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00. Ocean Decade - Philippines

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://repository.unesco.gov.ph/handle/123456789/7

The UNACOM Online and Digital Enabling Library and Index is developed to support the alignment of research, investments, and community initiatives toward contributing to a well-functioning, productive, resilient, sustainable, and inspiring ocean. The goal is to enable the government, partner agencies, and UNESCO to develop more robust Science-Informed Policies and facilitate a stronger Science-Policy Interface through the gathered data, information, and knowledge related to the Ocean Decade in the Philippines.

Particularly, it aims to:
  • Gather and index all publications, reports, policies, laws, legislations, articles, and other documents of the Philippine National Committee on Marine Sciences (NCMS) related to the Ocean Decade.
  • Disseminate and promote these publications, reports, policies, and other documents on the initiatives and actions to address the Ocean Decade challenges.

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Fish farm effluents alter reef benthic assemblages and reduce coral settlement
    Quimpo, Timothy Joseph R.; Ligson, Charlon A.; Manogan, Dana P.; Requilme, Jeremiah Noelle; Albelda, Ritzelle L.; Conaco, Cecilia; Cabaitan, Patrick C. (Elsevier Ltd., 2020)
    Fish farming in coastal areas is a rapidly growing industry. However, unregulated fish farming practices that release massive amounts of unconsumed feed and fecal material into the water column, can result in a nutrient enriched environment that extends to nearby reef systems. To understand the impact of fish farm effluent on coral settlement, we tested the settlement rate of Pocillopora acuta larvae on artificial substrates conditioned for 12 weeks at three sites with increasing distance (2–10 km) from fish farms in Bolinao, Philippines. Sites far from the fish farms had higher biofilm and crustose coralline algae cover. In contrast, the site closest to the fish farms, where nutrient levels were higher, had greater sediment and turf algae cover. Tiles conditioned at the farther sites promoted higher (6–8%) larval settlement whereas tiles from the nearer site had lower settlement (3%). These findings show that fish farm effluents can indirectly affect coral settlement on adjacent reefs by promoting growth of other biota that may inhibit larval settlement and by reducing the availability of suitable substrate.
  • Growth, nitrate uptake kinetics, and biofiltration potential of eucheumatoids with different thallus morphologies
    Narvarte, Bienson Ceasar V.; Genovia, Tom Gerald T.; Hinaloc, Lourie Ann R.; Roleda, Michael Y. (Wiley, 2021-12-30)
    The declining production of commercially important eucheumatoids related to serious problems like increasing susceptibility to ice‐ice disease and epiphytism may be ameliorated by nutrition. This ushered to an increasing interest in incorporating seaweeds into an integrated multi‐trophic aquaculture (IMTA) setup to take up excess inorganic nutrients produced by fish farms for their nourishment. In this regard, it is important to understand the nutrient uptake capacity of candidate seaweeds for incorporation in an IMTA system. Here, we examined the growth, nitrate (NO3‐) uptake kinetics and biofiltration potential of Eucheuma denticulatum and three strains of Kappaphycus alvarezii (G‐O2, TR‐C16 and SW‐13) with distinct thallus morphologies. The NO3‐ uptake rates of the samples were determined under a range of NO3‐ concentration (1‐ 48 µM) and uptake rates were fitted to the Michaelis‐Menten saturation equation. Among the examined eucheumatoids, only SW‐13 had a linear response to NO3‐ concentration while other strains had uptake rates that followed the Michaelis‐Menten saturation equation. Eucheuma denticulatum had the lowest Km (9.78 ± 1.48 µM) while G‐O2 had the highest Vmax (307 ± 79.3 µmol · g‐1 · min‐1). The efficiency in NO3‐ uptake (highest Vmax/Km and α) was translated into the highest growth rate (3.41± 0.58 % · d‐1) measured in E. denticulatum. Our study provided evidence that eucheumatoids could potentially take up large amount of NO3‐ and fix CO2 when cultivated proximate to a fish farm as one component of an IMTA system. During a 45‐d cultivation period of eucheumatoids, as much as 370 g NO3‐ can be sequestered by every 1 kg initial biomass E. denticulatum growing at 3% · d‐1. Furthermore, based on our unpublished photosynthetic measurements, the congeneric K. striatus can fix 27.5 g C · kg‐1 DW during a 12‐h daylight period.
  • Vulnerability drivers for small pelagics and milkfish aquaculture value chain determined through online participatory approach
    Macusi, Edison D.; Geronimo, Rollan C.; Santos, Mudjekeewis D. (Elsevier, 2021-11)
    Climate change impacts on the fisheries can be short-term or long-term, making them highly vulnerable. Fishers' vulnerability encompasses several factors and includes, among others, their sensitivity, exposure to the elements, and their adaptive capacity. The main aim of this study was to help develop a vulnerability assessment tool that can be applied in the various nodes of the fisheries and aquaculture value chains with a long-term view of enhancing the resilience of the fisheries and helping increase the adaptive capacity of the fishing communities. A participatory technique using online workshops was conducted together with various stakeholders (N = 214) who gave insights and suggested indicators that drive climate change impacts and vulnerability. Based on the online workshops conducted, the common hazards/drivers were increasing temperature, typhoons, flooding (sea-level rise), and the recent pandemic, which consequently destroy coral reef ecosystems, affect fisheries yield, increases fish mortality, damage boats, fishing gears, pens, cages, pond dikes, erode beach properties, and devastate houses. In association with these impacts, mobility, travel, processing, and logistic operations are severely reduced. In the human dimension, the fishers and fish farmers are directly affected in terms of income loss, destroyed fishing gears, nutritional deficiencies and health impacts, less fishing operations, early or reduced harvest yield, and low market value of products. In the adaptation options, the infrastructure, social, economic, awareness/knowledge, and relevant governance/policy dimensions are needed to address and help mitigate various climate change impacts.
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    Impacts of aquaculture nutrient sources: ammonium uptake of commercially important eucheumatoids depends on phosphate levels
    Narvarte, Bienson Ceasar V.; Hinaloc, Lourie Ann R.; Gonzaga, Shienna Mae C.; Roleda, Michael Y. (Springer, 2023-09-14)
    In an integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) system, seaweeds serve as extractive species that utilize excess nutrients, thereby reducing the risk of eutrophication and promoting sustainable aquaculture. However, the use of excessive fish feeds and the resultant faecal waste as nutrient streams can contribute to variations in nitrogen and phosphorus levels (e.g., primarily NH4+ and PO4−3) in the surrounding area and this may impact the physiology of the integrated seaweeds, particularly on how these species take up inorganic nutrients. In this study, the effect of different PO4−3 levels on NH4+ uptake of the three commercially important eucheumatoids Kappaphycus alvarezii, Kappaphycus striatus and Eucheuma denticulatum was examined under laboratory conditions. Seaweed thalli (n = 4) were incubated in seawater media containing 30 µM NH4+, and 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 3.0 or 5.0 µM PO4−3 for 1 h under a saturating light level of 116 ± 7.13 µmol photons m−2 s−1 inside a temperature-controlled laboratory. Species-specific responses to PO4−3 levels were observed. For K. alvarezii, maximum NH4+ uptake (17.8 ± 1.6 µmol gDW−1 h−1) was observed at 0.5 µM PO4−3 and the uptake rate declined at higher PO4−3 levels. For K. striatus, NH4+ uptake increased with increasing PO4−3 levels, with maximum N uptake (6.35 ± 0.9 µmol gDW−1 h−1) observed at 5.0 µM PO4−3. For E. denticulatum, maximum NH4+ uptake (14.6 ± 1.4 µmol gDW−1 h−1) was observed at 1.0 µM PO4−3. Our results suggest that among the three eucheumatoid species, the NH4+ uptake of K. striatus persists even at high levels of PO4−3. However, our results also showed that K. striatus had the lowest range of NH4+ uptake rates. These results should be taken into consideration when incorporating eucheumatoids in the IMTA system, where PO4−3levels significantly vary in space and time.
    This is contribution no. 500 from the Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines (UPMSI), Diliman. The AlgaE Team would like to thank the Bolinao Marine Laboratory (BML) for providing the venue to conduct our experiments. BCV Narvarte and MY Roleda acknowledge the Sea6 Energy Pvt. Ltd. for sponsorship during the 24th International Seaweed Symposium (ISS) held on February 19-24, 2023, at Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Likewise, BCV Narvarte and LAR Hinaloc would like to thank the University of the Philippines- Office of the International Linkages (UP-OIL) for providing them with a travel grant to attend the aforementioned symposium. BCV Narvarte also acknowledges the Department of Science and Technology- Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) for his PhD Scholarship (GREAT- Graduate Research and Education Assistantship for Technology Program).
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    17-year change in species composition of mixed seagrass beds around Santiago Island, Bolinao, the northwestern Philippines
    Tanaka, Yoshiyuki; Go, Gay Amabelle; Watanabe, Atsushi; Miyajima, Toshihiro; Nakaoka, Masahiro; Uy, Wilfredo H.; Nadaoka, Kazuo; Watanabe, Shuichi; Fortes, Miguel D. (Elsevier, 2014)
    Effects of fish culture can alter the adjacent ecosystems. This study compared seagrass species compositions in 2012 with those in 1995, when fish culture was less intensive compared to 2012 in the region. Observations were conducted at the same four sites around Santiago Island, Bolinao: (1) Silaqui Island, (2) Binaballian Loob, (3) Pislatan and (4) Santa Barbara, and by using the same methods as those of Bach et al. (1998). These sites were originally selected along a siltation gradient, ranging from Site 1, the most pristine, to Site 4, a heavily silted site. By 2012, fish culture had expanded around Sites 2, 3 and 4, where chlorophyll a (Chl a) was greater in 2012 than in 1995 by one order of magnitude. Enhalus acoroides and Cymodocea serrulata, which were recorded in 1995, were no longer present at Site 4, where both siltation and nutrient load are heavy.