Department of Biology

Department News

MOU signed for coral reef rehab and protection in Zambales full story
Marine Bio, CAFA install artificial reefs off Sipaway island full story

MOU signed for coral reef rehab and protection in Zambales
In related news, the local government of Sta. Cruz, Zambales requested the technical assistance and advice of marine biologists Anthony. S. Ilano, Ph.D., head of the Marine Biology section, and Filipina B. Sotto, Ph.D. in their project on Integrated Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Protection. This project is one of the components of the Coastal Resource Management Plan of Sta. Cruz municipality.

The signing of Memorandum of Understanding between USC President Fr. Roderick C. Salazar, Jr., SVD and Hon. Mayor Luisito E. Marty of Sta. Cruz, Zambales was witnessed by Dr. Ilano and Dr. Sotto last April 28, 2006.

Installation of artificial reefs in many parts of the world is mainly aimed to restore coral reefs that have been destroyed due to both natural (e.g., storms, tsunamis) and man-made activities (e.g., blast or cyanide fishing). Artificial reef modules have shown to provide both a suitable base for the hard corals to recruit onto facilitating natural recovery and habitat for fishes and other marine life.

Advanced design artificial reefs can incorporate a variety of special features such as larval recruitment aids for fish or lobster, fish spawning pinnacles, special surface textures to enhance coral settlement. These artificial reefs can be built in a variety of sizes and layout patterns to best mimic the reef that was lost.

Marine Bio, CAFA install artificial reefs off Sipaway Island
Two artificial reefs were deployed inside two marine sanctuaries off Barangays Ermita and San Juan in Sipaway Island, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental last April 19, 2006 with technical assistance from the Marine Biology section and the College of Architecture and Fine Arts.

The project is in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Metro San Carlos, the San Carlos City local government and Whispering Palm Resort, Sipaway Island.

The artificial reefs were made entirely of cement with molded individual hollow cuve modules that are connected to form a two–layer pyramid unit. Each of the units reaches around one meter high with a base of one square meter. Archt. Imelda Charito Diano designed the modules and the construction was supervised by Irving Puno.

Prior to the deployment, the Marine Biology section surveyed the area to determine the placement of the artificial reefs. Monthly monitoring will be done by personnel from the section as well as the Office of the San Carlos City Agriculturist. The monitoring aims to ascertain when and what organisms first attach to the reefs, the presence of fishes and to assess the impact of these artificial reefs to the entire coral health of the area and to the fishing community.