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.
- The complete mitochondrial genome of a wild-collected Kappaphycus malesianus (Solieriaceae, Rhodophyta)Crisostomo, Bea A.; Dumilag, Richard V.; Roleda, Michael Y.; Lluisma, Arturo O. (Taylor & Francis, 2023-03-04)Kappaphycus malesianus is a red seaweed farmed primarily for its carrageenan, a polysaccharide important in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Among the commercially cultivated Kappaphycus species, only K. malesianus has no mitogenome data available. Here, we assembled the mitochondrial genome of K. malesianus from next-generation sequencing data. The circular mitogenome consisted of 25,250 base pairs (bp) with a GC content of 30.25%. These values were comparable to previously sequenced solieriacean mitogenomes. Structural features, such as the stem-loop and hairpin, which were previously reported in other rhodophytes mitochondrial DNA, were also identified. The annotated genes (24 protein-coding genes, 24 tRNA genes, and 2 rRNA genes) were arranged in an order similar to the other available solieriacean mitogenomes. Lastly, phylogenetic analysis using 23 predicted protein domains showed the sister relationship of K. malesianus with other Kappaphycus species.The authors are grateful to Z.-Z. Aguinaldo, S. Damsik, and J. Turong for aiding during laboratory and field works. The authors also acknowledge the LGU of Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi for granting permission for the collection activities. This is contribution no. 495 from the University of the Philippines the Marine Science Institute (UPMSI), Diliman, Quezon City.
- Clay mineral nanostructures regulate sequestration of organic carbon in typical fluvial sedimentsSong, Hongzhe; Liu, Zhifei; Lin, Baozhi; Zhao, Yulong; Siringan, Fernando P.; You, Chen-Feng (Elsevier, 2024-02-15)The association between clay minerals and organic carbon is pivotal for understanding transport, burial, and preservation processes of sedimentary organic carbon. However, fine-scale microscopic studies are still limited in assessing the effect of diverse clay mineral structures and properties on organic carbon sequestration. In this study, we employed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy analyses to investigate the nanoscale interaction between clay minerals and organic carbon of two typical fluvial sediment samples with contrasting clay mineral compositions and organic carbon origins. Sample from Taiwan shows abundant illite and chlorite with petrogenic organic carbon, while sample from Luzon has significant smectite with pedogenic organic carbon. We observed that the nanostructure of the clay minerals controls the distribution of organic carbon. In the Luzon sample, the organic carbon is tightly associated with smectite, occupying expandable interlayer spaces. In the Taiwan sample, however, the organic carbon is primarily confined on the surface and edge of illite. These findings offer valuable insights into the selective association of organic carbon with clay minerals and underscore the role of clay mineral nanolayer structures in governing the occurrence and preservation of organic carbon in sediments. A comprehensive understanding of these interactions is crucial for accurate assessments of carbon cycling and sequestration in the natural environment.We sincerely thank Shunai Che and Lu Han for their help in TEM experiments and data processing. We thank Editor Dr. Andrew Hursthouse for handling the manuscript and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on the early version of this paper. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42130407, 42188102, 42306066) and the Interdisciplinary Project of Tongji University (ZD-22-202102).
- Modified oxylipins as inhibitors of biofilm formation in Staphylococcus epidermidisPeran, Jacquelyn E.; Salvador-Reyes, Lilibeth A. (Frontiers Media SA, 2024-05-23)New approaches to combating microbial drug resistance are being sought, with the discovery of biofilm inhibitors considered as alternative arsenal for treating infections. Natural products have been at the forefront of antimicrobial discovery and serve as inspiration for the design of new antibiotics. We probed the potency, selectivity, and mechanism of anti-biofilm activity of modified oxylipins inspired by the marine natural product turneroic acid. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) evaluation revealed the importance of the trans-epoxide moiety, regardless of the position, for inhibiting biofilm formation. trans-12,13-epoxyoctadecanoic acid (1) and trans-9,10 epoxyoctadecanoic acid (4) selectively target the early stage of biofilm formation, with no effect on planktonic cells. These compounds interrupt the formation of a protective polysaccharide barrier by significantly upregulating the ica operon’s transcriptional repressor. This was corroborated by docking experiment with SarA and scanning electron micrographs showing reduced biofilm aggregates and the absence of thread-like structures of extrapolymeric substances. In silico evaluation revealed that 1 and 4 can interfere with the AgrA-mediated communication language in Staphylococci, typical to the diffusible signal factor (DSF) capacity of lipophilic chains.
- 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.
- Strong genetic structure and limited gene flow among populations of the tropical seagrass Thalassia hemprichii in the PhilippinesNakajima, Yuichi; Matsuki, Yu; Fortes, Miguel D.; Uy, Wilfredo H.; Campos, Wilfredo L.; Nadaoka, Kazuo; Lian, Chunlan (MDPI AG, 2023-02-05)Seagrasses are marine angiosperms, and seagrass beds maintain the species diversity of tropical and subtropical coastal ecosystems. For proper understanding, management and conservation of coastal ecosystems, it is essential to understand seagrass population dynamics. Population genetic studies can cover large geographic scales and contribute to a comprehensive understanding of reproductive dynamics and potential dispersal among locations. The clonal and genetic diversity and genetic connectivity of Thalassia hemprichii in the Philippines were estimated by a population genetics approach. The geographic scale of this study has a direct distance of approximately 1600 km. Although high clonal diversity was found in some sites (R = 0.07–1.00), both sexual and asexual reproduction generally maintains separate populations. Genetic diversity is not definitely correlated with latitude, and genetic differentiation is significant in all pairs of sites (FST = 0.026–0.744). Complex genetic structure was found in some regions, even at a fine geographic scale. The migration of fruits and seedlings was elucidated as an infrequent and stochastic event. These results suggest the necessity for the conservation of this species due to a deficiency in migrants from external regions.We thank members of CECAM project.