More or less 300 people gathered at the AV Hall of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS), UP Visayas, Miagao campus on September 25, 2019 to participate in this year’s talk on marine conservation.
Organized by the UP Ichthyophilic Society (UPIS) and the Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanology, CFOS, the activity known as Isda Talk : a conversation on conservation was graced by three experts in the field of fisheries.
Invited to share their knowledge, experiences, and expertise on various topics to spread awareness on issues about the aquatic environment particularly on the conservation of mangrove ecosystems and to promote fisheries as a profession were Dr. Jurgenne H. Primavera, Dr. Roger Edward Mamauag, and Ms. Belinda Garrido.
Primavera, a distinguished and multi-awarded marine scientist, educated the participants on the conservation and sustainable use of a very important marine ecosystem- the mangroves. Mangroves are a group of trees and shrubs that live in areas where the seas or oceans meet the land between high and low tides. They support life in the planet and help sustain livelihoods of the people.
Garrido, a coastal resource management coordinator, Office of the City Agriculturist, Roxas City, Province of Capiz shared their success stories for participants to learn from these experiences. She presented some of their projects particularly in the rehabilitation of the river in their locality that led to the establishment of ecotourism sites that provided alternative livelihood to displaced fisherfolks.
Meanwhile, Mamauag, a BS Fisheries graduate of this University and head of the Nutrition and Feed Development Section at Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center – Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD) in Tigbauan, Iloilo, encouraged the students to pursue a career in fisheries science and introduced various opportunities in the field.
An open forum followed the presentations.
The activity was attended by fisherfolk organizations in the municipality of Miagao, representatives from the local government units of the neighboring towns, government agencies, academes and various stakeholders.
ISDA Talk: a conversation on conservation is one of the public service activities organized by the UPIS, an active student organization of the CFOS. UPIS conducted the first ISDA Talk last year with 215 participants. It highlighted the current situation, trends and emerging opportunities in fisheries science.
