Whale sharks: what science reveals
We round up eight years of LAMAVE’s research on the iconic whale shark. The whale shark – also called butanding, tuki, tiki tiki, tawiki in local dialects - is a national icon of the Philippines. As we reach the end of 2019 and almost 8 years since LAMAVE first started studying whale sharks in the Philippines, we round up what we have learnt about these incredible sharks…
Read MoreTravelling off the beaten track in search of Manta Rays
LAMAVE has been studying rays in the Philippines since 2012, initially in Bohol but more recently in Masbate, where an underwater seamount is proving to be one of the most important sites for manta rays in the country…
Read MorePioneering partnership names its first Ocean Giants Scholars
The University and Ocean Giants Trust have created unique opportunities for marine biology and conservation undergraduates. Students from the University of Plymouth are being given the opportunity to work directly with international marine conservation organisations while completing their studies…
Read MoreLearning curves, good company and questionable Tagalog pronunciation
I am now nearing the end of my three-month placement in Puerto Princesa and it has flown by! The last ten weeks have been a truly wonderful experience, full of learning curves, good company, questionable Tagalog pronunciation and stunning whale shark encounters. When I told a few people at home what I would be doing next with my life they didn’t quite believe what I said…
Read MoreRUV Life
I was moments away from booking my long-awaited holiday to Sulawesi when I saw the call for volunteers for the pilot manta project at Manta Bowl on the LAMAVE facebook back in 2017. I dropped everything, sent an email straight away and intentionally didn’t even “Like” the post to avoid drawing more attention to it until I knew I had the spot. (Please don’t judge me :D). I knew instantly I wanted to be part of the project! I love nudibranchs but I LOVE mantas!
Read MoreLAMAVE partners with Plymouth University to engage students in Marine Conservation
We are delighted to be one of a number of research-based NGO's partnering with the University of Plymouth through the Ocean Giants Trust, to offer exciting new opportunities for marine biology students.
Read MoreA Biologist's Elegy
After three months flicking through slide after slide of the same three hundred or so whale sharks, you wonder about the delicate dictation of genes that shape the subtle nuances between phenotypes. Some of their patterns are remarkably similar, different in only the breadth of a stripe here or the completeness of a circle there. Others are perhaps distorted reflections of another…
Read MoreCrossing the Sulu Sea to the Island of “You will enjoy”
The next stage of the BRUV project for the LAMAVE team was to survey a small group of islands in the center of the Sulu Sea under the Cagayancillo municipality. The islands consist of Cagayancillo, where we are based and the largest of the three, Calusa and Cawilli.
Read More
