The seaweed industry in the Philippines is a significant contributor to aquaculture production, both nationally and internationally. It out-produces the capture fisheries sector and most global producers, with the exception of China and Indonesia. Seaweed species, particularly Kappaphycus and Eucheuma spp., have been farmed throughout the country since the early 1970s. In 2017, the Philippines produced 1.4 million tonnes (fwt) and exported 35,490 tonnes of seaweed and carrageenan with a value of US$174 million. However, a decreasing trend in seaweed production has been observed since the mid-2000s as a result of pest and disease outbreaks, among other factors, which have been exacerbated by climate change. This paper is the first to analyze biosecurity-related national policies and legislation (a.k.a. ‘frameworks’ collectively), which are relevant to the seaweed industry in the Philippines. A total of 12 frameworks were identified, of which a sub-set of seven were compared using defined biosecurity themes, risks, and management measures to evaluate how seaweed biosecurity is incorporated into national policy. The inclusion of biosecurity-related activities in national frameworks was found to be limited to aquatic animal commodities or agricultural crops. Only the Code of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAqP) for seaweed specifically included seaweed cultivation, however, it did not include any biosecurity measures. The results indicated a clear gap in current biosecurity legislation and policy in the Philippines, which if addressed have the potential to reduce the impact of endemic and emergent diseases and pests and support the sustainable growth of this important industry.

This study examined the incidence of mortalities among first-feeding post-yolk sac silver therapon Leiopotherapon plumbeus (Kner) larvae deprived of live food in the hatchery. Starting after their yolk was consumed at 40 h post-hatch (hph) and every 2 h thereafter until 54 hph, larvae were fed and exposed to live food for an hour only and their performance was observed after initial feeding at 25 °C. Feeding incidence progressively increased until 48 hph as larval mouth gape increased during exogenous feeding, but oil globule volume progressively declined until full exhaustion at 52 hph. All starved larvae fed at 48 hph but feeding incidence progressively declined until larvae ceased to feed at 54 hph to coincide with a significant reduction in survivorship, indicating that larvae have reached their point-of-no-return (PNR) at 50 hph despite the availability of food. Delayed initial feeding of un-fed post-yolk sac larvae starting at 46 hph until 54 hph resulted in significantly higher feeding incidence among 46−48 hph larvae than those fed after 50 hph, which did not survive longer than 10 h after initial feeding. These results demonstrate that silver therapon larvae have a very brief transitional or mixed-feeding period of 12 h after yolk exhaustion so that initial feeding beyond 50 hph when larvae have reached their PNR results in early onset of death.

There are four species of mud crabs within the genus Scylla, and most of them live sympatrically in the equatorial region. Apart from a report in Japan about the finding of a natural Scylla hybrid more than a decade ago after the division of genus Scylla into four species by Keenan, Davie & Mann (1998), no subsequent sighting was found. Thus, this study investigates the possible natural occurrence of potential hybridization among Scylla species in the wild. A total of 76,211 individuals from mud crab landing sites around the Malacca Straits, South China Sea and Sulu Sea were screened. In addition to the four-purebred species, four groups (SH 1, n = 2, 627; SH 2, n = 136; SH 3, n = 1; SH 4, n = 2) with intermediate characteristics were found, mostly at Sulu Sea. Discriminant Function Analysis revealed that all Scylla species, including SH 1 - 4, are distinguishable via their morphometric ratios. The most powerful discriminant ratios for each character and the top five discriminant ratios of males and females were suggested. The carapace width of SH 1 males and females were significantly smaller than pure species. Based on the discriminant ratios and the description of morphological characters, we hypothesize that the additional four groups of Scylla with intermediate characteristics could be presumed hybrids. Future work at the molecular level is urgently needed to validate this postulate.

Each year a significant proportion of global food production is lost to pests and diseases, with concerted efforts by government and industry focussed on application of effective biosecurity policies which attempt to minimise their emergence and spread. In aquaculture the volume of seaweeds produced is second only to farmed fish and red algal carrageenophytes currently represent approximately 42% of global production of all seaweeds. Despite this importance, expansion of the seaweed sector is increasingly limited by the high prevalence of recalcitrant diseases and epiphytic pests with potential to emerge and with the demonstrated propensity to spread, particularly in the absence of effective national and international biosecurity policies. Developing biosecurity policy and legislation to manage biosecurity risk in seaweed aquaculture is urgently required to limit these impacts. To understand current international biosecurity frameworks and their efficacy, existing legislative frameworks were analysed quantitatively for the content of biosecurity measures, applicability to the seaweed industry, and inclusion of risks posed by diseases, pests and non-native species. Deficiencies in existing frameworks included the following: inconsistent terminology for inclusion of cultivated seaweeds, unclear designation of implementation responsibility, insufficient evidence-based information and limited alignment of biosecurity hazards and risks. Given the global importance of the cultivation of various seaweeds in alleviating poverty in low and middle income countries, it is crucial that the relatively low-unit value of the industry (i.e. as compared with other aquatic animal sectors) should not conflate with a perceived low risk of disease or pest transfer, nor the subsequent economic and environmental impact that disease transfer may impact on receiving nations (well beyond their seaweed operations). Developing a clear basis for development of robust international biosecurity policies related to the trade in seaweeds arising from the global aquaculture industry, by first addressing the gaps highlighted in this study, will be crucial in limiting impacts of pests and diseases on this valuable industry and on natural capital in locations where seaweeds are farmed.

The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains in diverse settings has been reported globally. In the Philippine shrimp aquaculture industry, antibiotics are used for the treatment of bacterial diseases during the production cycle. We report the draft genome of Vibrio parahaemolyticus PH698, a multidrug-resistant strain isolated from a Philippine shrimp farm.

We report the first draft genome sequence of an acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND)-causing Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain isolated from a Penaeus vannamei sample from the Philippines. The strain carries the genes encoding the Pir-like toxin pair PirA^vp and PirB^vp.

The hatchery protocol for silver therapon (Leiopotherapon plumbeus, Kner 1864) in outdoor tanks is disclosed. The process includes timed provision of preferred natural food commensurate with the age of larvae, pre-conditioning of rearing water, utilizing ambient lake water and the addition of fresh tropical almond leaves Terminalia catappa to enhance natural food supply in tanks. A stocking density of 0.1 to 1 larvae /L was used to enhance survival and growth. Survival of larvae increased to 35.41 ± 15.32 per cent using the invention.

Organic enrichment from aquaculture could alter the chemical composition of the fishpond bottom by increasing the levels of organic matter (OM), sulfur (S), iron (Fe), and lower pH of the sediment. Polychaetes can contribute to the nutrient cycling and remediation of polluted sediment. A laboratory experiment was conducted to test the remediation potential of small and large mud polychaete Marphysa sp. introduced to two types of fishpond sediment. Initially, Sediment A had lower OM, S, Fe, and higher pH than Sediment B. After 30 days, in Sediment B, large polychaetes significantly decreased the OM level (27%) while both small and large polychaetes promoted significant decreases of S (71%) and Fe (70–73%) in both sediment types. The increase of sediment pH was promoted by the presence of polychaetes (0.53–0.69) although pH level in small polychaete was not significantly different with the no polychaete treatment. Regardless of polychaete treatment, the pH level of Sediment B (1.04 ± 0.10) was significantly improved than that of Sediment A (0.17 ± 0.02). In both sediments, large polychaetes (95%) had better survival rates than small polychaetes (73%). These findings reveal that large Marphysa sp. can significantly improve sediment quality by decreasing the levels of OM, S, and Fe and improve pH level to a more basic form without compromising its survival. Large polychaetes are recommended to be used as bioremediators of organically enriched aquaculture pond sediment.

The academic libraries in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, Philippines are vulnerable to disasters. In the last ten years, the majority of the 13 respondent libraries have sustained at least one disaster that may have been caused by civil unrest, war or terrorism, flood, earthquake, or fire. The majority were unprepared to face such disasters, may it be small-scale or catastrophic, and only one library has a disaster management plan. The lack of significant holdings of rare books, shortage of financial resources, no perceived risk, and the unavailability of staff to write a disaster management plan, are the reasons why most libraries do not have a plan. Moreover, the majority lacked staff that has undergone training in disaster preparedness and management. On the other hand, all of the libraries have disaster management practices that although not enough, will still enable them to lessen the effects of the disaster and save their library and parts of their collection when necessary. The respondents identified management support as an essential factor in their success in disaster management. The results of the study provide valuable information on the current state of the libraries in the Philippines with regards to disaster preparedness and management. Therefore, it is an essential addition to the literature on disaster management in the Philippines, which is very scarce as of the moment.