National Committee on Marine Sciences (NCMS)
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- Sea turtle rescued in CagayanVisaya, Vince Jacob (The Manila Times Publishing Corporation, 2025-05-19)An adult Olive ridley sea turtle, accidentally caught by a local fisherman in the coastal waters of Abulug, Cagayan, was examined and released back into the sea on Thursday, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reported on Sunday. The turtle, measuring 67 centimeters long and 61 centimeters wide, was unintentionally caught by Epo Cabayu, a fisherman from Siguiran village.
- PCG: Oil siphoning ops completed by June 19Tupas, Emmanuel; Villeza, Mark Ernest (Philippine Star Printing Co., Inc., 2023-06-11)Siphoning of oil from the sunken motor tanker Princess Empress is expected to be completed by June 19, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday. PCG spokesman Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said the dynamic support vessel Fire Opal is on schedule in removing the remaining oil from the motor tanker. “Dapat by June 19 nasipsip na nila. Mukhang on target naman sila,” Balilo told a news forum.
- Women's role in fisheries highlighted in MarchOladive, Mariela Angella (Daily Guardian Multi-Media Services, Inc., 2025-03-04)As the country celebrates National Women’s Month this March, the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 6 (DA-BFAR 6) is emphasizing the vital role of women in the fisheries sector across Western Visayas. Data from the Fisherfolk Registration System (FishR) reveals that women make up a significant portion of registered fisherfolk in the region. Guimaras has the highest percentage of women fisherfolk at 40%, followed by Capiz at 39% and Iloilo at 38%.
- Navy to escort DENR in establishing WPS marine research stationsLee-Brago, Pia; Clapano, Jose Rodel (Philippine Star Printing Co., Inc., 2025-03-19)The Philippine Navy will escort the Department of Natural Resources (DENR) in establishing additional marine scientific research stations in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). The DENR announced it will conduct integrated research on biodiversity conservation at the Recto Bank and Rizal Reef in April, and plans to establish a marine scientific research station in Pag-asa Island, complementing its existing and upcoming stations at Tubbataha Reef, Snake Island in Palawan and the Verde Island Passage.
- Amid WPS tension, Zambales fishers receive 'Payao' donationAglibot, Joanna Rose (Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc., 2024-10-02)Some fishermen here were dismayed after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., during his third State of the Nation Address (Sona), failed to mention his plans for fishermen whose lives were affected by the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). In a telephone interview on Monday, Leonardo Cuaresma, president of the New Masinloc Fishermen Association, acknowledged the President’s efforts to pay tribute to Filipino fishermen and soldiers guarding the WPS.
- Probe SC ruling favoring commercial fishersSubingsubing, Krixia (Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc., 2025-01-30)Opposition lawmakers have asked the House of Representatives to look into the “adverse impacts” of a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing commercial fishing in municipal waters. ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel filed on Jan. 28 House Resolution No. 2202 asking the committee on aquaculture and fisheries resources to look into the matter.
- Reproductive biology and early life history of the solitary coral Heliofungia actiniformis from Singapore and the PhilippinesSayco, Sherry Lyn G; Prasetia, Rian; Todd, Peter A.; Loya, Yossi; Valencia, Brian; Calle, Lala Grace; Cabaitan, Patrick C. (Springer, 2024-01-13)Reproduction and early life history are central to understanding the biology and ecology of organisms, however such information is limited for solitary corals. Here, we compared the reproductive traits of the solitary coral Heliofungia actiniformis from different latitudinal locations (Singapore, 1°N and the Philippines, 16°N) and examined their early life development, settlement competency, and juvenile growth and survival. A total of 32 corals from Pulau Hantu reefs in Singapore and 102 corals from Bolinao and Anda reefs in the Philippines were studied between 2019 and 2022. Heliofungia actiniformis broadcasts spawned gametes during several nights, generally between 22:00 and 01:00, before and after full moon, from February to May in Singapore and from March to June in the Philippines. Spawning within a month occurred for up to 16 nights in Singapore and 10 nights in the Philippines. Sex change in two individuals between years was observed in the Philippines. The average egg size was smaller in Singapore than that in the Philippines. We determined that eggs were fertilized within 2 h after sperm addition, and developed into swimming larvae within 64 h, which began to settle after 24 h. Larval survival after three mo of culture was 1.72 ± 1.0% and juvenile diameter ranged from 0.33 to 1.30 mm. Asexual buds were first observed in 15 mo old juveniles that were at least 8 mm in diameter. 24 mo old juveniles were observed to detach from their stalk and the empty stalk regenerated polyps. Our results highlight the latitudinal variability in the reproductive traits of solitary corals, serve as a baseline for their early life history, and advance our understanding of their population dynamics.
- Submerged reef features in Apo and Tubbataha Reefs, Philippines, revealed paleo sea-level history during the last deglaciationMunar, Jeffrey C.; Aurelio, Mario A.; Dumalagan, Edwin E.; Tinacba, Erin Joy C.; Doctor, Ma. Angelique A.; Siringan, Fernando P. (Springer, 2024-02-27)The morphology of coral reefs provides an effective benchmark of past sea levels because of their limited vertical range of formation and good geologic preservation. In this study, we analyze the seafloor morphology around two atolls in the Philippines: Tubbataha Reef, in Palawan, and Apo Reef, in Occidental Mindoro. High-resolution multibeam bathymetry to a depth of 200 m reveals seafloor features including reef ridges and staircase-like terraces and scarps. Depth profiles across the reefs show terraces formed within six and seven depth ranges in Tubbataha Reef and in Apo Reef, respectively. These were further observed through a remotely operated vehicle. The terraces and scarps are interpreted as backstepping reefs that were drowned during an overall rise in sea level from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Terraces are used as indicators of paleo sea level and the separation between terraces as the magnitude of sea-level rises coeval with meltwater pulse events during the last deglaciation. The pattern for both Apo and Tubbataha reefs indicates subsidence, consistent with the absence of Holocene emergent features and their atoll morphologies. Subsidence of up to 17 m since the LGM in Apo Reef is mainly attributed to the downbowing of the crust toward Manila Trench. In Tubbataha Reef, subsidence of up to 14 m is attributed to the continuous cooling of the volcanic crust underlying the atoll. These can be used to fill gaps in the tectonic history of the study sites from the last deglaciation.This study was funded by the Department of Science and Technology–Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research Development (DOST-PCARRD) Geophysical Coral Mapping Project and Acquisition of Detailed Bathymetry for Coastal Erosion Management Project both under F. P. Siringan, and National Assessment of Coral Reef Environment (NACRE) Project under Hazel Arceo. We would like to mention, in particular, Dominic Jone Cabactulan, Timothy Quimpo, Ronald Olavides, Mary Ann Calleja, Patrick Cabaitan, and Cesar Villanoy who were members of the project team. We thank the Tubbataha Management Office, Sablayan Local Government Unit, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the work permits and logistical help during the surveys.
- Short-term exposure to independent and combined acidification and warming elicits differential responses from two tropical seagrass-associated invertebrate grazersBaure, Jerwin G.; Roleda, Michael Y.; Juinio-Meñez, Marie Antonette (Springer, 2023-08-10)Ocean acidification and warming could affect animal physiology, key trophic interactions and ecosystem functioning in the long term. This study investigates the effects of four pH−temperature combination treatments simulating ocean acidification (OA), ocean warming (OW) and combined OA and OW conditions (FUTURE) relative to ambient present-day conditions (PRESENT) on the grazing of the juveniles of two seagrass-associated invertebrates namely the sea cucumber Stichopus cf. horrens and topshell Trochus maculatus over a 5-day exposure period. Diel and feeding activity of both species increased under OW and FUTURE to some extent, while the nighttime activity of Trochus but not Stichopus decreased under OA relative to PRESENT during the first 2 days. Fecal production of Stichopus did not differ among treatments, while the lowest fecal production of Trochus was observed under OA during the first 24 h of grazing. These responses suggest that Trochus may be initially more sensitive to OA compared with Stichopus. Interestingly, fecal production of Trochus in FUTURE was significantly higher than OA, suggesting that warming may ameliorate the negative effect of acidification. Diel activity, feeding and fecal production after 5 days did not differ among treatments for both species, suggesting acclimation to the acute changes in temperature and pH after a few days, although Stichopus acclimated rapidly than Trochus. The ability of the two juvenile invertebrate grazers to rapidly acclimate to increased temperature and lowered pH conditions after short-term exposure may favor their survival under projected changes in ocean conditions.This work was supported by the Department of Science and Technology–Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development under Grant QMSR-MRRD-MEC-295-1449. The authors would like to thank Dr. Ian Enochs for his invaluable help in improving this paper. We also thank Tirso Catbagan, Garry Bucol, Rona Soy and Tomilyn Jan Garpa for their assistance during the conduct of this study. We would also like to thank the Marine Biogeochemistry Laboratory of the UP Marine Science Institute for their assistance in analyzing our water samples as well as the DNA Barcoding Laboratory of the UP Institute of Biology for the species identification of our animals.
- BFAR staff gain practical skills in milkfish aquaculture at SEAFDEC(Panay News, Inc., 2025-04-15)Another batch of personnel from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) trained at SEAFDEC/AQD on milkfish aquaculture from March 17 to 28, 2025 as part of the Philippines’ push to boost local production. The 12-day program gathered 14 personnel from various BFAR offices and facilities, including the Central Office and regional offices from Regions 3 (Central Luzon), 10 (Northern Mindanao), 11 (Davao), 12 (Soccsksargen), and 13 (Caraga). At the opening program, BFAR-3 Director Wilfredo Cruz emphasized the importance of a skilled workforce to support the National Bangus Development Program (NBDP) of the Philippines. “With this training, I hope we can reach our target and make the country self-sufficient in fry production,” he told the trainees.