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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.