Masbate sandbar turns orange due to presence of krill

The usual white sands of the Buntod Reef Marine Sanctuary and Sandbar in Masbate turned orange due to the presence of krill, a crustacean often mistaken for shrimp.

According to Kuya Kim's  report on "24 Oras," Thursday, the phenomenon surprised visitors, including content creator Lea Saenz.

Lea shared a video of the thousands of orange krill against the white sand and could not resist gathering some herself.

"Nanghiram na rin 'yong asawa ko ng net doon para mas makuha nang mas madali. Kasi kung isa-isahin mo, matatagalan ka," she said.

Krill is locally called alamang or balaw in Bicol. Unlike shrimp, which has two-segmented bodies, krill has three-segmented bodies. Its outer shell is also transparent.

So why did the krill end up at the sandbar?

"Basta summer, nagkakaroon 'yan ng pagdagsa. Makikita mo kasi ang alamang, sa mga 0.5 to 150 depth. Doon nila nakukuha mga pagkain nila, mga diatoms or the planktons," said fisheries technologist Niel Justin Romano.

"Sila ay sumasabay lumangoy sa high tide and low tide. Natutulak sila sa doon sa baybayin ng Buntod reef. Malakas ang current sa area."

Kuya Kim said krill travels in large groups for protection. When it encounters a predator, it swims upside down or what is called lobstering as a defense mechanism.

—MGP, GMA Integrated News