The last mangrove forest in Metro Manila, Philippines

The Las Pinas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) is considered as the last mangrove forest in Metro Manila, Philippines. A thirty-minute drive from the capital city Manila brings you to this avian sanctuary, which is now in danger from the large reclamation projects happening in the area. According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), LPPCHEA records 8 species of mangroves, almost 70 species of water birds and more than 50 species of migratory birds in its 175 hectare strip.

In December 2011, SeaLifeBase Research Assistant Jeniffer Espedido participated in a workshop led by the DENR-Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB). The workshop included a macrobenthic survey of the invertebrates in LPPCHEA. The main resource person, Dr. Benjamin Vallejo of the University of the Philippines Diliman, noted its peculiar ecology. Numerous mollusks, crustaceans and annelids were collected, and an abundance of fish and birds were observed. It seems that despite the "sea"of garbage, marine organisms are struggling to survive; somehow giving a sliver of hope that maybe degraded ecosystems, such as this, still has a chance and that this small patch of wildlife is worth saving.

    

Check out the short documentary about LPPCHEA below (source: Devential).

   

Written by:

Jeniffer Espedido

Research Assistant

The SeaLifeBase Project

2nd Aquatic Wildlife Rescue Manual Series Write-shop: Marine Mammals

As we mentioned in our earlier post, the SeaLifeBase Project participated in a meeting of marine mammal researchers, coordinated by the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines (MWWP), to draft and publish a rescue manual for stranded marine mammals in the Philippines.

Marine mammal rescue initiatives in the Philippines started in the late 1990’s, albeit without the benefit of a standardized rescue manual. This workshop is thus responding to this need.

Philippine marine mammal researchers.

The group was composed of 16 participants from the following organizations/institutions: Silliman University, Philippine Council for Sustainable Development, MWWP, SeaLifeBase Project, Davao Bone Collector Museum, and The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources - National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (BFAR-NFRDI) and other institutions, not present, but who provided their inputs via correspondences.

Insights from field practitioners provided by representatives from Palawan, Iloilo, Dumaguete, Calatagan, and Davao, helped build a framework for rescue field procedures. This manual will hopefully be given an official government seal for distribution to users within the Philippines (identified by the MWWP). Given government and private sector support, establishing trained rescue teams in areas where marine mammals may occur is the next step.

This workshop was held in Bontocs Bed and Breakfast in Anilao, Batangas, Philippines on 22-24 August 2012.

Written by:

Patricia Yap

Research Assistant

The SeaLifeBase Project

Philippine fisheries and Daniel Pauly in Oceana Magazine

Oceana recently released their Summer 2012 magazine.

The Small Sanctuary Approach

Read the article at pages 8- 11.

Good coastal fisheries stewardship, combined with national policies on quotas, habitat and bycatch, can alleviate poverty.

The status of the marine protected areas, condition of the coastal communities, and municipal fisheries of the Philippines are featured. Find out how commercial fisheries are classified as artisanal fishing in the Philippines.

Ask Dr. Pauly: Are the Oceans Jellifying?

Ask Dr. Pauly at page 13.

People notice jellyfish more these days – or is it the jellyfish that notice more people? In any case, more people are getting stung – a rash of rashes as it were.

Daniel Pauly once again talks about jellyfish and the possible causes of the outbreaks. Is it really because of global warming?

Visit Oceana to know more or click here to read the rest of the magazine.

Posted by:

Lealde Pacres-Urriquia

Research Assistant

The SeaLifeBase Project

Anemone, or not anemone?

"To be, or not anemone."

So, where is Nemo? 
    
Don't go looking for a clown fish on this one. You think it's an anemone? Think again! 
   
This is actually a mushroom coral (Family Fungiidae), specifically Heliofungia actiniformis. Considered vulnerable by the IUCN, this fungid is easily recognizable by its white-tipped tentacles that are always extended, resembling those of an anemone's.

  
This photo was taken by FishBase Scientific Coordinator Nicolas Bailly at the Balitian Reef in Anilao, Batangas, Philippines.

Written by:

Jeniffer Espedido

Research Assistant

The SeaLifeBase Project

Photo of the Week: bulb-tip anemone

The bulb-tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) is a tropical species found throughout the Indo-Pacific and easily identified by its peculiarly-shaped tentacles from where its common name was derived.
     
This photo was taken by SeaLifeBase Project Coordinator Deng Palomares at Sepoc Wall in Tingloy, Batangas, Philippines.



Posted by:
Jeniffer Espedido
Research Assistant
The SeaLifeBase Project

The “white one”: some facts about beluga whales

The beluga whale is known in science as Delphinapterus leucas, meaning the “white one”, alluding to its body color. It is a POLAR species, and calls the ARCTIC Ocean home. It is found in shallow coastal waters, but migrate to deep, offshore waters when the ice freezes over during the winter (Jefferson et al., 1993). It also enters estuaries and rivers during spring and summer to feed and take care of its calf. It feeds on various species of fish like cod and salmon, a wide variety of mollusks and benthic invertebrates like shrimps, crabs and octopuses (Kastelein et al., 1994). As a social animal it is extremely vocal, producing whistles, chirps, clicks and squeals, which gave it the title of “sea canary”, because it has the best singing voice in the whale world (Friedman, 2006). Belugas form pods consisting either of only males, or of only females and their young (IUCN, 2009).

Like most whale species, the beluga is “Near threatened” (IUCN Red List, 2008). The following may explain why this is so: