the leyte gulf

2. Gulf of Leyte is a part of the Philippine Sea of
the Pacific Ocean, immediately east of the island of
Leyte in the Philippines, at
10°50′N 125°25′ECoordinates: 10°50′N 125°25′E.
The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of
Samar, the latter of which is separated on the west from
Leyte by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the
south by Mindanao Island, the latter of which is on north
separated from Leyte by the Surigao Strait.Dinagat
Island partly encloses the Gulf to the southeast, and the
small Homonhon Island and Suluan Island, sit astride
the eastern entrance to the Gulf. It is approximately
130 km (80 mi) north-south, and 60 km (40 mi) east-west.
Leyte Gulf was also the scene of the Battle of Leyte
Gulf, the largest naval battle of the World War II.

3. Leyte (also Northern Leyte; Filipino: Hilagang
Leyte) is a province of the Philippines located in
the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital
is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters
of the island of Leyte. The province of
Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north
of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran. To the west
of Leyte across the Camotes Sea is Cebu
Province.

5. The Battle of Leyte Gulf took place in the seas
surrounding this island from 23 October to 26
October 1944. It was the largest naval battle in
modern history, when at least 212 Allied ships
clashed with the remnants of the Imperial
Japanese Navy, some 60 ships, including the
super battleships Yamato and Musashi.
The First Battle of Leyte occurred on 20 October
1944. A successful Allied invasion of the island
was the crucial element to the eventual Filipino
and American victory in the Philippines.

7. KALANGGAMAN ISLAND
KALANGGAMAN is a strip of land with an
area of less than 10 hectares, situated
approximately 12 kilometers from the
shoreline of the mainland of Palompon,
Leyte. With its rich marine environment , it
served as traditional fishing grounds of the
local fisherfolks and communal area for
swimming and social gatherings of local
residents. Lying midway to Cebu province,
it has milky white sand and crystal clear
waters, blue waters and palm trees.

8. Bounded by The Pacific Ocean on the east and Leyte Gulf on the
west, this 1,600 hectare island is considered the Jewel of the
Pacific coast. Miles of white sand beaches, dramatic coralline
landscapes, cathedral caves, and powerful surfing waves
characterize the Pacific side of Calicoan, while the Leyte Gulf
side features calm and clear water ideal for swimming and
watersports. There are 6 saltwater lagoons ringed by forest
along the interior of Calicoan.

10. The surrounding waters are some of the most abundant in natural
resources anywhere. Big gamefish such as tuna, marlin, swordfish
and mahi-mahi are caught regularly in the waters between
Calicoan and Sulu-an island. Large mangrove crabs can be
found on the island’s northern tip. Lobsters are known to be
caught off the waters of Ngolos Beach, right in front of the Ocean
Villas!
In the calmer waters of the Leyte Gulf, sea cucumbers, sea
grapes, and tropical reef fish abound. A pearl and giant clam farm
is nearby.

11. Pelagic fishing for tuna and other
smaller pelagics and invertebrates
is done by purse seine, ring net,
bag net, hook and line, push net,
gillnet, troll line, drift filter net and
round haul seine. Demersal fishing
is done primarily by trawl, danish
seine, beach seine, and drive-in-net.
The utilization of these fishing
gears vary from region to region,
and their operation is affected by
the prevailing monsoon and fishing
season. In coastal waters, many
kinds of fishing gear and methods
are used by the fishermen making
the fishing effort very high and
contributing to overfishing.

13. LEYTE Gulf's marine biodiversity has been endangered by
overfishing, destruction of coral reefs, forests and mangroves, a
study from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas-
Tacloban College (UPVTC) showed.
Leyte Gulf comprises 140,000 hectares of fishing grounds, which
is currently carried out by 4,100 fishers supplying the major staple
food for a population of approximately 560,000 people.
In a baseline study commissioned by the Environment and Rural
Development (EnRD) Program of the German Technical
Cooperation (GTZ) and was implemented by Prof. Margarita De la
Cruz, a UPVTC marine biology professor, it was found out that
destruction of fish habitats, decreased fish catch and
disappearance of several fish species is taking place at Leyte Gulf.

14. Based on the said Baseline study,
the rampant dynamite fishing in
the Leyte Gulf has resulted in
destruction of coral reefs,
decreasing fish catch,
disappearance of several fish
species, depleted mangroves and
absence of sea grass beds. Fish
catch in the Leyte Gulf which used
to reach 50 kilograms has now
dropped to a daily 0 to 5kg which
is certainly not enough to meet the
family's daily needs. Fisherfolks
who use motorboats in catching
fish, for their part, face an even
tougher challenge because they
would need to spend more money
for their boat's fuel.