Divers here's a delayed update on the mameng release.
As you may have already read or seen in the news, the joint effort by the Tubbataha Management Office, BFAR, WWF and you – the generous and concerned private citizens, successfully transported and released 120 Mameng back into the pristine waters of Tubbataha.
We decided on a partial release this time around primarily because the main transport vessel, the King King Hai was deemed to be unfit for the voyage. It could have easily transported all the confiscated animals but its fish tanks and support equipment as well as the boat’s engines were in bad need of repair and servicing and we didn’t want to risk it.
As a counter measure, WWF and BFAR volunteered their boats. Although smaller and with no built-in fish tanks, they would be able to transport a few hundred fish to Tubbataha. BFAR experts recommended that the fish be transported using live-fish export technology – in oxygenated plastic bags; with the oxygen being replenished regularly during the voyage – and 150 fish were prepared accordingly. However, we noticed that soon after the fish were transferred on board the WWF boat that many of them were in distress. We immediately returned them to the sea cages, hoping they would be able recover. Despite valiant efforts by our volunteers and BFAR personnel – they stayed up all night – we lost a hundred Mameng.
One can trace the process backwards and clearly point out all the mistakes that were made. I’ve done that countless numbers of times since Monday night. Unfortunately, this was a first time experience for all us. And while the utmost care was taken to care and provide for the animals, not everything was within our control, the proper maintenance of the Chinese fishing boat being one of them. And when this first important piece of the process failed, this started a series of plan modifications that brought on their own share of unforeseen issues to deal with.
Bottom line, because we ultimately did find a reliable method of transporting and releasing the animals, albeit it at the painful loss of a hundred of them we can take consolation that another 120 Mameng now swim free and inhabit the reefs in Tubbataha. We also have a reliable plan to transport and release the remaining 130 Mameng and over a thousand Lapu lapu’s as well. I just received confirmation from John Wee’s Explorer Fleet via Yvette Lee and Geggy Choy who leads the Palausports Tubbataha trips that they will participate in the release of the animals. So we can look forward to completing the release of all the animals during the summer.
My heartfelt thanks to all of you for your generous support – not just financial, many of you provided much needed encouragement throughout this effort. I also ask you to join me in especially thanking Luli A, Gerthie Mayo-Anda, Angelique Songco, Marivel Dygico, Jarius Bondoc, Lory Tan, Art Yap, Director Sarmiento and all the volunteers whose support was vital to our project.
Maraming Salamat!
eduardo CU unjieng
