National Committee on Marine Sciences (NCMS)
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- Fisheries Administrative Order No. 233: Series of 2010. Aquatic wildlife conservation.(Department of Agriculture, 2010-04-16)This Administrative Order, consisting of 5 Chapters and 1 Annex, In line with Rule 37.1 of the Joint DENR-DA-PCSD Administrative Order No. 1, Series of 2004, is promulgated pursuant to Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001. It creates several authorities entitled to carry out research, control and manage the aquatic wildlife sector, such as: the National Aquatic Wildlife Management Committee (NAWMC) and establishes their composition, duties and responsibilities. This Order is divided as follows: Structures and Individuals for the Conservation of Aquatic Wildlife (Chap. I); Utilization of Aquatic Wildlife (Scientific Research on Aquatic Wildlife) (Chap. II); Fees and Charges (Chap. III); Fines and Penalties (Chap. IV); Miscellaneous Provisions (Chap. V). The Annex lays down a Preliminary List of Economically Important Aquatic Organisms.
- Characteristics of marine heatwaves in the PhilippinesEdullantes, Brisneve; Concolis, Brenna Mei M.; Quilestino-Olario, Raven; Atup, Dale Patrick D.; Cortes, Aiza; Yñiguez, Aletta T. (Elsevier, 2023-09)Marine Heatwaves (MHWs) are prolonged, discrete, and anomalously warm events, which have recently gained global attention due to their far-reaching effects and reported impacts. Although intensive studies have been carried out at global and regional scales, these events remained understudied in the Philippines – a country with high marine biodiversity. The Philippines is highly vulnerable to the impacts of these extreme events as it lies in the western boundary of the Pacific that is considered as a hotspot for MHWs. The present study used multi-year climatic sea surface temperature (SST) record to detect MHWs in the Philippines. The detected events were then characterized using the standardized metrics. Linear trend analysis was conducted to determine the magnitude and direction of the change of the MHW metrics over time. Decadal trend revealed that MHWs in the Philippines significantly increased from seven MHWs in the 1980s to 37 MHWs in the last decade. Moreover, increased duration was remarkable in 2020 with 276 MHW days. MHW frequency and duration were increasing at a rate almost twice as its neighboring waters. Intensities did not significantly increase with time, but the highest SST anomaly is associated with El Niño Southern Oscillation. Furthermore, the eastern and western region of the Philippines is vulnerable to MHWs, but hotspots are mostly confined in the West Philippine Sea and western tropical Pacific. An in-depth investigation of the drivers of MHWs is recommended to understand the physical mechanisms of the development of these extreme thermal events in the Philippine seas. The findings have significant implications for coastal marine resource management, highlighting the need for adaptive management strategies and increased monitoring and research efforts to mitigate the impacts of MHWs on marine ecosystems and local economies in the Philippines.
- Trans-Arctic asymmetries, melting pots and weak species cohesion in the low-dispersal amphiboreal seaweed Fucus distichusNeiva, João; Assis, Jorge; Fragkopoulou, Eliza; Pearson, Gareth A.; Raimondi, Peter T.; Anderson, Laura; Krause-Jensen, Dorte; Marbà, Núria; Want, Andrew; Selivanova, Olga; Nakaoka, Masahiro; Grant, W. Stewart; Konar, Brenda; Roleda, Michael Y.; Sejr, Mikael K.; Paulino, Cristina; Serrão, Ester A. (Frontiers Media SA, 2024-04-18)Amphiboreal taxa are often composed of vicariant phylogroups and species complexes whose divergence and phylogeographic affinities reflect a shared history of chronic isolation and episodic trans-Arctic dispersal. Ecological filters and shifting selective pressures may also promote selective sweeps, niche shifts and ecological speciation during colonization, but these are seldom considered at biogeographical scales. Here we integrate genetic data and Ecologic Niche Models (ENMs) to investigate the historical biogeography and cohesion of the polymorphic rockweed Fucus distichus throughout its immense amphiboreal range, focusing on trans-Arctic asymmetries, glacial/interglacial dynamics, and integrity of sympatric eco-morphotypes. Populations were sampled throughout the Pacific and the Atlantic, from southern rear-edges to the high-Arctic. They were genotyped for seven microsatellites and an mtDNA spacer, and genetic diversity and structure were assessed from global to local scales. ENMs were used to compare niche divergence and magnitude of post-glacial range shifts in Pacific versus Atlantic sub-ranges. Haplotypic and genotypic data revealed distinct and seemingly isolated Pacific vs Arctic/Atlantic gene-pools, with finer-scale regional sub-structuring pervasive in the Pacific. MtDNA diversity was highly structured and overwhelmingly concentrated in the Pacific. Regionally, Alaska showed the highest intra-population diversity but the lowest levels of endemism. Some sympatric/parapatric ecotypes exhibited distinct genotypic/haplotypic compositions. Strikingly, niche models revealed higher Pacific tolerance to maximum temperatures and predicted a much more consolidated presence in the NE Atlantic. Glacial and modern ranges overlapped extensively in the Pacific, whereas the modern Atlantic range was largely glaciated or emerged during the Last Glacial Maximum. Higher genetic and ecogeographic diversity supports a primary Pacific diversification and secondary Atlantic colonization, also likely reflecting the much larger and more stable climatic refugia in the Pacific. The relic distribution and reduced ecological/morphological plasticity in the NE Atlantic are hypothesized to reflect functional trans-Arctic bottlenecks, recent colonization or competition with congeners. Within the Pacific, Alaska showed signatures of a post-glacial melting pot of eastern and southern populations. Genetic/ecotypic variation was generally not sufficiently discontinuous or consistent to justify recognizing multiple taxonomic entities, but support a separate species in the eastern Pacific, at the southern rear-edge. We predict that layered patterns of phylogeographic structure, incipient speciation and niche differences might be common among widespread low-dispersal amphiboreal taxa.The authors thank Marta Valente (CCMAR), André Silva and Diogo Brito for sequencing and genotyping work and all the people involved in sample collection. Samples from Logy Bay were kindly collected by Kyle R. Millar. DK-J and NM thank Hurtigruten’s FRAM cruise for help with sampling along the Greenland west coast. Greenland sampling was also connected with campaigns for the MarineBasis component of the Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring (GEM) Programme in Nuuk and Young Sound, which is acknowledged.
- To fight sea pollution, Marina to hike inspection of CV shipsPadronia, Earl (Sun • Star Publishing, 2023-09-23)The Philippines, regarded as among the world’s largest contributors of marine plastics, is moving to reverse this situation, with Cebu’s maritime industry players and authorities ramping up inspection and monitoring of vessels to raise awareness among seafarers on the need to prevent pollution. To protect the country’s sea waters against the proliferation of marine pollution, Cebu’s maritime industry players and regulators have also renewed their commitment to the MARPOL convention against the discharge of sea pollutants.
- Saving the seas must be a way of lifeNg, Lauren Wendell (Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation, 2023-02-01)The Philippines is home to some of the world’s greatest natural wonders. Looking at many of our popular tourist attractions—Palawan, Boracay, Siargao, La Union, and other named and unnamed coastal beauties—it is difficult not to see how these coastlines have brought in people from all over the world, all with a common appreciation for the magnificence of our finest beaches. What’s more is that the appeal of these sites does not stop at the earth’s surface. Looking beneath the waters, you will be fascinated by the sheer diversity of life thriving within the seabeds, which people so often overlook because there we are, overwhelmed by the surfing, water sports, and life above sea that we barely have enough time to consume all what these wonderlands have in store.
- Sibugay Coastal Wetlands eyed for Ramsar listingMayuga, Jonathan L. (Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing, Inc., 2022-07-03)Home to a variety of native and migratory birds, including waterbirds, the Sibugay Coastal Wetlands (SCW) in Zamboanga Peninsula is undeniably a wetland of international importance. With an area of 172,007.25 hectares, this economically important ecosystem is now being pushed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
- Puerto Galera: Shoring up tourism, marine ecosystemSupetran, Bernard L. (Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc., 2019-06-07)For centuries, the bucolic town of Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro has been one of the archipelago’s proverbial best-kept secrets, with its lush forests, powdery beaches and rich underwater world. Literally meaning “port of galleons” in Spanish, Puerto Galera then hosted ships that would drop anchor on its coves for shelter before proceeding to its Manila-Acapulco route. The world would hear first of its allure in 1973, when it was declared by the Unesco as a Man and Biosphere Reserve, a prestigious global list of places known for their exceptional biodiversity. Another accolade came in 2005 when it was inducted into the Most Beautiful Bays of the World Club, a 27-nation Paris-based non-government organization. With its remarkable profusion of aquatic life, Puerto Galera would be named by conservationists as the “center of the center” of marine biodiversity with its strategic location in the heart of the world’s “Coral Triangle” in Southeast Asia.
- Save Agusan MarshAgatep, Charlie (Philippine Star Printing Co., Inc., 2010-10-03)In 2008, 34 international companies joined an initiative of the Conference of Parties to the UN-Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and committed to implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects that would contribute to the 2010 goal of reducing biodiversity loss. The business and biodiversity initiative encourages CSR on biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of biodiversity, and access to and benefits sharing of genetic resources. The growing awareness on biodiversity conservation and the role that businesses and the private sector can play in this endeavor brings me to the subject of the Agusan Marsh. According to Dr. Jurgenne H. Primavera, scientist emerita and a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation under the US-based Pew Environment Group, it is home to a diverse ecosystem of rare flowering plants and vegetation, more than 17 fish species, and some 200 species of endemic, threatened and migratory birds.
- MPIF commits P1.5M for Puerto Galera’s Marine Protection, Inspection and Conservation Guardians(Philippine Star Printing Co., Inc., 2019-06-08)Shore It Up, Metro Pacific Investments Foundation Inc.’s flagship program, is celebrating another year of elevating environmental awareness and conserving aquatic life in coastal municipalities through this year’s Shore It Up Weekend. After commemorating its 10th year, Shore It Up has chosen to revisit and deepen its commitment to Puerto Galera, an old SIU community partner and the center of marine biodiversity. Known as a designated UNESCO Man and the Biosphere reserve and the Number One hub amongst dive enthusiasts in the country, Puerto Galera boasts of over 30 dive sites that have been and are still popular within the diving community. Divers from across the country and the world travel to experience the one-of-a-kind diving experience in this municipality.
- Saving biodiversity at Verde Island PassageCinco, Maricar (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2018-10-20)Casting a fishing line with a coral sinker and a plastic-bottle reel, children as young as 8 years old catch their next meal from the pebbled shore of Barangay San Andres here. Most of the women are at home, raising hogs or weaving “buli” (palm) mats, while the men are out at sea to fish for food or collect aquarium fish to sell in Metro Manila. Their houses dot a hillslope, built to withstand the frequent storms. Drinking water comes from deep wells while electricity is supplied by several solar panels. Life is simple and slow in San Andres, a small, poor community on Verde Island along the Verde Island Passage (VIP), a marine and terrestrial zone of rich biological diversity spanning almost 2 hectares and more than 100 kilometers south of Manila. Biologists have discovered a thriving marine ecosystem (1.14 million ha) along the passage in what most people called the “richest place on earth.”