Cadiz offers reward to catch giant clam poachers

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The city government of Cadiz, Negros Occidental, is offering a PHP 20,000 reward to anyone who can provide vital information on individuals linked to the loss of 33 of more than 2,000 giant clams being grown in a sea nursery beside Lakawon Island in Barangay Cadiz Viejo.

Authorities discovered on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, that 33 bivalves, considered protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, were forcibly extracted from the 9.2-hectare Giant Clam Village (GC Ville), shucked for their meat and left as empty shells, officials said.

The clams were part of the 2,449 bivalves being raised in GC Ville, which the city government has declared a protected marine area.

Though there were already alleged names of suspects, Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said they will check the veracity of the information.

“Once we positively identify them, we will never hesitate to file the necessary criminal charges to let them pay for the crime [they’ve] committed against our environment,” Escalante said.

Escalante branded the act as a form of “environmental terrorism,” saying GC Ville is the city’s cornerstone program for environmental protection and conservation.

The mayor said the incident was painful news for the city.

“It came as a bad Christmas gift for Cadiz. I can’t imagine why others still have an obnoxious desire to become sea criminals, casting ill will against these ‘sea treasures’ of ours,” he said.

Following the incident, the city said it has tightened security, and GC Ville will be guarded around the clock by sea wardens, known locally as Bantay Dagat operatives, to prevent a repeat.

“You gave us the hardest lesson. We will give you the hardest retribution just in case,” Escalante warned the sea poachers.

Citing Republic Act No. 10654 (Philippine Fisheries Code), officials said anyone proven guilty of poaching or killing protected marine species may face criminal or administrative liabilities and fines of PHP 300,000–PHP 3 million.

Giant clams are among the world’s largest bivalves and are widely protected because illegal harvest can harm reef ecosystems and undermine conservation and ecotourism efforts.

Ilongga Hereliza “Yhen” Osorio, a former staff member at Lakawon Island Resort, discovered the clams during the height of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic five years ago.

While in lockdown, Osorio said she accidentally found three tiny bivalves along the Lakawon seashore and, out of curiosity, kept and cared for them in a small glass container.

She later received support from the city agriculture office, which led to the kickoff of the city’s conservation effort in 2021, with Osorio serving as lead caretaker and conservationist.

Four years later, Osorio has become immersed in the giant clams’ broadcast spawning, supervising their reproduction to a population now numbering more than 2,000.

At present, GC Ville is home to four species of giant clams: Tridacna squamosa, Tridacna crocea, Hippopus hippopus, and Tridacna maxima.