Statues of Our Lady of Danajon and Sto. Niño
Statues of Our Lady of Danajon and Santo Niño, referring to the Virgin Mary and Holy Child (Jesus Christ), were placed underwater in 2010 off the coast of Bohol to stop dynamite fishing in the Danajon Bank, a double barrier reef.
Blast fishing was common in Danajon Bank, leading to destruction of the endangered coral reef—one of only six double barrier reefs in the world. The Bien Unido government and SeaKnights organization placed large statues of the Virgin Mary and Holy Child near the reef in 2010, hoping that the catholicism of the fishermen would prevent potentially harming the statues, thus stopping dynamite fishing. This was successful; these fishing techniques were substantially reduced.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ingenious Marine Conservation Project; Religious Icons Protect Double Reef". Cebu-Philippines.Net. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
- ^ "Praying underwater in Bohol". ABS-CBN News.
- ^ "Virgin Mary and Sto. Niño 'guard' coral reef". Save the Philippine Coral Reefs. 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
- ^ "The Bien Unido Double Barrier Reef Dive Site- the Underwater Grotto Shrine". perma.cc. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
- ^ "Divers filmed Virgin Mary statue after it was installed by Philippine authorities in 2010". Fact Check. 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
- ^ Discover the hidden treasures that lie beneath the waters of Bien Unido, Bohol | Front Row, GMA News, retrieved 2022-09-07 – via YouTube
- ^ "Could a statue halt dynamite fishing?". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
- ^ "The 1st underwater Pilgrimage at the Bien Unido Double Barrier Reef Marine Park". CCEF. 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
- ^ "2 Mysterious Statues in the Philippines You Can Only See Underwater". Tourist Spots Finder. 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2022-09-07.