ILOILO City – A newborn dugong apparently killed after becoming entangled in fishing gear in Numancia, Aklan has underscored the continuing threat that active and abandoned nets pose to endangered marine mammals, prompting authorities to renew calls for responsible fishing practices in coastal communities.
The approximately 38-kilogram dugong (Dugong dugon) calf was found dead along the shore of Barangay Navitas, Numancia on July 27, with environmental officers discovering visible constriction marks on its body consistent with entanglement in a fishing net.
Dugongs are marine mammals that inhabit shallow coastal waters and feed primarily on seagrass. Their dependence on nearshore habitats exposes them to threats from human activities, including accidental entanglement in fishing gear, habitat degradation and disturbance.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said the physical evidence strongly suggested strangulation or severe constriction from fishing gear, although the precise biological cause of death could not be established because no necropsy or laboratory examination was conducted.
Authorities believe the newborn calf may have become separated from its mother, making it particularly vulnerable to active or abandoned fishing gear.
The incident was reported by Celso Magdael, a resident of Purok 1, Barangay Navitas.
Magdael immediately informed Barangay Kagawad Jomar Maang and Punong Barangay Frany Reyes, who coordinated with Numancia Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer (MENRO) Designate Aissa Fernandez and the DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in Aklan.
Forest Technician II Mark Gem Merin and Animal Keeper Stewart Chen responded to the area and confirmed that the dugong calf was already unresponsive.
An examination showed visible constriction marks on the animal’s body attributed to entanglement in a fishing net.
Measurements taken by authorities showed that the newborn dugong was 131 centimeters long from snout to tail and had a dorsal body circumference of 90 centimeters.
Its flipper span measured 74 centimeters, while its caudal fin was 45 centimeters wide. Its estimated weight was 38 kilograms.
Rather than disposing of the carcass, the Numancia local government and DENR-Aklan are now considering preserving the animal’s skeleton as a permanent specimen for marine conservation education.
MENRO-Numancia has coordinated with DENR-Aklan to designate the carcass for preservation as a skeleton mount, with the necessary permitting process already initiated.
Once completed, the preserved specimen is expected to be used in educational displays, scientific awareness activities and public advocacy campaigns highlighting marine wildlife conservation.
The dugong’s death has also been officially entered into the wildlife mortality registry of DENR-PENRO Aklan.
The DENR urged fishers and coastal communities to properly manage and retrieve fishing gear, particularly nets that could entangle dugongs and other marine animals.
Authorities also called on residents to immediately report stranded, injured or dead marine wildlife to local government or environmental officials to allow prompt intervention and documentation.
The incident, officials stressed, highlights the importance of responsible fishing practices in protecting vulnerable marine wildlife and preventing similar deaths along the country’s coastal waters./PN
