Summary Collectively known as eucheumatoids, Eucheuma denticulatum, Kappaphycus alvarezii, K. malesianus, and K. striatus are the main farmed seaweed species in the Philippines. This group of seaweeds is the main source of the high-value carrageenan. There are three major types of carrageenan, each having properties that make one type more suitable for a specific application…

Summary The non-degradability of most plastic packaging materials and the deficiency in recycling infrastructure on aglobal scale causes huge environmental problems. Production of packaging materials from natural macroalgae polymers is a very promising alternative to address the problems. The cultivation potential for macroalgae is huge and they are not in competition to food crops. Although…

Summary Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are areas where extraction of marine organism are prohibited to promote fisheries conservation and population recovery, specifically for reef fishes. In order to determine if MPAs are effective, annual monitoring survey is conducted wherein technical skills are required. Monitoring of reef fish can be done either by snorkeling and/or SCUBA…

Summary Bleaching or the expulsion of the photosynthetic symbiont Symbiodiniaceae (‘zooxanthellae’) caused by the increase in seawater temperatures causes massive mortalities in giant clams. After a bleaching disturbance, population recovery is heavily dependent on reproduction and recruitment success. However, how bleaching directly affects the reproductive performance of giant clams is, to date, unknown. In our…

Summary Mismanaged plastic wastes resist decomposition and accumulate in the environment. Plastic-polluted environments provide opportunities for naturally-occurring marine microorganisms to associate with marine plastic debris. Initial bacterial colonizers of plastic, called ‘primo-colonizers’, possess functional capabilities that enable them to survive on the plastic surface. To demonstrate these surface-associated activities and their effect on the plastic,…

Summary A hatchery experiment was conducted to determine the individual and combined effects of lowered pH and elevated temperature on the feeding of two seagrass-associated invertebrate grazers, namely the sea cucumber Stichopus cf. horrens and the topshell Trochus maculatus, after 5 days exposure. The study found that elevated temperature increased the nighttime activity of the…

Summary Even though Southeast Asian countries are often mentioned as some of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution in the oceans, there is no existing database that validates these claims. Hence, the  PlastiCount Pilipinas website was developed to gather and share information about plastic pollution specifically in the Philippines. This complements Strategy 1 of the…

Summary The large brown seaweeds, known as kelps, are potential sources of protein for animal feed. They have lower protein contents than most red and green algae, but due to potential for large-scale production, they may represent a significant future protein source. The impact of pH, temperature and polysaccharide-degrading enzymes on the solubility and extraction…