The Davao Gulf is considered one of the most diverse habitats for cetaceans in the country, hosting at least 10 species of toothed whales and dolphins, including sperm whales and beaked whales. Dugongs, commonly referred to as sea cows, are frequently observed.
However, in April of this year, dugongs were sighted in various locations within the Davao Gulf, all of which were deceased. One was discovered lifeless in Lupon on April 1. Another was found dead on the beach of Baganga on April 4. Three days later, a further deceased dugong was reported in Boston. On April 17, another fatality was recorded in Tarragona. All four municipalities are located in Davao Oriental.
However, it is not solely in the Davao Gulf where deceased dugongs have been reported. On April 4, a fatality was noted in Sultan Kudarat. Subsequently, on April 9, another dugong was observed floating in the waters of Coron, Palawan.
Dr. Darrell Dean Blatchley, a marine biologist and proprietor of the D’Bone Collector Museum in Davao City, characterized this occurrence as “a slow-motion wipeout.”
“Six dugongs. Seventeen days. Not in a single location. Not resulting from one event. Dispersed, scattered, yet somehow linked by the same result: deceased animals in waters that are meant to safeguard them,” he lamented.
“Let us be clear—dugongs do not perish in this manner within healthy ecosystems. They do not reproduce quickly enough to compensate for such losses. A female requires years to nurture a single calf. Kill her, and you do not merely lose one life—you obliterate an entire future generation. Repeatedly doing this means you are not observing random mortality. You are witnessing a population being eroded beyond the point of recovery.”
However, it appears that business continues as usual. “Where is the urgency?” he asked. “Where is the investigation that addresses this as the ecological crisis it truly is? Because six fatalities in just over two weeks is not mere background noise—it represents a spike. It exemplifies what collapse resembles before society is prepared to acknowledge it as such.”
Blatchley regarded dugongs as the final guardians of seagrass ecosystems, which are vital to coastal communities. In fact, they are called sea cows because they graze on seagrasses. An adult dugong can consume more than 30 kilograms of seagrass a day.
Interestingly, the Philippines has 18 species along its coasts, making the country the second highest (after Western Australia’s more than 30 species) in terms of the number of seagrasses in the world.
“The absence of dugongs leads to deteriorated seagrass,” he emphasized. “Deteriorated seagrass results in weakened fisheries, diminished carbon storage, and a gradual demise of entire coastal systems. This issue transcends a single species – it concerns the very foundation of livelihoods.”
What is particularly alarming about the recent developments is the emerging pattern. “Males and females. Various regions. The same country under strain. This does not suggest coincidence—it indicates failure. A failure to manage coastal development. A failure to regulate harmful fishing practices. A failure to uphold protections where they are meant to exist,” he stated.
“If protections were effective, we would not be tallying bodies. And that is precisely what this list represents—a body count. Not mere data points. Not statistics. Bodies. Each one signifies that something in these waters is malfunctioning—and has been malfunctioning long enough to continue causing harm. Silently. Repeatedly. Without repercussions.”
Should this trend persist, there will soon be no dugongs left to talk about. “There will be no discourse on conservation strategies. No panels or policies to debate. There will simply be silence where dugongs once thrived,” Blatchley lamented.
Dugongs are scientifically referred to as Dugong dugon. These marine mammals reside in the warm coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans and bear resemblance to the manatee, according to the Britannica Encyclopedia.
Australia hosts the largest populations; however, dugongs can also be found along the western coast of Madagascar, the eastern coast of Africa, in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, around the Indian subcontinent, and throughout the western Pacific from Okinawa to northern Australia. A small, isolated population continues to exist in the remote Pacific archipelago of Palau.
At a conservation congress organized by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2004, it was reported that dugongs may have been present around nearly all the islands of the Philippines during the early 1900s.
Presently, sightings of dugongs have been recorded in Isabela and Quezon provinces, southern Mindoro and Palawan, Guimaras Strait and Panay Gulf, northeastern Mindanao, and southern Mindanao, which encompasses the Sulu Archipelago, Sarangani Bay, and Pujada Bay.
Dugongs are known for their longevity, living up to 73 years. They face predation from killer whales and sharks, and there is evidence that crocodiles may also hunt them. In the past, dugongs were extensively hunted by humans for their meat, hides, and oil.
The slow growth rate of dugong populations also raises concerns. It takes approximately 9 years for them to reach maturity, and they typically give birth to calves every 3 to 7 years, which complicates population recovery efforts.
Currently, the decline in their populations is primarily attributed to human activities. The following points summarize various contributing factors:
Habitat degradation: Coastal development, land reclamation, and pollution (particularly those from oil spills) are detrimental to the seagrass meadows that dugongs rely on for sustenance.
Incidental bycatch: Dugongs often drown after becoming ensnared in gill nets, fish corrals (baklad), and nets associated with illegal dynamite fishing.
Seaweed farm entanglement: Recent reports indicate a rise in fatal entanglements involving ropes used in seaweed farming, particularly in areas such as Busuanga, Palawan.
Plastic pollution: Dugongs may confuse plastic waste for food, especially while grazing on seagrass beds, which constitute their main diet. Consumed plastics can obstruct their digestive systems, inflict internal injuries, and result in infections or death.
In the Philippines, the dugong has been listed as “vulnerable to extinction” since 1982. However, it took nine years for the government to issue Administrative Order (AO) No. 55, declaring dugong “a protected marine mammal in the Philippines.”
“The killing or taking of dugong for whatever purposes, except for scientific research is now prohibited,” the AO said in part. “Any person who shall hunt, kill, wound, or take away, possess, transport, or dispose of the dugong, dead or alive, or its meat and any of its by-products, shall be punished.”
The AO also stipulated that vessels or carriers, gears, tools, equipment and other paraphernalia used in the commission of the prohibited acts and offenses including the catch, as instrument and proceeds of the offenses, shall be confiscated in favor of the government.
On May 22, 2004, the DENR issued Administrative Order No. 2004-14 declaring dugongs as “critically endangered,” which means they are facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Meanwhile, Blatchley surmised there is no comprehensive national system monitoring dugong fatalities in real time. “There is no coordinated alert system for when several deaths happen within a short period. There is no centralized response when regional trends become apparent. There is no prompt public notification when something is evidently amiss. Rather, the information is disjointed—fragmented reports, separate field updates, and delayed recognitions,” he concluded.
