It will take another three to five years before the dugong can reproduce again. Dugong meat is considered a delicacy, and is said to be tastier than beef. These defenseless creatures were hunted through fish nets, dynamites and spears. A good number of dugongs are also accidentally caught in fish corals and other fishing gears. They end up being butchered and consumed by humans.
Any harm done on the dugong is now punishable by law.
The Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of DENR and non-government organizations have been conducting distribution and habitat surveys and undertaking education activities on dugong conservation. Club Paradise and the Dugong Dimakya Island, home to Club Paradise, is one of the few areas in the world where observation of the dugong in its natural habitat can be done underwater. Since 1992, dugongs have been observed to regularly feed off the seagrass bed of the island's docking area. Sightings of the animal were however only recorded starting June 1994. In August 1994, a group of 4 dugongs was seen, while in October of the same year, two dugongs in bouts of courtship were also sighted.