HMC installs coral nurseries within Hinatuan Island mine site

Two coral nurseries were installed by Hinatuan Mining Corporation in the waters within Hinatuan Island mine site.

The move was part of the commitment of HMC, through its Water Resource Management Section of its Mine Environmental Protection and Enhancement Office (MEPEO), in protecting the environment in all its operations.

The installation of the coral nurseries was done in partnership with Caraga State University (CSU) Center for Research in Environmental Management and Eco-Governance (CRÈME) Director, Dr. Romell A. Seronay as consultant.

HMC Marine Biologist, Jusua D. Dela Peña participated in the installation with the help of professional divers from Surigao City.

The installation of the coral nurseries took two days to complete as the team needed to gather coral fragments. A total of 271 coral fragments were installed in the coral nurseries of HMC.

“By bringing the coral fragments into our coral nurseries, we give them the opportunity to survive and recover. If we do not take action, the fragments would be drifted on the ocean floor or be buried in the sand lowering their chances of survival,” said Dela Peña.

“Moreover, by setting up the coral fragments in the coral nursery we are able to give them the chance to produce more corals in the future that will be helpful to the marine life and coral reef ecosystem,” he further added.

A few weeks after the installation, the coral nurseries were visited by the Chairperson of the Multipartite Monitoring Team (MMT), Reyana Dawn U. Garcia of MGB-Regional Office No. 13 with the assistance of HMC Marine Biologist Jusua D. Dela Peña.

“During the visit, we noted that all coral fragments were healthy and survived in the new environment after it was placed,” said Dela Peña.

He added: “On October 13, 2019 when I checked again, there were no mortalities. This means that all 271 installed coral fragments survived. Moreover, in the span of one and a half months, the corals reared in the coral nurseries had already branched. Branching in corals is a good sign that it is healthy.”