Danajon Double Barrier Reef

 November 21, 2012

I was excited to go to a management planning workshop for the Danajon Double Barrier Reef (DDBR) in Talibon, Bohol. This trip gave me the needed experience on how to get around to different island regions; especially Bohol since I’m going there for a New Years get together with other PCVs.


Laura Mudge from New Jersey, right where
Sandy hit the hardest. She's a marine biologist and
 master diver and is the closet PCV to me,
30 minutes away in Baybay

Laura came from Baybay in a LGU vehicle and picked me up on the way. We caught a pump boat for the two hour trip from Bato to Ubay. When we were within view of Ubay we came upon a fisherman in his boat who seemed to be in distress. He was waving a shirt frantically. Our boat turned around to help him. I was happy we did because I’d heard stories of this happening to fishermen except no one stops to help them. He told us to go ahead because there was another boat on the way to help him.

guy in trouble



Once landed in Ubay we caught a jeepney to Taloban where all the attendees stayed in the Talibon Pension House.

Laura and I went for a beer at this cool bar/restaurant
built in the traditional bamboo style, open to the
waterfront view

Representatives form all involved agencies, municipalities, universities and NGOs came to work on management planning for the DDBR. I t was great to see Victoria Carberry who’s sited in Bohol.

Vicky, me and Laura working with our
regional groups

We spent three days working in various groups to come up with a plan, identified challenges and areas of focus.
 We are always served three meals and two meriandas (snacks) a day and have other breaks to get energized and woken up. It was a lot of sitting.

The second day started with a visit to the Talibon Marine Conservation Center.

They have this great map of the DDBR area.

And educational information on everything from seahorses to fishing techniques; legal and illegal and all the reasons why the DDBR needs to be protected and conserved.

And then more work.

marking where the illegal fishing is happening

more mapping

identifying challenges

Afterwards some of us went to that nice place for a beer.



 After three full days of sitting through this workshop I was ready to go home. This time we caught a boat right from Talibon to Hilongos. It was a bigger nicer pump boat but the engine had issues when we got out in the middle of the sea. The operators were able to radio another boat that towed us the rest of the way.  

Our resue boat

getting towed