Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food production industries globally (Natale et al., 2011), and it is expected to exceed the production of other animal production industries such as beef, pork, or poultry in the next decade (OECD and FAO, 2012). In the Philippines, aquaculture contributes significantly to food security, employment for the poor, women, youth, and foreign exchange earnings (FAO, 2019; Sekhar and Ortiz, 2006). The Philippines is the 11th top aquaculture producing country in the world; it ranked third, fifth, and ninth in seaweeds, finfish, and marine crustacean productions, respectively (FAO, 2018). However, unsustainable aquaculture practices in the country “contributed to nutrient loading, threatening environmental harm” (FAO, 2018). The majority of countries in the world, including the Philippines, are experiencing environmental problems due to unsustainable aquaculture practices. Thus, to address these problems and further develop aquaculture, research was actively done by the government, academic, and research institutions. According to Superio et al. (2019) research plays a major role in development, and commonly, the results were published for public consumption. However, some fisheries and aquaculture researches were unpublished and of limited distribution because a high proportion of fisheries information was published as grey literature (Parker et al., 2010). Notably, FAO (2009) found that fisheries information in developing countries was published in grey literature due to the stringent criteria of the editorial boards of Western peer-reviewed journals, while in Africa, an estimated 70 percent of fisheries information is published as grey literature.

In the Philippines, cage culture of milkfish in marine environments is increasing. The practice uses high stocking densities, with significantly greater inputs of artificial feeds which more often than not, has led to excessive feeding and consequently excessive nutrient loading in receiving waters, exacerbating problems with pollution. These could have contributed to occurrence of periodic fish kills in areas of marine milkfish culture clusters. Sixty percent of milkfish farming expenses are attributable to feed costs. A series of experiments were conducted in an attempt to develop alternative feeding strategies that will reduce feed inputs without compromising growth and resulting production. In the first experiment, growth was compared in milkfish fed daily, on alternate days and on alternate 2-week or 4-week starvation and refeeding cycles in a tank environment provided with flow-through water system. Results show, that milkfish fed on alternate days do not grow as well as milkfish that are fed daily. Feed restriction for 2 weeks followed by 2 weeks of refeeding elicited a compensatory growth response such that average body weight (ABW) of fish was not significantly different from ABW of fish fed daily. Another experiment compared growth of fish given a ration equivalent to 10% of BW (usual practice) or 7.5% of BW. Results show no significant effect on growth or final ABW or biomass in fish fed daily or on 2-week cycles of feed restriction and refeeding. Thus, a lower feeding ration can be given to milkfish without compromising yield. Results of the tank experiments were verified in actual marine cage and brackishwater pond production systems using an initial feeding rate of 7.5% rather than 10% ABW. In the experiment in cages, survival rates between the control fish and the groups subjected to cycles of 2-week starvation followed by 2 weeks of normal feeding were comparable, except for one replicate of the starved-refed group where survival rate was very low (38.78%). After 3 cycles of starvation and refeeding, weight gain in the starved-refed groups were generally lower than in the control groups, which may suggest that small-sized fish cannot adapt very well to periodic starvation. In brackishwater ponds, growth, survival and total biomass at harvest was comparable between milkfish fed daily and those fed on alternate days. Hence, FCR was lower in the milkfish fed on alternate days compared to fish fed daily. On the other hand, survival was very low in fish subjected to 2 cycles of 2 weeks starvation followed by 4 weeks of normal feeding. These results suggest that as in tilapia, alternate day feeding can be adopted to milkfish culture in brackishwater ponds without compromising production while at the same time lowering production cost and environmental impact. Overall, these studies provide two practical strategies, reduced ration size and alternate day feeding, to improve production efficiency of milkfish, the largest finfish aquaculture industry in the Philippines.

This manual addresses the lack of information materials on how to deal with marine turtle encounters in the Philippine seas to ensure that the proper treatment and intervention is provided. The manual also responds to the Comprehensive Action Plan for Threatened, Charismatic, and Migratory Species of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME), which has been identified as the first priority seascape the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI). The Tri-National Committee of the SSME developed the Comprehensive Action Plans (CAP) that identified seven Key Result Areas (KRAs) to improve the status of marine turtles in the SSME, as follows: (a) Identify best practices in minimizing threats to marine turtle populations and their habitats; (b) Develop and implement nesting habitats and management programs to maximize hatchling production and survival; (c) Provide recommendations on specific features or criteria in marine protected area (MPA) design and MPA network design in relation to the protection and management of marine turtles in SSME waters; (d) Undertake initiatives to promote reduction of incidental capture and mortality of marine turtles; (e) Conduct turtle population habitat research and monitoring protocols; (f) Develop guidelines for MPA network design for marine turtles; and (g) Publish information to promote best practices and successes for marine turtle conservation. This manual is an important step to address gaps and issues on threatened marine wildlife in the Philippines to better protect and conserve marine biodiversity in the Coral Triangle.