Newsletter: Latest PH Marine Mammal Stranding Hotspots and Species Stranding Status Entail Urgent LGU Response

[THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE]

By: Eunice Jean C. Patron

With a significant number of marine mammals stranded in the Philippines over the past years, it is within the scope of local government units (LGUs) to address this pressing concern, scientists from the University of the Philippines – Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) indicated in a recent study that encompasses data from the past almost two decades.

A rare ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens) was stranded alive in Subic Bay on April 19, 2010. Annual stranding frequencies in the Philippines generally increased from 29 in 2005-2007 to 106 in 2020-2022. (Photo credit: PMMSN)

Dr. Lemnuel Aragones, Alessandra Nicole Morado, and Honey Leen Laggui of the Institute of Environmental Science & Meteorology (IESM), along with Dr. Marie Christine Obusan of the Institute of Biology (IB), Dr. Jonah Bondoc of the Natural Sciences Research Institute (NSRI), and Dr. Leo Suarez of Ocean Adventure and Ewen Lawler of University of Canberra, assessed the changes in marine mammal strandings in the Philippines over space and time, as well as the types of species that got stranded in Philippine territory from 2005 to 2022.

Newsletter: UP Biologists Set Up First DNA Segments to Monitor In-demand Seafood

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By: Eunice Jean Patron

Caranx ignobilis, locally known as maliputo, became an economically important species in the Philippines due to its high value as a food fish. (Photo credit: Shenna Kate Torres)

One of the Sustainable Development Goals created by the United Nations is to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.” Aquaculture, the practice of farming aquatic animals and plants such as fish and seaweed, plays a critical role in achieving food security. The Philippines and the entire Indo-Pacific region are home to various fish species with significant aquaculture potential and increased seafood consumption, therefore requiring genetic monitoring to ensure their populations’ long-term stability.

Newsletter: Tañon Strait dolphins declining and in peril

[THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE]

Researchers from the University of the Philippines - Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) are warning that unchecked ecotourism and overfishing are threatening the cetacean biodiversity of the famous and richly diverse Tañon Strait.

A lone spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) plies the waters of Tañon Strait. Whereas in previous years one might spot as many as 100 individuals in a single day, only no more than 90 were spotted over a recent four-day survey. (Photo credit: UPD-CS MMRCL)

Newsletter: UP marine, computer scientists invent semi-automated fish monitoring device

[THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE]

A diver carefully installs a stereo camera for FishDrop, a semi-automated fish census technology developed by UP scientists. (Photo credit: Prospero Naval, Jr., and Laura T. David)

Monitoring the health of marine environments is a laborious activity, but is essential for evaluating the success of reef protection and rehabilitation initiatives. A fish census commonly involves divers swimming along a transect line, usually marked by a plastic cord, and visually counting and identifying the fish species that they encounter. This painstaking process requires trained experts and highly knowledgeable divers to accurately record data on species, size, and abundance.