New study redefines provisioning in marine wildlife tourism
Philippines, 29 June 2021, A new study by researchers from the Southern Shark Ecology Group at Flinders University, James Cook University and Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, amongst others, has reviewed the current use of provisioning-associated terminology within the marine wildlife tourism sector and has proposed to reclassify provisioning into Feeding, Attracting and Modifying habitat.
Read MoreNew study finds that working in wildlife tourism can act as an incentive for the conservation of marine species
Philippines. 22 March 2021, A new study by researchers from the University of Victoria (CA) and Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines has found that working in wildlife tourism can act as an incentive for the conservation of marine species. Community-based whale shark tourism workers had more protectionist views, recognising the inherent value of wildlife, and were more likely to report positive changes in their attitudes and behaviours to protect whale sharks.
Read MoreBaby whale shark discovery indicates Donsol and the Ticao-Burias Pass are important reproductive habitats for the endangered whale shark
Philippines, November 2020, A new scientific publication from LAMAVE and BFAR Region 5 reports the importance of Donsol and the Ticao-Burias Pass as a likely pupping ground and nursery area for the endangered whale shark.
Read MoreHand-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.
Read MoreLack of management intervention leads to increased injuries on endangered whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines
Oslob Cebu, 8 October 2020. A new study published by LAMAVE in the journal Aquatic Conservation, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems this week, present the results of some of the work conducted since 2012 to assess the impacts of tourism activities on individual whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu
Read MoreProject Meraki - an art fundraiser for our oceans
Project Meraki is an art fundraiser by Stephanie Loy to support the conservation projects of the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) to protect endangered marine species and their habitats in the Philippines. The online art auction will run between August 30 - September 5 2020, with 70% of each painting sold donated to LAMAVE.
Read MoreFirst 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.
Read MoreEcotourism Transforms Attitudes to marine conservation
A study has shown how ecotourism in the Philippines has transformed people’s attitudes towards marine conservation. Researchers from LAMAVE and University of Victoria in Canada visited three sites where tourists pay to swim with whale sharks in the wild. They interviewed a range of locals who work for the tour operators in Oslob, Donsol and Pintuyan, including fishers and ex-whale shark hunters.
Read MoreMeet the LAMAVE Scholars - Bryan Madera
Meet our scholars! Each LAMAVE research project has at least one Filipino Scholar who is sponsored to join our team. These are our amazing LAMAVE Scholars! Next up is Bryan Madera who recently joined our whale shark research team in Northern Mindanao. Here’s what the inspiring conservationist had to share with us…
Read MoreMeet the LAMAVE Scholars - Christine (TIN) Mae V. Alagon
Meet our scholars! Each LAMAVE research project has at least one Filipino Scholar who is sponsored to join our team. These are our amazing LAMAVE Scholars! Our latest scholar post is from Christine "Tin" Mae V. Alagon who was part of our whale shark research team in Northern Mindanao earlier this year. Here’s what the Filipina conservationist had to share with us…
Read MoreMeet the LAMAVE Scholars - Kathy Mauyao
Meet our scholars! Each LAMAVE research project has at least one Filipino Scholar who is sponsored to join our team. These are our amazing LAMAVE Scholars! First up is Kathy Mauyao who is currently working with our whale shark research team in Southern Leyte. Here’s what the Filipina conservationist had to share with us…
Read MoreMeet the LAMAVE Scholars- TG Bonjuana Canal
Meet our scholars! Each LAMAVE research project has at least one Filipino Scholar who is sponsored to join our team. These are our amazing LAMAVE Scholars! Our latest scholar is TG Bonjuana Cañal who has just finished her placement with our whale shark research team in Northern Mindanao. Here’s what the Filipina conservationist had to share with us…
Read MoreMeet the LAMAVE Scholars - Jalica Deleca
Meet our scholars! Each LAMAVE research project has at least one Filipino Scholar who is sponsored to join our team. These are our amazing LAMAVE Scholars! This time we hear from Jalica Dealca who is currently working with our whale shark research team in Donsol. Here’s what the Filipina conservationist had to share with us…
Read MoreCelebrating the listing of the whale shark and the white-spotted wedgefish on CMS Appendices #CMSCOP12
October 26, 2017, Manila, Philippines. The Government of the Philippines' proposal to list the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) in Appendix I and the white-spotted wedgefish (Rhynchobatus australiae) in Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (UNEP-CMS) has been successful. A decision that will mean better international protection for both species.
Read MoreSmile!
Walking in the street by my home in Mexico I can be as lonely as in a misty forest. Things are different here in the Philippines; everyone says ‘hello’ or calls my name. When I first arrived in Donsol local people commented that I never smiled, that I was lulong (crazy). But I am shy! It’s not so easy for me to talk with people. However, I’ve never seen a group of guys trying so hard to make you feel happy…
Read MoreDuck-diving with giants
It’s an overcast and breezy, yet warm, morning. I’m standing on the sea’s edge, looking out across the water imagining and anticipating what’s to come - I’ll be swimming with whale sharks for the first time today. This amazing revelation doesn’t quite hit through – my alarm woke me at 6:30 in the morning, after which I staggered around the house looking for breakfast before being gently herded into town, bundled onto a jeepney (public bus) and deposited on site, all in a state far from wakefulness.
Read MoreFabien Vivier, giver you the break down on LAMAVE’s whale shark project in Southern Leyte
Ever wondered what the daily life of a researcher/volunteer is? Let me briefly explain to you how our days are conducted…Every day before going in the field, we need to coordinate with the community to know whether a boat is coming our way or not as well as the time of the meeting…
Read MoreThe one, the only, the mother
Thank you for stopping by. What I am going to discuss next may shock and astound you. The faint of heart are advised to take their seats now. The ocean holds many mysteries, mysteries we have not even begun to unravel. One of those mysteries has captured everyone’s attention at LAMAVE: whale shark biology…
Read MoreHow the oceans, and I, struggle with plastic
Of all the places that I have lived the most, loved the most, the Philippines holds a special place in my heart. In a provincial seaside town in Southern Visayas, I spent 2 months as a volunteer studying whale sharks with LAMAVE.
Read MoreResearch Unites: Taiwan Whale Shark Seen in the Philippines Becomes First International Photographic Match in Asia
P-545 known as “Pasipiko” is the first whale shark in Asia to have been identified in 2 different countries. This whale shark was caught in a fishing net in Taiwan in 2012 and successfully released. Less than one year later “Pasipiko” was photographed by the researchers of the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) in the waters of Southern Leyte. P545 made a 1600km+ journey between countries…
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