To celebrate #SharkAwarenessDay here is a snippet from my talk last Saturday at #PAMS18. As of 2023, the 🇵🇭 Philippines has 166 species of sharks and rays and 95 of these are IUCN Threatened Species. However, only 45 species are protected nationwide. Still lots of work to do to #ConservePHSharks
Lopez: Neotrygon kuhlii prey items included vermiforms, arthropods, and molluscs. Arthropods were the dominant prey in both males and females.
#PAMS18 #TeamFish #FishAndFisheries
Zalsos: sea cucumber post-harvest wastes are mostly gonads and internal organs, which can be processed for use in agriculture and aquaculture.
#PAMS18
Josuah Zalsos of MSU-Naawan talks about innovative sea cucumber fisheries management. Sea cucumber us a top fishery commodity in the Philippines.
#PAMS18
Noblezada-Payne: redtail scad ate mostly crustacians, while slender red scad fed mostly on fishes, probably larval fishes.
#PAMS18 #TeamFish #FishAndFisheries
Mary Mar Noblezada-Payne presents findings on diet of sympatric scads – redtail scad and slender red scad.
#PAMS18 #TeamFish #FishAndFisheries
Sue Ong: a common question local stakeholders ask is "why do we follow global conservation status, and not Philippine status?". This further highlights the urgent need to fill in data gaps so local assessments can be done.
#PAMS18 #ConserveSharksPH #MarineMegafauna
Sue Ong: there are numerous studies of whale sharks and mobulid rays in the Bohol Sea, but what about other species. We looked at historical data and sightings from social media posts.
#PAMS18 #ConserveSharksPH #MarineMegafauna
Sue Ong: There is an urgent need to fill in the knowledge gaps needed to support implementation of existing shark conservation policies.
#PAMS18 #ConserveSharksPH #MarineMegafauna
Sue Ong of WCS Philippines presents collaborative work on Advancing Shark Conservation Efforts in the Bohol Sea.
#PAMS18 #ConserveSharksPH #MarineMegafauna
Dr Gonzalez: sea snake studies are biased toward venom research, but there's so many more research topics to explore
#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates
Dr Gonzalez: >30 species of sea snakes and sea kraits in the Philippines. Most species are "Least Concern" in IUCN Red List.
#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates
Dr Gonzalez: #seabirds are bioindicators — fishermen use seabirds to locate fish.
#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates
Dr Gonzalez: there are potentials for further integrative research beyond #seabirds counts and studying breeding colonies.
#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates
Dr Gonzalez: 20 sentinel sites for #seabirds were identified during the 1st Philippine Seabird Summit in 2023.
#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates
Dr Gonzalez: despite the Philippines being an archipelago, there are limited number of nesting and rookery sites of #seabirds in the country
#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates
Dr. Gonzalez: there are >35 seabird species. Historical records of #seabirds go back to when Philippines was under US colonisation.
#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates
Dr Gonzalez: there is growing interest in #seabirds and sea snakes in the Philippines. For avian species, there are already identified areas where seabirds are monitored annually.
#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates
#PAMS18 Day 3 Plenary talk by ornithologist and Philippine wildlife expert Dr. JC Gonzalez talks about lesser known marine taxa — #seabirds and sea snakes!
Dr. Leander: 36% of #megamouth shark reports in the Philippines are from accidental capture in Fisheries; 64% are from stranding events which are still poorly understood.
#PAMS18 #MarineMegafauna
Dr Leander: the second stranding occurrence of #megamouth #sharks was the highly publicized pregnant female with 6 pups in 2023.
#PAMS18 #MarineMegafauna
Dr Leander: first stranding occurrence was in 2022. Locals did not know what the animal was, and first thought it was a whale. This suggests megamouth sharks were uncommon and previously unknown.
#PAMS18 #MarineMegafauna
Dr. Nico Jose Leander presents occurrence of #megamouth #sharks in the Eastern seaboard of Luzon, Philippines. Aurora province has had at least 2 stranding reports of megamouth sharks.
#PAMS18 #MarineMegafauna
Tambihasan: 3 distinct groups or clusters were identified. There were also high proportions of related individuals observed (up to 52.9%), including mother-offspring relations. Thus, Mobula birostris in Bohol Sea doesn't appear to be of a single stock.
#PAMS18 #MarineMegafauna #FishAndFisheries
Tambihasan: Mobula birostris samples were collected in Jagna, Bohol from 2012-2017, prior to the ban on mobulid fisheries.
#PAMS18 #MarineMegafauna #FishAndFisheries
Ahar Tambihasan of MSU Tawi-Tawi presents findings on genetic diversity and population structure of oceanic manta rays in Bohol Sea
#PAMS18 #MarineMegafauna
Dr Maypa: A lot of back-and-forth discussions with PA Management Board, DENR Region7. Nothing seemed to be working. Finally, in 2025 DENR BMB orders discontinuation of the project.
#PAMS18 #AIPLS #ProtectedAreas
Dr Maypa: The jetty port proposal was presented in 2022. But this is a problem because constructing it in a protected area is contradictory to the #NIPAS Act.
#PAMS18 #ProtectedAreas
Dr. Aileen Maypa of Silliman University presents the challenges and implications of port jetty construction in Apo Island Protected Landscape and Seascape.
#PAMS18 #MPAs #AIPLS
Dr Aquino: curious case of 2 nesters where hawksbill #seaturtle eggs did not hatch. There were unhatched eggs with no embryo, suggesting early embryonic death.
#PAMS18 #MarineMegafauna
