The Philippine Journal of Fisheries

11/07/2025

📢 NEW EPISODE 📢
Dr. Nia Santos shares how she used both genetics and morphology to identify the freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium spp.) in Cairawan River Antique. With 11 species identified, the highest number of species reported from a single river, this study highlights the ecological value of Philippine rivers and their potential for sustainable fisheries.

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🤝 Behind The Science Podcast is presented to you by Marine & Earth Science Learning Hub, UP Resilience Institute, UPLB Philippine Agricultural Scientist Journal, The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, and Paase: The Filipino Scientist.

📚Research spotlight:
Santos MNM, Wowor D, Ikeda M, Padilla PI and Romana-Eguia MRR. 2024. Morphological and genetic diversity assessment of freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium spp.) in the Cairawan River, Antique Province, Philippines. The Philippine Journal of Fisheries 31(1). DOI:10.31398/tpjf/30.2.2023-0009.
► https://nfrdi.da.gov.ph/tpjf/vol31/research_article_santos_et_al_31120230009

11/07/2025

Join this year's Fisheries Scientific Conference and submit your abstract...

11/07/2025

Way to go! 🎉

The Philippine Journal of Fisheries (TPJF) is recognized by the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), the highest recognition body on science and technology in the country, by publishing the policy brief “Ensuring Aquatic Food Security in the Philippines” which is one of the recipients of the OUTSTANDING SCIENTIFIC PAPER AWARD for 2025.

This award is given annually for papers published in Thompson Reuters or SCOPUS-listed journals in the Philippines within five years preceding the award. Since TPJF is now SCOPUS-indexed, papers published in TPJF are qualified to be nominated for the said award.

Congratulations to the authors! You may access their full paper here https://doi.org/10.31398/tpjf/30.2.2022-0031

The awarding ceremony was held yesterday, July 10, 2025, during NAST's 47th Annual Scientific Meeting.

10/07/2025

Join us for the 23rd FishBase and SeaLifeBase Symposium
🗓️ 2–3 September 2025
📍 RBINS, Brussels, Belgium | 💻 Hybrid & free to attend
🔗 Details & registration: www.biodiversity.be/6163/

This annual event brings together marine scientists and biodiversity experts from around the world to share cutting-edge research—from morphology and genetics to ecosystem models and marine policy.

🎙️ Confirmed speakers include: Daniel Pauly, Rainer Froese, Jessica Meeuwig, Athanassios Tsikliras, and more.

🌊 Hosted by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, in collaboration with the FishBase Consortium, this symposium highlights the role of FishBase.org and SeaLifeBase.org in advancing marine science and conservation.

It’s also a great opportunity to discover groundbreaking work by RBINS, Belgian institutions, and the FishBase Consortium—while connecting with the global FishBase community. 🤝🐟

📝 Register by 15 August 2025
📩 Inquiries: [email protected]

10/07/2025

𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘?

𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲!

Sharks use their 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞, 𝐨𝐢𝐥-𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐮𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲. Unlike most fish that have swim bladders, sharks rely on the 𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐬 in their liver to stay afloat and maintain stability in the water. This clever adaptation allows them to glide effortlessly without sinking.

Read more:

Gleiss, A. C., Potvin, J., & Goldbogen, J. A. (2017). Physical trade-offs shape the evolution of buoyancy control in sharks. Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 284(1866), 20171345. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.1345

Photo courtesy: Vannessa Mignon

07/07/2025

This study investigated the impact of varying water hardness levels on Koi carp, a popular ornamental freshwater fish. Researchers gradually exposed the fish to soft waters of 75 mg CaCO3/L (TS), moderately hard waters of 150 mg CaCO3/L (TM), hard waters of 225 mg CaCO3/L (TH), and very hard waters of 225 mg CaCO3/L (TV) over 14 days and examined how their gills and muscles responded.

They found that soft, moderate, and very hard waters triggered more stress in the fish, as seen through increased glucose and oxidative stress markers. Antioxidants such as catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) help protect the tissues. Overall, the fish responded differently depending on the tissue type, and the results suggest that hard water around 225 mg CaCO₃/L is best for maintaining Koi carp health.

This gives helpful insight for fishkeepers and breeders on how water quality affects fish well-being.

To learn more, read the full article here https://doi.org/10.31398/tpjf

Please help us to serve you better. For feedback on our publications and other IECs, please go to: https://tinyurl.com/32scfeee

The Philippine Journal of Fisheries (TPJF) is a semi-annual, open-access journal published by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI). TPJF is indexed in Scopus, Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstract, Directory of Open Access Journals, and ASEAN Citation Index, among others.

In the photo: A snapshot of 𝘊𝘺𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘪𝘰 var koi.

27/06/2025

This study analyzed the diets of nine freshwater fish species from Lake Wood, Zamboanga del Sur, by examining 144 stomach samples. The findings revealed that algae were the dominant food source, indicating their foundational role in the lake’s food web.

Herbivorous feeding was observed in species like 𝘖𝘳𝘦𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴, 𝘖. 𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘴, and 𝘙𝘢𝘴𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘱., while 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘢 displayed omnivory with notable insect consumption. 𝘊𝘺𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘪𝘰 showed generalist feeding, consuming algae, mollusks, fish, and sand. Benthic and substrate feeding behavior was noted in species like 𝘈𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘴 and 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴.

The study highlights the trophic diversity within Lake Wood’s fish community and supports regional findings on the importance of algae in inland aquatic ecosystems. These baseline data contribute to a more informed understanding of food web dynamics and can guide future ecological monitoring and sustainable fisheries management in the region.

To learn more, read the full article here https://doi.org/10.31398/tpjf

Please help us to serve you better. For feedback on our publications and other IECs, please go to: https://tinyurl.com/32scfeee

The Philippine Journal of Fisheries (TPJF) is a semi-annual, open-access journal published by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI). TPJF is indexed in Scopus, Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstract, Directory of Open Access Journals, and ASEAN Citation Index, among others.

In the photo: Study’s Figure 2. Fish species composition in Lake Wood, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines.

27/06/2025

TPJF Volume 32 Issue Number 1 (June 2025) is now out! 🥳

The current issue contains 2 short communications and 15 research articles. You may freely access them through our website https://doi.org/10.31398/tpjf.

The Philippine Journal of Fisheries (TPJF) is a semi-annual, open-access journal published by the DA-National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (DA-NFRDI). TPJF is indexed in Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstract, among others.

Help us to serve you better. For feedback on our publications and other IECs, please go to: https://tinyurl.com/32scfeee

12/06/2025

Did you know that there is a new scale in assessing coral reefs in the Philippines? Learn from one of the authors himself, Dr. Wilfredo Licuanan, who is also an editorial board member of TPJF.

📚Research spotlight:
Licuanan WY. 2020. New scales to guide the assessment of hard coral cover and diversity in the Philippines. The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, 27(2), 121-126. https://doi.org/10.31398/tpjf/27.2.2020-0008

📢 NEW EPISODE 📢
Marine biologist Dr. Wilfredo Licuanan explains his team’s groundbreaking work in developing a new scale to assess coral reefs. The new letter-grade scale replaces the outdated standards and helps scientists, policymakers, and citizen scientists better understand reef health. This research has already influenced national guidelines and could reshape how we protect our reefs.

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🤝 Behind The Science Podcast is presented to you by Marine & Earth Science Learning Hub, UP Resilience Institute, UPLB Philippine Agricultural Scientist Journal, The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, and Paase: The Filipino Scientist.

🤝Follow the DLSU Br. Alfred Shields FSC Ocean Research Center

https://www.youtube.com/

📚Research spotlight:
Licuanan WY. 2020. New scales to guide the assessment of hard coral cover and diversity in the Philippines. The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, 27(2), 121-126.
► https://nfrdi.da.gov.ph/tpjf/vol27_2/pp121-126.php

10/06/2025

What if we could map all the major rivers in the Philippines — and make the data free for everyone? Well, we can. And we did.

Scientists from the University of the Philippines and the University of Glasgow created the first-ever national-scale geodatabase of river catchments in the country. Using high-resolution elevation data and advanced GIS tools, they mapped 128 river catchments — analyzing everything from slope and stream order to drainage area and relief.

🔓 Best of all — it's open access! Anyone can explore this data:

🖱️ Interactive web viewer: https://tinyurl.com/PHCatchmentDatabase

📄 Full study: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281933

This Thursday on Behind The Science Podcast, we'll discuss with Dr. Pamela Tolentino about her 10 years of research on the sustainable management of Philippine rivers.

09/06/2025

The catch and trade of seahorses (𝘏𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴 spp.) has been illegal in the Philippines since 2002, but the revision of the Philippines’ domestic Fisheries Code in 2015 opened an opportunity to legalize seahorse fisheries and exports if they could be managed for sustainability. To generate vital knowledge in support of this option, the authors conducted 268 interviews with fishers and traders across seventeen coastal provinces in 2019. They estimated a total median annual catch of ~1.5 to 1.6 million individual seahorses, with the tally depending on the method used. Fishers reported catching seahorses from ten different types of fishing gears. The provinces of Iloilo, Masbate, Sulu, Bohol, and Palawan together accounted for over 80% of the total national catch estimate. They found little evidence of live trade or domestic use, suggesting that most captured seahorses were exported dried. Buyers reported selling seahorses for between three and five times the price they paid fishers.

Of conservation concern, nearly all (98%) fishers reported a decline in seahorse catch over time and highly skewed s*x ratios across all species. This study will help the Philippines’ management agencies decide whether to support the re-opening of legal trade and, if so, how to make it sustainable.

To learn more, read the full article here https://doi.org/10.31398/tpjf

Please help us to serve you better. For feedback on our publications and other IECs, please go to: https://tinyurl.com/32scfeee

The Philippine Journal of Fisheries (TPJF) is a semi-annual, open-access journal published by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI). TPJF is indexed in Scopus, Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstract, Directory of Open Access Journals, and ASEAN Citation Index, among others.

In the photo: A sample of seahorses measured at a buyer’s collection point in the Philippines. ©Myrtle Arias / ZSL-Philippines.

28/05/2025

Sharing from NFRDI Philippines

𝐇𝐎𝐓 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒: You may now access the 2025 first quarter issue of FiSearch!

View and download here: https://tinyurl.com/ynsr2wt5

FiSearch is a quarterly publication of DA-NFRDI that features the latest fisheries research and development (R&D) programs, projects, and activities relevant to the sector.

You may also read and download previous issues here: https://nfrdi.da.gov.ph/fisearch/

For comments/suggestions or subscription requests, you may contact us through this email: [email protected]

𝐇𝐎𝐓 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒: You may now access the 2025 first quarter issue of FiSearch!

View and download here: https://tinyurl.com/2vvwcp7m

FiSearch is DA-NFRDI's quarterly publication that features the latest fisheries research and development (R&D) programs, projects, and activities relevant to the sector.

You may also read and download previous issues here: https://nfrdi.da.gov.ph/fisearch/

For comments/suggestions or subscription requests, you may contact us through this email: [email protected]