'Whale’s death in Manila Bay indicates grim problem'

MANILA, Philippines - The death of a whale in Manila Bay earlier this week may not be an isolated case but a sign of serious environmental problems, according to a leader of an ecological group. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Philippines vice chairman Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan said the death shows the urgency to address climate change that was blamed for the whale's death. "Uncommon as it may seem, the event may not be an isolated occurrence ... The world is changing. Maybe, these dead whales in Manila Bay are delivering a bigger message. Maybe, it is time we think really hard about what each of us is doing to this planet, and make up our minds to do something right," Tan said in an article on the WWF Web site, www.wwf.org.ph. He said both whales and human beings make an impact on the marine ecosystems they depend on for food and life, especially since both live on a water planet at the apex of the Coral Triangle. More than just saving whales or dolphins, it is time to think about the life and productivity of our oceans and coasts, according to Tan. He said it is time to think of how to regenerate the forests cut down over the last century, leaving bare mountainsides that now spawn the soil erosion that silts rivers and blankets reefs in coastal zones of death. It is also time to think of finding substitutes for persistent toxins that leach from our factories, plantations, offices or homes, and bio-accumulate in fish, he added. People should also look for more effective ways to manage and replace the tons of plastic waste thrown into the sea every day, he said. "We really have to be seriously thinking about a change of lifestyle," he said. Earlier this week, the body of a baleen whale was found floating beside a passenger ship along Manila Bay's Pier 13. It was brought to and buried in Dagupan City's fish cemetery. Tan said that in August 2007, another carcass of a baleen whale was found floating at the mouth of Manila Bay. Bloated and badly decomposed, the whale was towed ashore to an isolated cove in Nasugbu town in Batangas province. After photographs and all possible records were obtained, the whale was buried by a team from the Hamilo Coast with the assistance of WWF. "Due to the condition of the animal's body, and local concerns about possible health impacts of a large decomposing carcass on the coastline, it was difficult to conduct a proper necropsy at the time. As such, the cause of death for the 2007 animal was not determined," he said. Tan also said data on contaminants remain insufficient for now, but cited a case of a Longman's beaked whale, one of the least studied of all whales, stranded and died on a Davao beach. He said that during its necropsy, a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources team that removed the whale’s internal organs found plastic bags in its stomach. - GMANews.TV