National Committee on Marine Sciences (NCMS)
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://repository.unesco.gov.ph/handle/123456789/6
Browse
14 results
Filters
Settings
Search Results
- A review of the status of Philippine reefsGomez, E. D.; Aliño, P. M.; Yap, H. T.; Licuanan, W. Y. (Elsevier BV, 1994-01)Since 1979, the status of Philippine reefs has been periodically updated. While conditions of the reefs during the early surveys were assessed in terms of live coral cover per se, the ‘coral mortality index’ was applied to the sets of data collected during the past 7 yr which may be a better gauge in determining the health of the reefs. Generally, most reefs surveyed are in fair condition. Major destructive factors described are sedimentation and siltation from coastal development and activities inland, illegal and destructive methods of fishing, and overfishing. If the reefs are to continue to provide for the present and future users, the ecological processes that render them productive must be maintained through integrated approaches of coastal area management.
- Using deep-belief networks to understand propensity for livelihood change in a rural coastal community to further conservationLabao, Alfonso B.; Naval, Prospero C. Jr; Yap, David Leonides T.; Yap, Helen T. (Wiley Blackwell, Inc., 2020-08)Overharvesting of terrestrial and marine resources may be alleviated by encouraging an alternative configuration of livelihoods, particularly in rural communities in developing countries. Typical occupations in such areas include fishing and farming, and rural households often switch livelihood activities to suit climate and economic conditions. We used a machine-learning tool, deep-belief networks (DBN), and data from surveys of a rural Philippine coastal community to examine household desire to change livelihood. This desire is affected by a variety of factors, such as income, family needs, and feelings of work satisfaction, that are interrelated in complex ways. In farming households, livelihood changes often occur to diversify resources, increase income, and lessen economic risk. The DBN, given its multilayer perceptron structure, has a capacity to model nonlinear relationships among factors while providing an acceptable degree of accuracy. Relative to a set of 34 features (e.g., education, boat ownership, and work satisfaction), we examined the binary response variables desire to change work or not to change work. The best network had a test set accuracy of 97.5%. Among the features, 7 significantly affected desire to shift work: ethnicity, work satisfaction, number of persons in a household in ill health, number of fighting cocks owned, fishing engagement, buy-and-sell revenue, and educational level. A cross-correlation matrix of these 7 features indicated households less inclined to change work were those engaged in fishing and retail buying and selling. For fishing, provision of economic and other incentives should be considered to encourage changing from this occupation to allow recovery of fishery resources.
- Intact shallow and mesophotic assemblages of large carnivorous reef fishes underscore the importance of large and remote protected areas in the Coral TriangleSalvador, Mikaela L.; Utzurrum, Jean Asuncion T.; Murray, Ryan; Delijero, Kymry; Conales, Segundo F.; Bird, Christopher E.; Gauthier, David T.; Abesamis, Rene A. (Wiley, 2024-02-23)1. Overfishing remains a threat to coral reef fishes worldwide, with large carnivores often disproportionately vulnerable. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can restore fish populations and biodiversity, but their effect has been understudied in mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs), particularly in the Coral Triangle. 2. Videos were analysed from baited remote underwater video systems deployed in 2016 to investigate the assemblage structure of large carnivorous fishes at shallow (4–12 m) and mesophotic (45–96 m) depths in two of the largest and most isolated MPAs in the Philippines: an uninhabited, fully no-take MPA enacted in 1988 (Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park) and an archipelagic municipality surrounded by an extensive but not fully no-take MPA declared in 2016 (Cagayancillo). Taxa focused on were groupers (Serranidae), snappers (Lutjanidae), emperors (Lethrinidae), jacks (Carangidae) and the endangered Cheilinus undulatus (Labridae). 3. Mean abundance and species richness were not greater in TRNP than in Cagayancillo regardless of depth despite long-term protection in the former. Limited impacts of fishing in Cagayancillo may explain this result. Differentiation of fish assemblages was evident between TRNP and Cagayancillo but more obvious between depths at each location, probably due more to habitat than MPA effects. In Cagayancillo, overall carnivorous reef fish, grouper and jack mean abundance were 2, 2 and 10 times higher, respectively, at mesophotic depths, suggesting that MCEs can serve as deep refugia from fishing. 4. These findings of differentiation between depths and higher abundance of certain taxa in mesophotic depths emphasize that MCEs are distinct from shallow reefs, serve as important habitat for species susceptible to overfishing and, thus, must be explicitly included in the design of MPAs. This study also highlights the value of maintaining strict protection of MPAs like TRNP for the Coral Triangle and an opportunity to safeguard intact fish assemblages in Cagayancillo by expanding its no-take zones.
- P1.4-M illegal fish seized in major anti-poaching opsBaylon, Jen (Panay News, Inc., 2023-11-16)In a significant move against illegal fishing, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) successfully conducted a week-long operation, culminating on Monday, Nov. 13. Illegally-caught fish valued at nearly P1.4 million were recovered. A big portion of the seizure, worth over P1.1 million, was from the coastal town of Concepcion were there’s a high incidence of illegal fishing.
- Fisherfolk deplore waning catch due to 'overfishing'Arcalas, Jasper Emmanuel Y. (Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing, Inc., 2021-10-08)Sardine fishers in Dinagat Islands lamented their declining catch due to overfishing and harmful fishing practices of encroaching commercial fishers, who, they pointed out, are barred from municipal waters by law. Fisherfolk farmers revealed their sardine catch situation during a recent policy dialogue between their group and concerned government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). “[We had plenty of catches] before. But now, not anymore because we see fishing boats using superlight even closer to the shore. This drives us, small fisherfolk, farther into the deeper part of the ocean. Meanwhile, the commercial fishers using superlight are able to catch fish inside our municipal waters,” Eric Sarcauga, a sardine fisher from Dinagat Islands, was quoted as saying in a statement issued by nongovernment organization Oceana, the organizer of the virtual dialogue.
- End war on nature(Concept & Information Group, Inc., 2021-09-20T03:52:15Z)Ending the “war on nature” must be part of global recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message for World Oceans Day. The annual commemoration is a reminder of the major role oceans have in everyday life as “the lungs of our Planet” and as a source of food and medicine. Although this year’s theme focuses on their importance for the cultural and economic survival of communities worldwide, the Secretary-General cited a recent report which confirmed that many of the benefits oceans provide are being undermined by human activity.
- LGUs, Oceana beef up monitoring of municipal waters(Philippine Star Printing Co., Inc., 2020-03-15)International non-government organization Oceana and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) have agreed to further strengthen the monitoring of municipal waters and protect them from illegal fishing. Oceana and LMP recently renewed their partnership. The management of municipal waters is devolved to coastal municipal and city local government units in accordance with the Local Government Code of the Philippines and the Fisheries Code of the Philippines.
- PH seas running out of fish, says BFAR execSotelo, Yolanda (Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc., 2015-11-07)More than a hundred fishermen, mostly from Pangasinan province, were out in the West Philippine Sea when Typhoon “Lando” (international name: Koppu) lashed Central and northern Luzon late last month. The sea was calm when the fishermen sailed. But the typhoon unleashed violent winds that wrecked their motorized fishing boats. The fishermen drifted for days in the open sea until they were rescued. The risks taken by fishermen were an indication of how Philippine seas are running out of fish, said Asis Perez, director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), during the national summit on participatory governance toward sustainable fisheries held last week in Pasay City.
- 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.”
- BFAR-10: Just enough fish for region's needsBaconguis, Lance (Philippine Manila Standard Publishing, Inc., 2018-09-19)The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources here in Northern Mindanao said there is just enough fish supply in the region, most of which is highly dependent on the supply from Zamboanga peninsula. BFAR regional Director Teoduro Bacolod Jr. in a media briefing Tuesday afternoon, said the region is not dependent on the catch of fisherfolk from the region. “We have supply from other regions like Zamboanga and General Santos, with support from catch in the region,” Bacolod said. Data from the National Economic Development Authority in Region 10 showed the region produced 32,719.34 metric tons of fish in the first quarter of 2018, a 2.4-percent drop in production compared to the first quarter of 2017.