Living organisms on the reef lay eggs, which are carried by currents to the entire island of Negros, and there the species thrive, grow and support the fishermen of Negros Island.” We call that the spillover effect-and that’s only the adult fish. The protected area is a little more than 10 ha, but the effect is to help the MPA produce some 15-20 tons of fish per year. “Any place with an MPA will have increased productivity. “A marine protected area (MPA) conserves fish and improves fisheries in an area at the same time,” says Dr.
Instead of depriving the locals, however, the set-up allowed the protected area to overflow with fish that spread all over the rest of the fishing grounds. Here, the fishermen were living good lives because of an ingenious way of managing this renowned fish sanctuary: a small portion was protected as a no-take zone, where fishing was not allowed. In the 1990s, I was part of a small crew doing underwater videos on Apo Island in Dauin, some 30 kilometers from Dumaguete City, the capital of Negros Oriental. Angel Alcala on Zoom from his Dumaguete home: “People forget their commitment to the protection of biodiversity.”
