Gov’t appeals to keep oceans, seas plastic-free

FILE: The final cause of death is in for the death of the juvenile male curvier beaked whale we recovered March 16 2019. 40 kilos of plastic bags. Including 16 rice sacks. 4 banana plantation style bags and multiple shopping bags. A full list of the plastic items will follow in the next few days. This whale had the most plastic we have ever seen in a whale. It’s disgusting. Action must be taken by the government against those who continue to treat the waterways and ocean as dumpsters. (Photo: D’ Bone Collector Museum Inc./Facebook)

MANILA — The Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) on Wednesday appealed to keep the oceans and seas free from plastic and other harmful pollutants following the recent death of a Cuvier’s Beaked Whale in Compostela Valley waters.

In a statement, the DA-BFAR expressed regret over the incident, “which is somehow a result of improper wastes disposal”.

Last March 15, the Cuvier’s Beaked Whale, about 15.4 feet long and seven feet wide, was found stranded along the coastline of Barangay Cadunan in Mabini, Compostela Valley Province.

The incident was reported to the DA-BFAR in Region 11 (Davao Region), which immediately dispatched a team to respond to the beached marine mammal, which is considered an endangered species.

The DA-BFAR said several attempts to properly ferry the beached whale to deeper waters were made. However, despite these efforts, the whale returned to shallow waters where its condition further deteriorated and eventually died.

A necropsy was performed on the whale and BFAR 11 collected tissue samples for scientific determination of other possible causes of death through a series of histopathologic tests.

The initial diagnosis of death is ingestion of huge amount (88 pounds) of foreign objects mostly of plastics, pending the complete result of necropsy.

The animal’s remains are now undergoing preservation process and its bones will be preserved for educational exhibit purposes.

“Following this incident, we urge the general public and all concerned government entities to support the Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan, a holistic program of the DA-BFAR, which would ensure that our seas and oceans are free of plastics and other harmful pollutants,” it said.

“(The) DA-BFAR is committed to further intensifying its monitoring and law enforcement efforts to be more responsive on incidents of marine mammal stranding and safeguard our seas from destructive activities to prevent similar occurrences from happening in the future,” it added.