Press Release

Hand-feeding of endangered whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu changes diving behaviour and raises concerns over implications to their health

Philippines, 13 October 2020, A new study published in Scientific Reports finds that resident whale sharks have changed their diving behaviour in response to the hand-feeding activities (provisioning) used to attract the animals in the waters of barangay Tan-Awan, Oslob, Cebu, to allow tourism interaction. The study further investigates how these changes could have implications on the bioenergetics (flow and transformation of energy) of individual whale sharks frequently visiting the mass tourism site.

Press Release

A Day for Rays: World Manta Day 2020

This September 17th 2020 is the first Wolrd Manta Day - a dedicated a day to celebrate these beautiful, enigmatic and vulnerable species. Let’s get mantas trending! #WorldMantaDay

Press Release

First record of whale sharks getting cleaned by cleaner wrasse in the Indo-West Pacific

Philippines. 20 August 2020, A new study by LAMAVE reports the first documentation of whale sharks being cleaned by two species of wrasse in the Indo-West Pacific: the blue-streak cleaner wrasse and the moon wrasse. Cleaner fish usually remove parasites, dead tissue and mucus from their ‘clients’ and play an essential role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems.

PRESS RELEASE

Controlling a whale shark mass tourism destination: new study investigates crowding and tourist expectations

A new scientific study by Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) and the University of Victoria (Canada) reveals that overcrowding is a significant issue for Oslob whale shark watching tours. The study presents management interventions aimed at improving the tourist experience and recommends reducing tourist numbers to 500 daily visitors….

STATEMENT

LAMAVE’s position on emerging whale shark tourism in Bohol

Whale shark tourism activities have emerged from Lila and Baclayon, Bohol where whale sharks are or were provisioned to facilitate tourism interactions. In line with the Philippines commitment to lead and promote sustainable tourism across South East Asia (UNEP/CMS/CoP12/doc.26.2.7), as well as the Vision and Mission of the Province of Bohol, where the province is an eco-cultural tourism destination committed to sound environmental management, LAMAVE does not support these initiatives.

PRESS RELEASE

How lasers and photographs are helping scientists study endangered turtles in the Philippines

One of the challenges for conservation biologists is how to collect information in the most minimally invasive way they can to minimise disturbance. A recent study by Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines used cameras and lasers to study population and growth rates of green turtles from a distance…

PRESS RELEASE

Whale sharks on the move in Southeast Asia highlight the need for further collaboration in the conservation of the species

Whale sharks tracked moving between the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. For the first time researchers from Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines have tracked whale sharks moving between the Philippines and Malaysia, and Indonesia, using satellite tags, photo-identification and citizen science…

PRESS RELEASE

Philippines officially hosts world’s second largest known population of whale sharks

Philippines, March 3, 2019, The Philippines officially hosts the second-largest known population of whale sharks in the world according to Wildbook for Whale Sharks, a global online population catalogue used by scientists and the public. The Philippine population total, which now stands at >1,600 individual whale sharks…

PRESS RELEASE

A new study reveals the impacts of whale shark mass tourism on the coral reefs in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines.

The collaborative research among the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the University of Guam (UoG), and the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) shows that whale shark tourism in Tan-awan, Oslob, Philippines has led to degradation of the local coral reef ecosystem…

PRESS RELEASE

Donsol attracts the Philippines largest whale sharks

A new scientific study by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines and Large Marine Vertebrate Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) has revealed that whale sharks in Donsol, Philippines are uncharacteristically larger than those found elsewhere in the Philippines…

PRESS RELEASE

Scientific study takes a deeper look into the reproduction of mobulid rays in the Philippines

A new scientific publication by Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) was lead by researcher Joshua Rambahiniarison and aimed to determine life history and reproductive parameters for several mobulids caught in the Philippines to provide vital information on the sustainability of the exploitation and consumptive use of these megafauna, at the country level and worldwide.

Press Release

Scientists in the Philippines tag the biggest tiger shark so far

Puerto Princesa, Philippines, June 12, 2018 – Scientists from Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE), Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) and Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) have successfully tagged a 3.5-meter tiger shark and three grey reef sharks as part of a long-term study in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park.

LAMAVE Newsroom

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