Ocean hero ready to die to protect Tanon Strait


'God forbid, I will not stop until I'm dead'

This was how ocean defender Norlan Pagal describes his passion to protect Tanon Strait, a Protected Area under the category of a Protected Seascape between Cebu and Negros.

Pagal, who is now bound to his wheel chair, is still recovering from his injury.  A bullet pierced his spinal column during an assassination attempt by still unidentified suspects.

He was among four protectors of the Tanon Strait who were conferred the Ocean Heroes Award, the first of its kind, organized by Oceana Philippines, a not-for-profit ocean conservation advocacy group, in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) and Department of Agriculture (DA) - Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) as part of the celebration of World Oceans Day in Cebu City last June 8, 2016.

A few months after, he is back on the job to help protect the Tanon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS), which is home to amazing creatures of the sea - dolphins, whales, sea cows or dugongs and marine turtles.

He said he is helping protect the Tanon Strait for the future generation.

"It is our duty and responsibility to our children to protect the ocean," he said.

Pagal said many species of fish are in the brink of extinction because of illegal fishing activities.

What is happening now in Tanon Strait, he said, can be stopped if the people will join hands in protecting it against illegal fishing activities, particularly the use of destructive dynamite and cyanide to catch more fish.

We can all help protect the ocean.  We can join the ocean clean-up activities in our towns, stop throwing garbage in our rivers, or report illegal fishing and other destructive human activities that destroy our marine ecosystems to authorities.  Take photos of them, post them on social network sites, report them to generate public awareness and hopefully, to rally the people behind the campaign to save our ocean.