Mud crabs, Scylla spp., are commercially important large-size marine crustaceans in the Indo-West Pacific region. As females have the higher growth rate and economic value, the production of all female stocks is extremely essential in aquaculture. However, the sex determination mechanism is still unclear. Development of sex-specific genetic markers based on next-generation sequencing proved to be an effective tool for discovering sex determination system in various animals.

The role of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in the gonadal development of protogynous hermaphroditic grouper (E. fuscoguttatus) was investigated. Recombinant giant grouper (E. lanceolatus) FSH (rggFSH) was produced in yeast. Its receptor binding capacity and steroidogenic potency were confirmed in vitro. Weekly injections of rggFSH to juvenile tiger grouper for 8 weeks (100 μg/kg body weight, BW) resulted in significantly larger and more advanced oocytes (cortical alveolar stage vs. primary growth stage in control). Sustained treatment with rggFSH (20 to 38 weeks at 200 μg/kg BW) resulted in significant reduction in gonad size, degeneration of oocytes and proliferation of spermatogonial cells, indicative of female to male sex change. Gene expression analysis showed that, while initiating female to male sex change, the rggFSH significantly suppressed the steroidogenic genes cyp11b, cyp19a1a and foxl2 which restrained the endogenous production of sex steroid hormones thus prevented the differentiation of spermatogonial cells. Expression profile of sex markers dmrt1, amh, figla and bmp15 suggests that the observed sex change was restricted at the initiation stage. Based on these results, we propose that the process of female to male sex change in the protogynous grouper is initiated by FSH, rather than sex steroids and likely involves steroid-independent pathway. The cortical alveolar stage in oocyte development is the critical point after which FSH-induced sex change is possible in grouper.

The optimum culture conditions of the local strain Chaetoceros calcitrans were determined to improve biomass and reduce cost of production. Under outdoor culture conditions, higher cell density was attained when the cultures were enriched with Tungkang Marine Research Laboratory (TMRL) medium composed of cheap technical grade reagents and cultured at 25 g L⁻¹ salinity. The cultures were lighted with two 40 W cool-white GE fluorescent tubes (24–35 μmol photon m⁻² s⁻¹). Using semi-continuous culture system under established optimum culture conditions, C. calcitrans can be re-cultured thrice and concentrated at each culture cycle using electrolytic flocculation method to produce 4.6 kg m⁻³ of diatom paste. The viability of concentrated C. calcitrans after 3 months of storage was comparable to live diatom cells. Simple preservation technique by low-temperature storage is convenient for storing algal concentrates for use as starter cultures and for feeding invertebrates. The paste costs USD 8.24 kg⁻¹ inclusive of the assets and flocculation materials for culturing and harvesting the diatom, respectively. This study established the suitable conditions for mass culture of C. calcitrans and produced concentrated diatoms in paste form that is readily available for aquaculture hatcheries at a lower cost.

Understanding the information-seeking behavior of library patrons is essential for the library to provide quality resources and services, and to satisfy its patrons’ information needs. A quantitative research was conducted to describe the information searching and using behaviors of the Filipino aquaculture scientists, researchers and research staff at the Aquaculture Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC/AQD). The study revealed that although the respondents find it useful to go to the library to get assistance from the librarian, and to browse and read current acquisitions related to their research, they visited the library infrequently. However, remote library services, especially email and phone services, were highly utilized. When searching for information, the Internet, mainly via search engines, was highly preferred rather than visiting the Library and using its online public access catalog (OPAC) or its databases. The combination of print and electronic formats was highly preferred when reading, rather than print only or electronic-only. The majority would print and save the retrieved electronic copy.

The use of artificial substratum made out of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) based biodegradable plastic for penaeid shrimp culture was investigated for the first time. Provision of PHB substratum consisting of PHB type P209 (Biomer, Krailling, Germany) to postlarval whiteleg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (106 ± 52 mg) resulted in significantly higher survival (P ≤ 0.05) of 83.6 ± 3.4% as compared to 73.9 ± 3.0% for postlarvae provided with conventional substratum consisting of polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipes. Results on final weight showed significantly higher weight (P ≤ 0.05) of 1008.2 ± 4.5 mg in postlarval whiteleg shrimp provided PHB substratum as compared to 893.4 ± 30.0 mg for postlarvae provided with PVC substratum. The trends of higher visit and preference by postlarval whiteleg shrimp on 10-day and 70-day aged PHB substrata over 10-day and 70-day aged PVC substrata suggest the importance of PHB substratum as grazing area rather than as shelter. Test conducted on water quality also showed a trend towards higher total ammonia-nitrogen (TAN) conversion from an initial concentration of 1.75 ± 0.0 mg L⁻¹ to 0.35 mg ± 0.04 mg L⁻¹ after 72 h with PHB substratum while using no substratum and PVC substratum lead to TAN concentrations of 1.28 ± 0.06 mg L⁻¹ and 1.23 ± 0.10 mg L⁻¹, respectively. Overall, this study indicates that artificial substratum consisting of PHB-based biodegradable plastic increases the quality of postlarval whiteleg shrimp and that it contributes to maintaining good water quality.

This study was conducted to investigate the sea cucumber fishery and compare populations between exploited and unexploited sites. Three islands were selected, the Arrecife Island as the unexploited site and the Johnson and Green Islands representing the exploited sites. In each site, sea cucumber species richness, diversity and densities were assessed by laying as much as 15 transects (50 m × 5 m) per habitat in each island. Differences in species richness, diversity and relative densities across sites and habitats were tested using a Two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey test for post hoc comparisons. An interview with gatherers, key informants and focus group discussions were also conducted to gather information on the sea cucumber fishery and its management. Results showed that the unexploited site had a higher species richness (14 vs. 7 and 7). Relative density of species was also higher in the unexploited site at 1245 ind ha^-1 while it was only 78 and 39 ind ha^-1 in exploited sites (p < 0.05). Interviews and a focus group discussion revealed that national regulations on permit system and size limits were not enforced at the local level and that gatherers had low levels of awareness regarding regulations on sea cucumber harvest. Current management measures appear to be ineffective and insufficient, leaving the sea cucumbers in areas open to exploitation at risk of depletion. Given that sea cucumbers provide substantial income to local communities, the depletion of this resource could compromise the livelihood of people in island communities that rely heavily on marine resources for living. Thus, this study highlights the need to review national policies on sea cucumber fishery and place the management at the local level.

Onion Allium cepa and ginger Zingiber officinale have health‐promoting properties that qualify them as functional foods. The effect of repeated acute stressors was examined in juvenile Brown‐marbled Grouper Epinephelus fuscoguttatus that were fed four diets supplemented with onion at 1.8%, ginger at 1.8%, vitamin C at 0.86%, and β‐glucan at 0.8% of the diet. The non‐supplemented diet served as the control. After 12 weeks of feeding, fish were exposed to stressors and were experimentally infected with a fish pathogen, the bacterium Vibrio harveyi JML1. After repeated exposure to hypoxia, cortisol levels rose significantly in the non‐supplemented fish compared to those fed onion, ginger, β‐glucan, or vitamin C. Within groups, postexposure cortisol levels in the onion‐, ginger‐, and vitamin C‐fed fish did not change relative to pre‐stress levels, whereas significant increases in poststress values were observed in the control and β‐glucan groups. The net cortisol increase was also significantly greater in the non‐supplemented group compared to the supplemented groups. The net cortisol increase did not vary among the supplemented groups except that the β‐glucan‐fed group exhibited a higher net increase than the onion‐fed group. Similarly, repeated acute exposure to osmotic stress significantly increased the plasma cortisol level in the non‐supplemented group compared to groups that received supplements; no differences were found in the supplemented groups except the β‐glucan group. Within groups, significant increases in poststress values relative to pre‐stress levels were found only in the control and β‐glucan groups. Repeated acute exposure to hypoxia significantly increased cumulative mortality in the control group compared to the supplemented groups (except the β‐glucan group), whereas repeated exposure to acute osmotic stress significantly increased cumulative mortality only in the control group 10 d after infection with V. harveyi JML1. Based on our collective results, most of the supplemented groups performed better than the control, but the best supplements were onion and ginger in terms of enhancing stress tolerance and increasing survival of Brown‐marbled Grouper upon infection with V. harveyi JML1.

Findings of previous studies revealed that regardless of the objective, age does affect the information-seeking behavior of an individual. Likewise, this study found the same results. Although all of the younger Filipino aquaculture researchers preferred the Internet to begin their search process, it was found that they were more frequent library users, and more reliant on librarians than their older counterparts. Likewise, they preferred the combination of print and electronic formats when reading. Thus, they would print and save the retrieved electronic copy of information at least very often. The study is a valuable addition to the information-seeking behavior studies on Filipinos, and the first to tackle the effects of age on the information-seeking behavior of Filipino aquaculture researchers.