I've always been profoundly fascinated by watching a fish wag its tail and gracefully weave through the water in an almost perfectly synchronized movement. I find it remarkably similar to how humans move gracefully in a sprint motion, actively exerting body muscles to generate a fluid action—except it looks so much better when a fish does it naturally in the water.
Juag Fish Sanctuary: A Watering Hole for Marine Life
My mom used to take me to the wet market on Sunday mornings when I was a kid, and I vividly remember seeing her buy live fish straight from the ice-filled drums at one of the stalls. At the time, I innocently assumed she bought them so we could keep them alive at home. When we finally got back, I asked her exactly where she kept the fish we had purchased that day. My mother simply pointed to the dining table. I eagerly peered inside the hot pot, where I saw the fish "swimming" but completely lifeless—chopped into pieces and floating heavily in a sea of sour sinigang soup.
The Balance of Marine Life
That specific day, I painfully realized that these creatures' lives were fundamentally a part of Earth's natural balance. They feed on smaller species of fish, algae, and other oceanic bacteria, while we—the top order of the draw (or so we'd like to arrogantly believe)—catch and enjoy them festively over hot rice or alongside a cold bottle of beer.
However, this absolute fact does not give us the green light or permission to simply scoop them all up uncontrollably and toss them into the frying pan. Many marine fish species are strictly prohibited for human consumption, and others must be properly studied, protected, and nurtured to safely ensure their longevity and tremendous multiplication in the future ocean ecosystem.
An Oceanic Refuge in Matnog
The Juag Lagoon Fish Sanctuary, located just off the quiet coast of Matnog in Sorsogon, actively collects a wide variety of marine life for continuous scientific research, natural breeding, and temporary aquatic sanctuary before they are successfully released back into the vast, open space of the sea.
It is also a highly unique location where average visitors can safely get up close and personal with some of the fascinating sea creatures normally only seen on television documentaries. It was exactly here that I closely saw a giant sea cucumber, which strongly resembles an alien life form. It features soft skin and a highly slimy texture; when you gently hold it, you will physically feel its slow breathing and its tiny surrounding tentacles, making you intensely wonder if it is a distant ocean cousin of the alien creature from the sci-fi movie "Predator."
Kuya Lupito’s Connection to the Sea
Kuya Lupito, the sanctuary's dedicated owner, has clearly grown deeply accustomed to his difficult conservation role. He effortlessly knows exactly where every single animal hangs out in Juag's every nook and cranny. He'd playfully say, "You want to see the turtle?" one moment, then magically reappear from the deep water holding a very cute and highly adorable rescued sea turtle the next. Then he'll dive deeply again, and after a short while, he'll confidently appear with the giant sea cucumber, quickly followed by a slew of giant clams and spiny lobsters.
Being this comfortably close to some of nature's strangest sea creatures day in and day out is a very highly interesting job for an individual. I visually imagined that an unseen, almost telepathic link between him and the native marine species had already formed. That, to me, was the absolute pinnacle of any true connection between man and nature.
We kept heavily throwing small feeder fish and dry fish pellets into the water to attract the other massive fishes that had aggressively scrambled over one another like wild music fans at a rock festival for the day's feeding prize. I saw a huge variety of large fish, including one with a seemingly bulging, massive body—as if it had casually consumed an entire case of beer. The others were ordinary in appearance, despite strongly representing rare variants of oceanic species that only a trained Ichthyologist would accurately know their scientific names.
The saltwater enclosure was extremely large and deep enough for these majestic sea creatures to comfortably congregate. Average visitors can safely walk around the sanctuary's bamboo perimeter and easily view and feed the fish from stilt-styled, native shelters.
Although admission to the sanctuary is technically free, we would highly like to encourage each passing visitor to make a cash donation of any amount or provide helpful marine gear, such as extra snorkels, goggles, and fins to help support their operations. Travel time directly from the Matnog port is approximately 20 fast minutes via outrigger boat, and it is merely a 30-minute skip away from the pristine white sands of Subic Beach on Calintaan Island.
