Endangered sardies: Fact or fallacy?

Endangered Sardines: Fact or Fallacy?

By Claudine Valencia & Angel De Jesus Photos by Kassandra Duño & Angelic Cabataña

For the next few years, the dining tables in Taal that once had a spot for a plate of Tawilis might become empty.

Being a staple and a delicacy around towns surrounding Taal Lake, Tawilis, the only freshwater sardine in the world, has long been a tourist favorite and an iconic breakfast meal paired with fried rice. However, back in October of 2018, Tawilis made the headlines by making it to the endangered species list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

While scientists and experts assert this claim with their research and observations of the behavior of the sardines in the lake, locals living near Taal Lake beg to differ from the experts’ assessment and hold their own claims that the sardines have never been endangered based from their own encounter of catching the prized fish species.

Views from the experts

Tawilis has been under the study of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute —National Fisheries Biological Center (NFRDI-NFBC), an institution that has been monitoring the marine life of Taal Lake since the 1990s.

Dissecting five kilos of the endemic fish has been the monthly task of Chief Agriculturist Maria Theresa Mutia and her team at NFRDI-NFBC to analyze the reproductive biology of the sardine. They have observed how its population decreased, and how much it has changed compared to the last 20 years. Since they first started the research, the catch has dropped by 80 percent.

As they monitor the activities in the lake of Taal, two illegal practices of the fishermen, more locally known as “mamumukot”, were identified that has pushed Tawilis into IUCN’s Red List.

Hauling fish with nets that trap small Tawilis called beach seine is one of the common malpractices in the lake. With the use of compact nets with narrow holes, fishermen trap smaller sardines, which eradicates younger generations and diminishes their chances of reproducing.

“Endangered na rin ang tawilis dahil na din sa unsustainable fishing practices kasi yung net size [na ginagamit ay] maliliit. Kaya yung mga maliliit na isda na supposed to be ay mabibigyan pa ng chance na magpalaki at magparami ay nahuhuli na din,” Mutia stated.

With technology rapidly evolving, fishing gears and baiting practices changed the way locals hurl their nets on Taal Lake. The illegal use of motorized push nets which allows fishermen to operate larger nets and reach farther

areas of the lake hauls in more than 20 kilos at a time— much larger than the catch from traditional nets causing overexploitation.

It is not only the fishermen that pose a threat to the marine life of Taal but also the two cities and 10 municipalities which surround the lake. Waste discharges brought by commercial establishments, household activities and agricultural areas surrounding the lake and leftover baits dumped in the water causes further pollution and biological contamination.

The rise of new species in the lake that prey on Tawilis is also a concerning factor in its dwindling population. In 2008, IUCN warned the locals about the invasion of tilapia which feeds on the freshwater sardine. With the lake only at 234.2 square kilometers, competition among species for food and space becomes unavoidable.

To rehabilitate the decreasing population of the Tawilis, Mutia and her research team drew a line for restrictions along the waters of Taal. The Tawilis Reserve Area (TRA) was established in Barangay San Nicolas, Cuenca and Balete to protect the spawning area of the threatened fish. However, even after the implementation the TRA and a closed fishing season during March and April, Chief Mutia sees no improvement in the numbers of Tawilis.

What the locals think

Unlike the claims of the experts, locals who grew up near the lake are convinced that Tawilis is not endangered as they continue to ignore the news of its progressive disappearance and continue to deny that they experience difficulties in catching it.

The Gamo family, one of the oldest of the mamumukot families in San Nicholas, Batangas, have recognized fishing as the pinnacle of their occupation for decades. For more than 70 years, the Gamo family has been passing down knowledge, skills and practices to the younger generations as they have always relied on the abundant catches of the sardines to meet their needs.

Being knowledgeable of the activities of the freshwater sardine during all seasons, the Gamo family believes that Tawilis only appears in specific periods of the year. According to them, during the months of December to February, sardines tend to swim in the deeper parts of the lake, which causes the decrease of fish production during that period. They also clarified that there has always been an abundant catch during the summer season between the months of April and August.

“Sapol nung kami ay magising dito sa San Nicholas, nakagisnan na namin yang Tawilis na ‘yan. Hindi ‘yan nawawala. Talagang kusa at may panahon siyang nalabas at nawawala,” said Lola Rosalita Gamo, head of the family.

Opposing the research made by the experts, they reject the claims about the sardine’s endangerment insisting

that the researchers had only gone to observe the lake during low production months of Tawilis.

The instruction from authorities about the closed fishing season from the months of November to March also did not stop the ‘mamumukot’ from fishing inside the restricted areas as they consider their own knowledge about Tawilis more dependable and truthful compared to the numbers presented by researchers. The indifference expressed by locals demonstrates how much they validate their own experience and knowledge far more than the data and information shown by science. A lack of awareness that according to the researchers, can have dangerous and irreversible consequences.

Science versus experience

Despite fishermen clinging to their own understanding and experience, the numbers and the information presented by researchers are solid evidence of the dires status of the species.

Augustus C. Mamaril from the UP Diliman Institute of Biology explains that catches of Tawilis were already declining back in the 1990s, and that their sizes were becoming smaller and thinner. This may indicate serious threats within the lake that were already present even before Tawilis was red-listed.

According to Rappler.com, there was already a steady decline of fish population in the past, with studies estimating a decline of about 49% in the last decade.

With scientists showing great alertness even before Tawilis became endangered, it’s possible that people,

especially locals, may have to start opening up to the fact that Tawilis may be a threatened species, and that continually going to restricted areas to obtain abundant catches may result in its total disappearance.

As the experts perceive ways for the population to recover, the loss of connection with the locals is the biggest threat that hinders any progress from being achieved.

Fishermen continue to lure in the remaining population of the fish during on and off seasons. Resorting to extreme and illegal means of fishing.

With lack of awareness, the famous endemic fish on breakfast tables may soon be gone forever and cooperation between scientists, officials and locals is needed to bring life back to life the lake that is the only home of this prized fish.