Malampaya Foundation Inc. (MFI) together with partner agencies and institutions conducted last week the second spawning of the giant clams at Ulugan Bay in Puerto Princesa City. During the second spawning in-situ, they have propagated five giant clams and more than four million eggs fertilized.
The spawning was supervised by scientists from the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UPMSI) led by national scientist Ed Gomez.
“Once thought to be extinct, the clam species was confirmed to be Philippine native by National Scientist Dr. Edgardo Gomez himself, the pioneer of giant clam culturing in the country,” MFI said in a statement.
Scientist said that giant clams are important because they have a lot of ecological significance, habitat and food for marine animals. It also helps increase fish density.
It is one of the most endangered clam species and was previously declared extinct in the Philippines in the 1980s.
“Once in the juvenile stage, the clams will be restocked at core zones of effectively-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) in North Palawan and Oriental Mindoro,” MFI further said.
Gomez took specimen from neighboring Pacific Islands and began introducing it back to the country. He later acknowledged that the Philippines’ native species of Tridacna gigas still exists in Palawan.
MFI has been partnering with communities, local governments and agencies in Palawan, Oriental Mindoro and Batangas provinces to establish, expand and set up proper management and protection mechanisms for marine protected areas since 2013.
Aside from the restocking in Ulugan Bay, MFI also do giant clam restocking at a core management zone of Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape and Seascape (MSPLS) in west Taytay, Palawan with year-old Hippopus hippopus and Tridacna squamosa species. Joining them were DENR-PAO of El Nido Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area (ENTMRPA) and two coastal barangays of Tumbod and Liminangcong.
Including in the restocking were more than 1,000 individuals of native abalone species, bred at WPU hatchery. The university’s hatchery located in Barangay Binduyan, in Puerto Princesa City was upgraded by MFI in 2013 and 2016.
MFI has partnered with Western Philippines University (WPU), Palawan State University (PSU), Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) and U.P. Marine Science Institute for this endeavor.