A scientific paper titled Reef-fish larval dispersal patterns validate no-take marine reserve network connectivity that links human communities authored by the Silliman University Angelo King Center for Research & Environmental Management got published in the prestigious Coral Reefs, the journal of the International Society for Reef Studies on March 14.
Scientists Rene Abesamis, Garry Russ, Angel Alcala, Pablo Saenz-Agudedo, Michael Berumen, Michael Bode, Claro Renato Jadloc, Leilani Solera, Cesar Villanoy, and Lawrence Patrick Bernardo conducted genetic parentage analysis on a coral-reef fish (Chaetodon vagabundus) which showed larval dispersal among networks of no-take marine reserves and fishing grounds in the Philippines.
According to SUACKREM Chair and National Scientist Dr. Angel C. Alcala, the paper is one of their most important contributions to marine scientific research and conservation in the Philippines and globally.
“It presents rare empirical evidence for where and how far the larvae of coral reef fish disperse, with important implications for how networks of marine reserves should be planned and implemented in the context of developing coral reef countries,” Alcala said.
The results of the study underscore the need for nested collaborative management arrangements among local government units to support marine reserve networks.
Dr. Alcala also acknowledged SUACKREM’s collaboration with James Cook University in Australia, the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology in Saudi Arabia, the Universidad de Austral de Chile, the University of Melbourne in Australia, the UP-Marine Science Institute, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology for making the study possible. (SU/OIP)