Depleting Endangered Species
It is always being advertised on TV, newspapers/print ads and even in the internet the number of endangered species of the world especially species living under the sea. The stingray in particular has been declared as one of the endangered species already, but don’t you know that it is still being caught by fishermen?
It is not only stingray, but also other endangered species are being caught. In fact, in one of the coastal community I’ve been through last summer vacation, a fisherman had caught stingray at approximately 2 ft. in diameter. The fisherman had caught it at around waistline deep only.
“This is already enough for our dinner,” the fisherman exclaimed to the speculators on the shore and the fisherman went home holding in one hand the stingray.
This is just an example that we could not avoid such endangered species not to become extinct. Life seems to be getting harder and harder and such fisherman doesn’t have the choice, but to take it home for his family.
The coastal environment as one of the sources of livelihood of people living in the shoreline, even if the government educates the people that this kind of fish is no longer permitted be caught, there’s nothing we can do. A hungry stomach will do anything to satisfy the needs.
It the fact, most if not all of the communities in the shoreline live a life with a not-so-good status and they rely on the coast to survive. This is also one of the reasons why illegal fishing could not be totally eradicated.
The giant turtle called “pawikan” in the Philippines has also been declared as endangered specie long ago. In fact, there’s a declared sanctuary where this huge turtle lay there eggs and every season these animals go the place to lay eggs. But since the island has been occupied by people, a business selling the turtle eggs has grown in the community. They knew that it is not legal but still they continue to sell the eggs.
It only shows that in time, these huge turtles will become extinct too. Before, people used to hunt for pleasure, but today people hunt to fill their hungry stomach. The rapidly growing population needs food and any edible thing caught in the sea will be food to the family.
We could avoid such extinction if the law enforcing body will strictly implement such rules. And by giving another source of income through livelihood projects to these people in shoreline while educating on the importance of the coastal reserves, they will learn that they should be the one taking care of the coastal environment.
We could not change the perception of a hungry person. Unless we fill his stomach first, then he will learn the right and proper way to develop the coastal environment into a more productive source of food and income.