Hon. Fe G. Maruhom, Mayor of San Francisco, Southern Leyte reveals their municipality’s initiatives to strengthen their MPAs. Can you tell us about the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in San Francisco? What can be found in these MPAs? San Francisco currently has three MPAs, as follows: Napantao MPA This was established in the 1990s after Mr. Rio Cahimbing discovered the famous “Rio’s Wall” which … Read more
Hon. Shirlita Chong, Mayor of Liloan, Southern Leyte reveals their municipality’s initiatives to strengthen their MPAs. Can you tell us about the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in San Francisco? What can be found in these MPAs? The four marine protected areas of Liloan were established thru the collaborative efforts of the different agencies as well as stakeholders. NGOs, national, … Read more
Dive deep into the minds and hearts of our scientists on board MV Discovery Palawan. For our third issue, we are featuring the Expedition Team’s reef fish ecology and taxonomy expert, Kent Sorgon. Kent Elson Sorgon MSc Zoology, UP Los BañosMinor in Marine Science, UP Marine Science Institute What made you decide to become a marine scientist? … Read more
Off Liloan Port | A sleepy-looking cuttlefish (Sepia sp.) poses for a photo. © Oceana/Danny Ocampo
October 30 Today is a milestone for the expedition as we finally managed to visit and survey all the locally managed MPAs in Panaon Island. Our general impression is that the MPAs are functioning as areas where fish and other marine life are protected which help adjacent and nearby areas in regenerating fish, corals, and other marine life. There are … Read more
October 28 (Wednesday) Calm waters again today, perfect for today’s fieldwork. We came back to the southern tip of the island. In Pintuyan, some outriggers came near our ship. They were curious. It would have been nice to really visit the barangay captains for courtesy calls but this pandemic has made courtesy calls an impossibility. I was … Read more
For the 9th day of the expedition, the team went on several dives for a detailed survey of the coral population in Panaon. They had a few things to say on what they saw. What looks like a love declaration on Valentine’s Day is actually the result of nightly chemical warfare for space on the reef … Read more
Submassive coral surrounded by a harem of Red-cheeked fairy basslets (Pseudanthias huchtii). © Oceana/Danny Ocampo
Planning the safety and health protocols was crucial to making the Panaon expedition possible. Let’s learn how measures were kept in place and followed strictly through Dr. Marisse Nepomuceno, medical consultant for the safety of the expedition team against COVID-19 threats. Is this your first time supporting an expedition? If yes, how is it different from other situations where you provide … Read more
This post was written by Alvin Simon, Oceana Marine Scientist. Corals are living organisms; in fact, they are colonies of animals that build up most reefs. They are made up of hundreds to thousands of tiny creatures called polyps. These polyps excrete calcium carbonate which surrounds their soft bodies and create the rock-like structure … Read more