ANVAYA COVE’S ‘REEFORESTATION’:

Saving our seas one giant clam at a time

Last December 4 & 5, the Anvaya Environmental Foundation Inc. (AEFI), with the support of the Anvaya Beach & Nature Club and Blue Water Consultancy headed by Chen & Louie Mencias, implemented its maiden project, Dive for the Giants: A Giant Clam Seeding Activity at Anvaya Cove. The objective of the project was to seed 79 Tridacna Gigas or True Giant Clams in the waters of Anvaya Cove as an effort to enhance its coral reefs.

ANVAYA COVE’S ‘REEFORESTATION’:

The Tridacna Gigas, or True Giant Clam, was declared to be extinct in the Philippines in 1985 due to over harvesting for use as food and for the decorative uses of their shells. The UP-Marine Science Institute took the lead in the efforts of repopulating the Philippine waters
with these clams by setting up a giant clam ocean nursery in their marine laboratory in Bolinao, Pangaisinan. The original intent of this initiative was to repopulate the waters of the Philippines with these clams, but other benefits were observed in seeding areas, such as increasing fish density and biodiversity. Today, giant clam seeding is an accepted method of naturally enhancing coral reefs.
The project was made possible by the Anvaya Cove community, as 22 volunteer divers from the Anvaya Cove Beach and Nature Club offered their time and efforts
to seed the giant clams in Anvaya. Club members and club staff, who were both willing to help and amazed at seeing the giant clams up close, made this project much more expedient by assisting in the transport, measuring, and tagging the clams. The local fisherfolk community also participated by providing boats and by offering to be the stewards of the newly seeded clams.
AEFI envisions itself to be the steward of Anvaya Cove's environment and natural resources. Its mission is to protect, conserve, restore, and manage Anvaya Cove's natural resources - flora and fauna, marine and terrestrial; and to promote environmentally sustainable principles and practices to its neighboring communities.