ILOILO City – The seaweed industry in Caluya, Antique is reeling from the oil spill caused by the sinking of an oil tanker in Oriental Mindoro. Damage to the industry has so far reached P4 million, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region 6.
Seaweed farming provides livelihood to 99 percent of the more or less 11,000 fisherfolks in Caluya.
BFAR-6 director Remia Aparri, however, said the oil spill’s impact on the industry was less than it could have been had it spread to Sibay and Panagatan islands where Caluya’s seaweeds are mainly produced.
There are around 1,528 hectares of seaweed farms on the two islands.
The oil spill has covered four kilometers of shoreline in Sitio Sabang, Barangay Tinogboc, and two kilometers each in Sitio Liwagao, Barangay Sibolo and Barangay Semirara.
Minimal oil spill was also seen in Barangay Alegria.
Once contaminated by the oil slick, the seaweed dissolves, said Aparri.
The same was the scenario when MT Solar I capsized in the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait on Aug. 11, 2006. It reportedly had a spill of approximately 500,000 liters out of 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel.
“Based sa nalantaw namon sa Guimaras, natunaw ang seaweeds didto nga gina-culture nila. There was tainting sang waters. Kag for seaweeds, maapektohan ang industry, madulaan palangabuhian ang mga tawo, there will be production losses,” said Aparri.
BFAR-6 advised seaweed farmers to harvest their seaweeds as soon as possible.
“Kon ano ang puede ma-harvest samtang wala pa makalab-ot (oil spill) sa area with production of seaweeds, i-harvest niyo lang,” she said.
EFFECTS ON SHELLFISH AND FISH
Aparri said shellfish are lesser in population in the area.
“Very less ang impact sa shellfish because it’s not the people of Caluya’s main source of livelihood, more on seaweeds,” said Aparri.
Still, the BFAR-6 director said accumulated oil in shellfish is harmful to humans, especially if it smells or tastes like a petroleum product.
BFAR-6 further advised people to refrain from consuming shellfish from oil spill-affected areas.
For fish, the fisheries bureau is yet to collect samples from affected areas.
However, Apari said based on their experience with the Guimaras oil spill, they are less likely to be affected.
Most of the oils float, and fish in the water column have less exposure.
“They swim out of the area where there is an oil spill, meaning they are not affected kay nagapalagyo sila,” said Aparri.
Meanwhile, corals, sea grass and mangroves could be killed by the oil slick, especially if it is still young.
“As of March 13, report coming from Caluya was na-contain ang oil spill sa three barangays. Meaning wala sia naglapta sa iban nga mga isla sang Caluya. So far, amo man na gihapon ang damage nga gin-report last time kag wala sang nagdugang,” said Aparri in a Radyo Pilipinas Iloilo interview.
Cleanup operations by various stakeholders are still ongoing, the director said.
BFAR-6 is also set to distribute P500,000 worth of food packs with rice, bottled water, canned goods, among others, to affected seaweed growers and fisherfolks.
Aparri also said they advised the local government to still prepare spill booms in case the oil spill continues to enter Caluya.
MT Princess Empress was carrying around 800,000 liters of industrial fuel en route to Iloilo from Batangas when it sank off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on Feb. 28.
The oil spill reached the seawaters of Caluya on March 3./PN
