PANABO CITY – Faculty members and alumni of the Marine Biology Department of Davao del Norte State College participated in a lecture organized by the University of the Philippines Mindanao’s Research Office, last February 24, 2023. The lecture was part of the 27th Founding Anniversary celebration of UP Min and was dubbed, “Our Daily Fish”: Fisheries in the Philippines – Past, Present, and Future.
The public lecture emphasized how the fisheries in the Philippines evolved from the American colonial period to the present time. The title alluded to Pablo Neruda’s Ode to the Sea, specifically to the line, “Give us this day/ our daily fish,” which highlighted fish as one of the staple foods of Filipinos for centuries due to the country’s geographical location. The Philippines is part of the coral triangle that is considered the center of marine biodiversity.
The resource speakers were Dr. Kent E. Carpenter (on Genetic Time Travel in Philippine Fishes), Dr. Cleto L. Nañola Jr. (on Reef Fish Species Depletion at the Epicenter of Marine Biodiversity), Dr. Richard N. Muallil (on Tawi-tawi Islands: The Heart of the Coral Triangle for Commercially Important Coral Reef Fishes), and reactor, Dr. Mudjekeewis D. Santos. Their presentations told a compelling story on how the center of marine fish biodiversity in the Philippines has altered over the years due to different anthropogenic factors, such as overfishing and habitat loss. They used assorted techniques in species identification and mapping as an approach to add to the understanding of the circumstances that involve everyone.
Also included in the event was the Signing of a Memorandum of Agreement for the ABRAHAM Project by partner State Universities and Colleges in Mindanao, including Davao del Norte State College. DNSC was represented by Dr. Eliseo F. Huesca, Jr., Vice President for Research, Extension, and Production. The ABRAHAM program aims to develop an information and database system for Fish Morphology and DNA information about the Marine Fisheries in Mindanao. It also aims to create an open-access information system that will feature marine life information of studied organisms by local experts through the Marine Biodiversity Database (MaBiDa) Project.
A soft launch of the manual – Data Collection and Analyses for Reef Fish Biology, edited by Dr. Nañola and Ms. Maybell A. Fortaleza – was also highlighted in the activity. It was published by Banwa publication. The event was attended by faculty members, students, and research directors from various SUCs in Mindanao.
Photo sources: Dr. Girley S. Gumanao, DNSC-VPAA, and Mr. Yas Ocampo, UPMin-PRO
