the crustacean diaspora in surigao del sur

As a child, I always believed that crabs would never run out in Tago, my hometown in Surigao del Sur, even if they were peddled in the streets morning, noon and night.

Back then crabs were readily available that when a surprise visitor arrived minutes before lunch, my mother would tell our maid to boil water before leaving in haste. Just as the water began to bubble, she would be back with crabs dangling in her hand in one hefty bunch.

Then about three years ago, crab supply began to dwindle. Alarmed, Mayor Hermenegildo Pimentel Jr. investigated and learned that juvenile crabs—matchbox-sized crabs that swim or walk at the bottom of the muddy bay—are being transported on the sly to Zamboanga del Sur, Lanao del Norte and Capiz provinces. There, they are sold to fishpond operators. This explains why our crabs have become dearer, smaller, and rarer that we have to order them days in advance.

Realizing that Tago’s repute as Surigao del Sur’s crab capital was at stake, Mayor Pimentel met with crab gatherers and traders and pointed out to them that in effect they were selling crabs to extinction because if these crablets don’t reach maturity, who would create the next generation of crabs in the freshwaters of Tago?

He also stressed that this practice, if not stopped, would threaten the balance of ecology and Tago’s legitimate crab industry, and make losers in all of us. But these explanation proved too complex to be understood by crab gatherers who sell crablets at P10 each to survive.

“Three crablets already mean a kilo of rice for our family,” they said.

The municipal agriculturist reported that about 10,000 crablets are brought out of Tago weekly. If a crablet is left to mature in the wild, it would weigh an average of 900 grams. If a crab sells at P200 per kilogram, then each crab is worth P180. With 10,000 crablets, you have P1.8 million in foregone sales weekly or P93.6 million yearly.

Imagine what this amount would do to the economy of Tago, a third class municipality of 37,000 people with an internal revenue allotment of P45 million.

Aware of the problem’s enormity, the municipal council enacted in March 2006 an ordinance that prohibits the catching, selling, and gathering of crablets and berried mud crabs and stipulates a penalty of P1,500.00 or imprisonment of six months or both.

But it seemed that the ordinance, like its duplicate passed by the provincial board, lacked administrative feasibility because the crustacean diaspora continued, even metastasizing to other crab-rich towns like Hinatuan and Bislig.

Tagon-ons were quick to offer solutions. One was for the local government to buy these crablets at a competitive price, partner with nongovernment organizations, and go into innovative system of captive crab culture in pens among mangroves that abound in Tago.

Another idea, however, was so out-of-the-box that the mayor could only chuckle because it called for crabs to apply for exit visas. This way, they said, Tago could earn some bucks for itself.

Poverty being the overriding issue, everybody thought he’d never see the end of this dilemma. Then early this year, in what many believed at first to be mere attempt at sound bytes, Gov. Vicente Pimentel Jr. and Mayor Pimentel launched an offensive that both deploys the police to crack down on violators and dangles an attractive reward system for informants.

So far, the approach is getting positive results and gaining community support as thousands of crablets had been confiscated and returned to their natural habitat where they are expected to grow to adulthood, which means, having a carapace of at least 10 cm.

Crabs are back on the streets of Tago. And as supply increases steadily, Mayor Pimentel thinks of brokering a marketing agreement between crab gatherers and owners of hotels, resorts, and restaurants in Manila, Cebu and Davao.

“This way, the crab gatherers could earn good money,” he said.

But these changes aside, Mayor Pimentel remains on his guard. “The battle is far from over because I still receive reports of crablets going out of Tago,” he said.

But then he was quick to add that it’s now down to a level that doesn’t make him crabby.


(published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer;08/31/2008.)