$11. INTRODUCTION
$1o CGDSEM AOR
The area of responsibility of Coast Guard Southeastern Mindanao (CGDSEM) covers the coastal waters of the province of Surigao Del Sur in the north stretching towards west to the province of Saranggani and down to the Island of Balut in the south. It also includes important bodies of water engulfing Davao region, namely; Davao Gulf, Malalag Bay of Davao Del Sur and Mayo Bay of Davao Oriental. It has a coastline extending to about 1,746 kilometers and sprawling across a water jurisdiction of about 13,747 square kilometers. Its coastal areas provide settings to six (6) cities, 48 municipalities and 1,160 coastal barangays.
$1· DAVAO GULF
Davao Gulf cuts into Davao Region from the Celebes Sea. It is surrounded by four provinces of said region comprising of Davao Del Sur, Davao Del Norte, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental. A cluster of islands can be found in the gulf collectively known as the Islands Garden City of Samal. The gulf is a major fishing ground and its ranked 10th among the 24 fisheries statistical areas of the country. It also serves as the center of marine biodiversity in the region that is rich in variety of marine life. On the gulf’s west coast sprawl a number of ports serving the local and international vessels. Record shows that an average of 21, 500 vessels and about 1760 of which are foreign call the different ports of Davao. These different ports link trade and commerce to other ports of the world such as those in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Australia, Middle East, Europe and USA. The gulf is also provides the environment for local water transport as there about 54 established routes crisscrossing within its waters and serving the transportation needs of the surrounding communities . There are about 343 clusters of residential communities situated along the coasts of Davao Gulf taking advantage of the convenience and economy of water transport. It is by these features that the gulf can be described as a very ecologically, economically and socially important area to Davao region.