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A volunteer diver hooks up a finger of live coral into the frame of the metal module.

New lease on life for dead coral reefs in Mambulao Bay

 

By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ

RAYS of hope for a new life have shone on the coral reefs of Mambulao Bay flattened by a deadly predator called Crown-of-Thorns Starfish.

Likewise, those reef areas that were destroyed by other causes such as illegal fishing using dynamite and illegal harvest of corals for home ornaments are also going to get the much-needed fix.

For several days now, a group of fisherman-divers in Mambulao town in Camarines Norte is working in haste to plant fragments of live corals on the reefs where the remains of dead corals littered the area.

The coral reefs in front of Isla Agua ni Cion off the Mambulao Bay were destroyed by illegal fisher folks who used dynamites and collected rare, multi-colored corals as well for sale to Manila buyers.

The workers are using a BFAR-designed artificial coral module made of iron rods welded into makeshift four-sided pyramids which will serve as artificial reefs.

Soon, the men will also erect more modules in the sand to hold in place live coral fingers.

A coral reef module is planted on the sand. It will allow the young coral fingers to grow into their natural sizes.

Man-made corals

If these coral-growing efforts prove successful, the sandy areas around the reefs would become new grounds for man-made coral ground.

The modules serve as artificial homes where corals of varying colors would normally grow and spread to become new habitats and breeding grounds for marine life such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and shells, among others.

To recall, a vast army of deadly starfish predators of corals–the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish or COTS–had just inundated the reef areas on the coastlines of Mambulao Bay.

No one knew when the silent invasion of COTS began, but spearfisher folks who worked the areas for years made sense of the starfish’s devastating effects only recently.

 In using the module method, the divers hooked up fragments of live coral three to five inches long into the skeletons of the four-sided steel pyramids.

They used plastic zip locks to fasten the coral fingers on the frames as these binders last longer in seawater than other materials.

The pyramids are about 2.5 feet tall and the base of the bottom frame measures three feet wide on four sides.

Before being deployed to the rehabilitation site, it is primed first by coating the steelworks with rubber cement. Then, the sticky steel rods are wrapped in thick sand and left to bake hard in the sun.

This way, all parts of the pyramids are rough, something that encourages young corals to cling on as they grow new fingers.

The workers bind the fragments of coral onto the frame, allowing a space of five inches in between. The young corals need it for their normal growth.

BFAR Region 5 has recommended the pyramid design based on the the successful module they used in certain coral rehabilitation areas in southern Bicol.

During the actual coral planting, the workers would submerge the module just under the surface of the water while suspended from two ropes leashed on the boat’s poles.

This has to be done to spare the young corals from the stress of being exposed to the air and sun while being sown, which could cause their death.

The coral reefs rehab efforts near Isla Agua ni Cion, which boasts of a long stretch of white beach sand, began a few weeks ago.

Already, the workers had deployed 108 modules to the first project site in the area.

To raise the much-needed funds, the project has offered interested individuals the chance to adopt one or two artificial coral modules for P600 each.

Right now, there are 11 modules up for grabs, and the money to be raised would pay for the materials in building more pyramid frames, wages, and food.

So far, over 10 families and individuals have already committed to taking care of one or two modules from the initial 108 deployed earlier.

Just barely a month since the group launched the initial rehab in Isla Agua ni Cion, the first batch of young corals have already shown vibrant growth and colors, according to project coordinator Artemio Andaya.

“The stump showing where the corals broke off had disappeared as fresh growth–a new branch-- has already covered it,” he said with excitement.

Newly sown coral reef modules sit together as a diver fasten more young coral fingers into the metal frame of the artificial reef. 

Workers had collected these fragments around the dead reefs and cared for them in a nursery until they were ready for transplant to artificial reef modules.

And the good news is that horde of fish of different colors began frequenting the area, a clear sign the rehab works near Isla Agua Ni Cion is working, says a very proud Andaya.

In a posting on the group’s Facebook account Mambulao ArtsnCrafts, Andaya said: “It inspired us to see some changes in the corals within the coral restoration area in front of Isla Agua ni Cion. Because the area is being regulated by fishing activities for almost two months, the result is a gradual increase in fish recruits.

“Nowadays, we see great numbers of fish species every day. One of the best things here is the absence of the reef killer- the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish.

“There is no sign of any coral being damaged by this invasive species.”

For financial help, donors could contact the volunteers through its Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/mambulao.artsncrafts .