DNSC and UPMin Researchers Gear Up for Training on Scientific Diving | News Article | Marine Biodiversity Database Project

DNSC and UPMin Researchers Gear Up for Training on Scientific Diving

Written by Maybelle A. Fortaleza
Uploaded on June 19, 2022

Two batches of researchers from Davao del Norte State College and UP Mindanao received a week-long training to reinforce underwater skills necessary for safe and scientific diving. Additionally, a two-day fish visual census training was conducted to apply the underwater skills gained in actual scientific diving work. Dr. Cleto L. Nañola, Jr. (Project Leader) and Dr. Girley S. Gumanao (DNSC Project Staff) are looking forward to future collaborations with other universities and institutions to further the involvement of researchers in monitoring marine biodiversity in the country, especially in Mindanao.

We thank Chancellor Lyre Anni E. Murao, PhD of UP Mindanao, DNSC President Joy M. Sorrosa, PhD, and DNSC Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Girley S. Gumanao for their support to this activity. We also thank the mentors Mr. Medel R. Silvosa, Ms. Rezelle B. Sobradil, Mr. Xavier N. Lopez, and the rest of the DNSC Marine Reserve Park staff for assisting the participants tirelessly throughout the training duration.

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KABACAN, NORTH COTABATO - Dr. Cleto L. Nañola, Jr. and Ms. Maybelle A. Fortaleza of CRREST Laboratory served as the resource persons for the monthly seminar series organized by the University of Southern Mindanao Fisheries Society last 28 April 2023. Dr. Nañola discussed the importance of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the country as means of managing our coastal and marine resources, while Ms. Fortaleza presented what is currently known about the marine fish diversity in Davao Gulf. Both presentations include data from the research projects conducted by CRREST Laboratory in Mindanao, particularly in Davao Gulf. The seminar was attended by 150 BS Fisheries students and faculty members. We are grateful to the College of Agriculture Dean Dr. Julius Jerome Ele, Dr. Mary Joy Cañolas, Ma’am Leonila Papalid, and Sir Stephen Dave Dupo for the warm welcome and fruitful discussion in USM Kabacan. Both universities will also enter a Memorandum of Understanding focused on training and capacity building activities for the BS Fisheries faculty and students through the DOST-funded ABRAHAM: FishDive Project.

"Our Daily Fish" Fisheries in the Philippines - Past, Present, and Future

The UP Mindanao Office of Research in partnership with the Coral Reef Resiliency and Ecology Studies (CRREST) Laboratory organized an afternoon of fruitful discussions on the historical records, status, and future directions of reef fish diversity in the Philippines. The discussions were led by renowned experts: Dr. Kent Carpenter of the Old Dominion University, Dr. Cleto L. Nañola Jr. of the University of the Philippines Mindanao, Dr. Richard Muallil of the Mindanao State University Tawi-Tawi, and Academician Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute. The event was attended by students, partner institutions, and government agencies in Mindanao which are hoped to continue the efforts of acquiring new information and knowledge transfer in the region through collaborative research endeavors. As an initiative to this collaboration, we had a soft launching of the book — “Data Collection and Analyses for Reef Fish Biology” which was edited by our lab head Dr. Cleto L. Nañola Jr. and CRREST researcher Maybelle Fortaleza. The book will serve as an avenue to streamline protocols and methods on studying reef fish biology and to guide beginners in starting their own independent research.

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Davao City, Philippines - On February 24, 2023, a ceremonial Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing between several partner Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and UP Mindanao, representing the Applied Biodiversity Research for the Holistic Advancements in Mindanao (ABRAHAM) MABIDA Project, also known as the Information System for Marine Fishery Morphology and DNA Sequence in Mindanao, took place at the UP Mindanao Center for Advancement of Research in Mindanao. The event, which coincided with the "Our Daily Fish: Kapehan Talks on Reef Fish Diversity & Book Launching of the Data Collection and Analysis for Reef Fish Biology," aimed to strengthen the educational and scientific cooperation among the involved parties and establish a solid foundation for collaborative efforts in marine conservation and research. The in-person event brought together renowned speakers, officials from partner HEIs, and honorable personalities in marine conservation and research. Dr. Kent Carpenter of Old Dominion University, Dr. Cleto L. Nañola, Jr. of UP Mindanao, Dr. Richard Muallil of Mindanao State University Tawi-Tawi, and Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos of the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute were among the notable speakers. The executed MOAs cemented the cooperation between UP Mindanao, which represented the ABRAHAM Program Projects FishDive and MABIDA, and the partner HEIs. The MOA, more specifically named as Supplemental MOA for Educational and Scientific Cooperation, specified the duties, responsibilities, effectivity and duration, technicalities, and expectations of all parties involved, guaranteeing a coherent and collaborative relationship. Representatives from numerous HEIs were present, both virtually and in person, for the signing of the MOAs. Partner HEIs were MSU General Santos City, Davao Oriental State University, Davao del Norte State College, Southern Philippines Agri-business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology, MSU Sulu, MSU Tawi-Tawi, and Jose Rizal Memorial State University. The combined effort and dedication of these institutions will promote knowledge sharing, joint research projects, and capacity-building activities, thus ultimately developing a more comprehensive understanding of reef fish biology and conservation in Mindanao.

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