriously jeopardize product availability ifthere are any future aberrant events that would affect underwater farm production. Withmore sites available for CCT deployment, the more assurance of product quantity andquality.


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FIELD SITE A SSESSMENTS

Site Quick Suitability Code

1 Site unacceptable / no corals / no security / poor water parameters [visibility,pollution, boat traffic]

2 Site partially acceptable for soft corals and not hard corals

3 Site moderately acceptable for hard & soft corals, limited security, limited CCTlocations, limited donor corals

4 Site acceptable; hard & soft corals available but not abundant; securityacceptable; CCT deployment space limited

5 Site acceptable; donor hard & soft corals readily available; security acceptable;CCT ok for 10 + units


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January 30 th , 2009

Site Name: SITE Lato Lato

Time of Water Entry: 1630Time of Water Exit: 1720

GPS Data: 05 03 - 56 N119 47 44 E

Site Grade 3

This Acropora sp. was founddetached from any solid reefbase rock and laying on the softsilt sea grass bottom and

transferred to a coral rock,whereas, the colony would havea better chance for base re-attachment

An excellent pink colorvariation of Acropora millipora

that would be high in theaquarium market demand ifsuccessful in seedling planting.

This Acropora sp. was foundattached to a loose coral rock

buried in the sea grass silt sand


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This is an excellent yellow/goldversion of Acropora millipora .This colony was found detachedfrom any hard base and loose onthe sea grass silt sand bottom.

A Nepthea soft coral found in

the sea grass soft bottom.

Finger Leather soft coral / Lobophytum sp.


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February 2 nd , 2009

Site Name: SITE Tangu


GPS Data: 05 - 02 - 37 N119 50 - 06 E

Site Grade 4

Montipora digitata is anexcellent candidate coral forfarming.

Acropora millipora / pink branches with yellow tips. Thisis a delicate coral to culture butwith good reef SSP can be anexcellent coral for trade.


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This plate type of Montiporacan also be cultured with a

plug/mount made with a v slitacross the base.

A gray/blue variety of a Montipora sp. coral, where boththe plate sections and the central

branches can both be culturedthrough fragmentation.

An Acropora / possible species:humilis / nice coloring ofgreen/blue branches with bluetips.


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The purple/blue color of this Acropora is a high marketdemand type.

This Acropora (possible species nobilis) shows how it hassettled on the reef bottom andgrown its branches, whereas,this is a natural concept offarming.

Another excellent color varietyof Acropora .


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This is a nice golden/yellow Acropora that can provide up to30 fragment seedling starts fromthe outer tips. This donor coralwill then re-grow its tips within4 to 5 months usually completely masking any priorharvest of its tips.

A fire coral / Milleporadichotoma is virtually unknownin the marine aquarium tradeand is an excellent species toculture as such usually has rapid

branching growth.

Acropora florida is an excellentspecies to farm, whereas, theSabah, Malaysian farm is nowselling their stocks to EU.


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February 4 th , 2009

Site Name: SITE Laa


GPS Data: 04 56 - 55 N119 52 - 20 E

Site Grade 5

This is an excellent photoshowing not only Porites

branching corals but three (3)adult giant clams (Tridacnamaxima)

This is a large Acropora colonythat can provide perhaps overtwo hundred seedling plantings


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Color variations of this Porites and Montipora corals can

provide more than 200 seedlingswithout permanent damage tothe donors. Again, the tips areonly fragmented off from thedonor colonies and the colonieswill re-grow their tips within afew months.

These branching Montipora , Hydnopora colonies can provide a good, sustainablesupply of seedling fragment

plantings.

The area is affected by marineaquarium fish collectors usingcyanide, whereas the coral showto upper right is dead andhaving brown algae covering it.The lower Acropora and nearby

branching Montipora coloniesseem unaffected.


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Acropora sp. that shows

excellent growth and branchingand a good colony for seedlingharvesting / possibly 50seedlings.

An excellent cluster of severaldifferent color variations of

Montipora sp. that can provideupwards of 2 to 300 seedlings.

This photo shows a clear areanearby the mother/donor coralsthat can have 3 to 4 CCT unitsdeployed. Each CCT wouldculture about 400 seedlings.


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Additional open areas betweenthe donor coral regions that canhave several CCTs deployed.

Another picture/view of morethan one colony of Montiporawith different color variations

This golden Acropora was partially buried in the reef sandy bottom and would be anexcellent seedling donor for notonly farming but also for reefreplanting & conservation

efforts.


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February 4 th , 2009

Site Name: SITE Sanga Sanga


GPS Data: 05 04 - 57 N119 45 - 35 E

Site Grade: 3

This reef front exists in a relatively high energy zone in which

heavy/large surf can be present. Branching corals are few as thewave force and surge will prevent such growth formations with the Montipora and Acropora colonies. Also there was quite a bit ofsuspended and floating plastic waste and garbage present.


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Approximately 30 to 40 metersaway from the reef edge, this

picture show soft coral with a

pink colored Montipora colony.

Another coral mound withMontipora and soft corals,whereas, the color variations aregood donors for seedlings.

Soft corals, Montipora plate and branching corals intermittently present on this reef frontlocation between opensections of coral silt and rubble.


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A nice pink variation of Acropora millipora but veryfew such colonies were presentin this site.

A single/sole colony of either aMontipora or Porites branchingcoral. Seedling availability inthis site is limited.

This Acropora cytherea is poorly attached to the reef baserock and will eventually detachin the wave surge force.


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An Acropora coral colony ripped off thereef base rock possibly by the high wavesurge that can occur at this site. This also

can affect seedlings inside a CCT thatcould also detach from the netting andclump/bunch together in a pile and killingthem. (prior experience in trying toculture corals in moderate to high energyzones in Sabah, Malaysia.

A nice Pachyseris coral but onlyone colony was found andshould not be used for seedling

plate fragmentation for reasonsof conservation.

This type of reef bottom predominated in this reef frontsite; with few areas safe forCCT deployment withoutsecuring / anchoring.


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The following reef sites were visited on February 4 th, 2009, whereas both areas did nothave sufficient criteria to categorize for reasons of having very little viable live coralcoverage located in easily accessible conditions that are not safe to potential CCFUmanpower and CCT security.

Sangasiapu Reef

GPS Data: 05 03 - 56 N / 119 47 44 E

Simunul Reef

GPS Data: 04 57 - 62 N / 119 49 50 E


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GEM Aquaculture staff undertook three (3) training sessions (Jan 30 th, Feb 2 nd & 3 rd) todemonstrate hands-on fabrications of:

- CCT (Coral Culture Table) & Deployment (1 small unit)- Coral Plug/Mountings (48 units)- Seedling Planting

GEM Aquaculture staff training was undertaken at the Lato Lato Hatchery site, whereas,such was undertaken with the kind permission of the present management of MegaSardines company.

In no manner or intension do these training sessions constitute the establishment of anyactual coral farming endeavor; neither in the Lato Lato area of Tawi Tawi or in theProvince itself.

Staff from Mega Sardine graciously assisted in the fabrications and also learned fromthese training sessions.

Date: Jan 30th

Fabrication of the coral seedling plugs or mounts


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Date: Feb 2 nd

Completion of the CCT and underwater deployment(quick works; less than 1 hour)


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Date: Feb 3 rd

Live coral seedling mounting / to only show one (1)

method used in the Solomon Islands.


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Sabah, Malaysia Seedling method withunderwater / plumbing epoxy putty(non-toxic) / 2006 & 2007

Seedling delivery to CCTs inthe Sabah, Semporna coralfarm site.


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Borneman, E. H. [2001]. Aquar ium Corals: Selection , Husbandry, and Natural Histo ry , TFHPublications & Microcosm Ltd., Neptune, NJ and Charlotte, VT, USA. 464p.

Crosby, M.P., and Reese, E.S. [1996]. A Manual fo r Monitor ing Coral Reefs With Ind icatorSpecies: But terflyfishes as Indicators of Change on the Indo-Pacific Reefs , Office of Oceanand Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA],Silver Spring, MD, USA, 45p.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resourcesof the Department of Agriculture, and Department of the Interior and Local Government. 2001.Philippine Coastal Management Guidebook No. 5: Managing Coastal Habitats and MarineProtected Areas . Coastal Resource Management Project of the Department of Environment andNatural Resources, Cebu City, Philippines. 106p.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

of the Department of Agriculture, and Department of the Interior and Local Government. 2001.Philippine Coastal Management Guidebook No. 7: Managing Impacts of Development inthe Coastal Zone. Coastal Resource Management Project of the Department of Environmentand Natural Resources, Cebu City, Philippines. 108p

Ellis S. and Ellis, S. [2002]. Recent Advances in Lagoon-based Farming Practices for EightSpecies of Commercially Valuable Hard and Soft Corals - A Technical Report. Center forTropical and Subtropical Aquaculture (CTSA), Publication 147, 63p.

Ellis S. and Sharron, l. [2002]. The Culture of Soft Corals (Order: Alcyonacea) for the Marine Aquar ium Trade. Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture (CTSA), Publication 137, 77p.

English, S., Wilkinson, C., and Baker, V. Editors, [1994]. Survey Manual for Tropical MarineResources , AIMS Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, Townsville, Australia, 368p.

Heeger, T., Cashman, M. and Sotto, F., Coral Farming as Alternative Livelihood, forSustainable Natural Resourc e Management and Coral Reef Rehabili tation , [1999]. Universityof San Carlos, Marine Biology Section, Cebu, Philippines, 14p.

Pattengill-Semmens, C., S.R. Gittings, and T. Shyka. [2000]. Flower Garden Banks NationalMarine Sanctuary: A Rapid Assessment of Coral, Fish, and Algae Using the AGGRAProtocol . Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series MSD-00-3. U.S. Department of Commerce,NOAA, Marine Sanctuaries Division, Silver Spring, MD, USA. 15p.

REEF CHECK Survey Instruction Manual , Institute of the Environment, University of Californiaat Los Angeles, USA, [No date]32p.

Rogers, C.S., Garrison, G., Grober, R., Hillis, ZM., and Franke, M.A. [1994]. Coral ReefMonitoring Manual for the Caribbean and Western Atlantic , National Park Service VirginIslands National Park, U.S. Virgin Islands, 92pp.

TawiTawi-ReefAssessment-Feb2009

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