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Case Study

“Coastal Resources depletion in Bolinao, Pangasinan”

Introduction
Lingayen Gulf, and the Bolinao-Anda reefs on the northwest section of the gulf, is among the
most data-rich estuarine systems in the Philippines. The major reason for this is its
importance as a major fishing ground and aquaculture production area in the northern area
of the country, and the presence of the Bolinao Marine Laboratory of the University of
the Philippines Marine Science Institute next to the reef system. Bolinao is a municipality
in the province of Pangasinan on the northwest coast of Luzon, Philippines (McManus
et al. 1990). Demersal fish, shellfish, and seaweeds living in reef and seagrass areas dominate
the fisheries of the town. One of 18 towns bordering the Lingayen Gulf, Bolinao has one of
the most extensively developed reef systems and associated habitats in northern Luzon
(McManus et al. 1992).

Water quality is an essential component of our coastal environment and is an important

concern at present in the municipality of Bolinao, Pangasinan. The increasing number of fish
cages and fish pens has been considered as one of the significant causes of the degradation
of water quality. The recent events of fish kills, one that happened in 2002 and the latest this
April 2015, showed that there is a need to come up with efficient planning strategies in
managing the aquaculture units. The local government units, stakeholders, concerned
agencies and researchers/scientists have collaborated through the “Integrated Costal
Ecosystems Conservation and Adaptive Management under Local and Global Environmental
Impacts in the Philippines” (CECAM) Project for the implementation of a detailed assessment
and continuous monitoring of the water quality in Bolinao. (Patrick White et al. 2007)

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Background
Bolinao is considered to have the most extensive monitored mariculture activities in Lingayen
Gulf. The investigations in this study have focused on the area (Bolinao Bay) between
the northeast mainland of Cape Bolinao, Santiago Island and Cabarruyan Island. The
bay has three inlets / outlets. The two up in the northern part of the bay are
connected strait out to open water. However, the southern entrance is connected to
Tambac Bay which also has a lot of aquaculture activity. The Tambac Bay was also affected by
fish kill episodes. The studied bay are relatively shallow and the average depth in most
of the area are less than 6 meters deep. (Patrick White et al. 2007)

The study area is shown in Figure 1.

Google earth Digitalized map

Figure 1: Satellite image of the Bolinao Bay

The coastal waters of Bolinao, Pangasinan, Philippines experienced environmental changes

over a 10-year period (1995-2005), the most significant effect of which was the major fish kill
event in 2002 that coincided with the first reported Philippine bloom of a dinoflagellate
Prorocentrum minimum. Days before the bloom, dissolved oxygen was < 2.0 mg/l in the
waters that were stratified. These conditions may be linked to the uncontrolled proliferation
of fish pens and cages to more than double the allowable limit of 544 units for Bolinao waters.
Mariculture activities release organic matter from unconsumed feed and fecal material that
accumulate in the water and sediments. In over 10 years, water quality conditions have
become eutrophic with ammonia increasing by 56%, nitrite by 35%, nitrate by 90%, and

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phosphate by 67%. The addition of more fish pens and cages placed additional stress to this
poorly flushed, shallow area that affected water quality due to changes in the water residence

time. (Patrick White et al. 2007)

Figure 2. Annual average concentration of nutrients (NH3, NO3, NO2, PO4), chlorophyll-a, and
number of fish pens and cages in Bolinao, Pangasinan from 1995–2005. Error bars are SD.
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The trend in annual average nutrient concentration in Bolinao over the last 10 years is shown
in Fig. 2. In 1995, ammonia was 1.67 lM and increased by 56% to 3.81 lM in 2005. Nitrate was
0.21 lM in 1995 and increased to 2.17 lM in 2005 (90% change). Nitrite was 0.11 lM in 1995
and 0.17 lM in 2005 (35% change). Phosphate was 0.15 lM in 1995 and increased to 0.45 lM
in 2005 (67% change). The changes in nutrients may be linked to the number of fish pens and
cages in Bolinao. Elevated nutrients began in 2002 (no nutrient and chlorophyll data obtained
in 2001) when the number of fish pens and cages was high (Fig. 2). The fish kill event occurred
in January 2002, after which the municipality of Bolinao dismantled many of the fish pens and
cages to bring their number to the allowable limit. This may have led to the decreasing trend
in some nutrients and chlorophyll from 2002 to 2005. In the absence of chlorophyll values for
2001, the highest chlorophyll was seen in 2000 and not in 2002 when the fish kill occurred.
The chlorophyll values are annual averages and not necessarily the level during the fish kill
event. Also, chlorophyll data may not completely show the bloom of certain species specially
the mixotrophic/heterotrophic ones. Mixotrophy has been observed in Prorocentrum
minimum (Stoecker et al., 1997).

Figure 3. Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly of Bolinao from January 4, 2002 to March 26, 2002

The graph shows the sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly from January to March 2002.
The red vertical line indicates the fish kill event occurred in that year. During the incident,
there is a low positive SST but there are high anomalies prior to the event. This could have
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caused stress to the fish and resulted to lowering of dissolved oxygen levels since warmer
water holds lower amount of DO than colder water. (Arcgis.com)

Figure 4. Daily Accumulated Precipitation

The graph shows the daily accumulated precipitation from December 2001 to March 2002.
High precipitation few months prior to the event was recorded. According to a study, an
occurrence of algal bloom from December to February was reported and 99% of it was
comprised of phytoplankton. The organism, P. minimum, is associated with eutrophied
waters and is linked to the fish kill event. The rainfall could have caused the blooming which
then depleted the dissolved oxygen levels. (Arcgis.com)

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Figure 5. Standards based on Water Quality Guidelines and Effluent Standards and its
Implementation in the Philippines.
Solution

Water quality testing program can help identify water quality impairments, like dissolved
oxygen, pH and nutrient levels, before they get out of hand and ensure the most effective
management methods are being utilized to protect the waterbody.

Alternatives

Community participation is crucial to the success of any regulatory program. There is a higher
probability of success when the community is involved at the earliest stages of developing the
regime. The shaping of the regulations should take into account existing practices and inputs
from the community. The community itself worked to develop the management program for
their coastal zone. The scientists and community organizers provided the guidance to ensure
that the management plan had a sound scientific basis. The community then lobbied for the
adoption of the plan by the local government. Proper education that we can truly break free
from our degenerative mariculture practices that are not only harmful to the environment,
but more importantly, can greatly affect the future of fishers themselves.

Recommendation

One of the recommendations is the creation of inter-agency body that will be responsible in
the monitoring. The composition is important since there are different sectors involved, e.g.
industrial effluents, aquaculture wastes, domestic sewage, etc. One agency alone may not
have the technical capabilities or equipment. This is also seen as a good mechanism in
addressing the problem of insufficient staff and resources. However, emphasis on the
composition and the roles and responsibilities of each agency should be laid out clearly, to
avoid the overlaps and duplication of efforts. Moreover, a mechanism should also be well
planned to ensure the continuity of the efforts. For the government agencies and local
government units, putting more teeth in implementing existing laws can save what is left of
our mariculture resources. Insure the accountability of persons violating existing laws, LGUs
should review and further strengthen existing sanctions and monitoring mechanisms. There
should be regular monitoring in Bolinao and Anda coastal waters so that the condition will

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not worsen. Strict implementation of the 544 total fish pens and cages in Bolinao is also
mandatory. If the numbers exceed the limit, then the coastal waters might continue to
deteriorate due to congestion and pollution.

References
 Magnus Torell and Albert M Salamanca (2002) “Institutional Issues and Perspectives
in the Management of Fisheries and Coastal Resources in Southeast Asia”
 Patrick White et al. (2007) “Environmental Monitoring and Modelling of Aquaculture
in risk areas of the Philippines (EMMA)”
 Roseanne V. Ramos and Ariel C. Blanco (2017) “GEOSTATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF WATER
QUALITY IN BOLINAO, PANGASINAN”
 San Diego-McGlone, M. L., Azanza, R. V., Villanoy, C. L., & Jacinto, G. S.
(2008). “Eutrophic waters, algal bloom and fish kill in fish farming areas in Bolinao,
Pangasinan, Philippines. Marine Pollution Bulletin”
 Water Quality Guidelines and Effluent Standards and its Implementation in the
Philippines
Figures:
 https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=eabb6bc66f3b49aa807abeb9
d2d74751

COMMENTS
Reporter 1:

Good Report. Had some technical issues but managed to discuss his case study properly and
indicate the citations. So overall, he did a good job.

Reporter 2:

Good Report. The document file needs a minor revision but the PPT file is good. So, I can say
he still did his best.

Reporter 3:

Good Report. Explained how his case study relates to the current environmental issue and for
his presentation he showed many images which somewhat helped the viewers to imagine and
understand what he is discussing.

“Coastal Resources Depletion in Bolinao, Pangasinan”

Water Resources Engineering – Water Quality