A marine scientist specializing in marine protected areas of the Silliman University Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management trained local fishery leaders in South Negros on how to conduct their own fish surveys using an app for them to independently monitor marine protected areas and manage fish resources.
Dr. Rene Abesamis was chosen by the Fish Right Program of the United States Agency for International Development and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to lead the training.
The training aimed to help develop the capacity of local stakeholders, such as leaders of fishing communities, to conduct their own fish surveys. This allows fish density and biomass in a marine protected area to be monitored regularly, and helps check if the area is still effective in promoting the recovery of the fish population.
Training local stakeholders in building their capacity to implement the ecosystem approach to fisheries management is a core strategy of the USAID-BFAR Fish Right Program.
Aside from developing stakeholders’ EAFM skills, the training also aimed to field test the “MPA-FishMApp” (MPA Fish Monitoring App), a simple web-based app designed to help citizen scientists to easily capture, store, and visualize fish census data.
Abesamis first spent more than three weeks conducting fish surveys with the trainees to measure fish biomass in select marine protected areas in South Negros before training them how to use the app.
The app was developed to simplify and improve fish data collection and reporting, another important element of EAFM.
Currently, the app is still in the field testing phase. It will be available for wider use by August 2021.
Abesamis partnered with a team from the Center for Informatics at the University of San Agustin-Iloilo to develop the app, with support from the Australia Alumni Awards and Engagement Program of the Australian Embassy.
Abesamis, also an adjunct professor at the Silliman University Institute of Environment and Marine Sciences, completed his master’s degree and Ph.D. in marine biology at James Cook University, Australia.
Silliman University joined the Fish Right Program in 2019 as one of its implementing institutions to establish and strengthen sustainable fishing in South Negros.
Meanwhile, the B.S. Medical Technology program of the Silliman University Institute of Clinical Laboratory Sciences was recently granted authorization from the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office 7 to hold limited face-to-face classes.
“The limited face-to-face classes for Level IV students will possibly start early first semester of SY 2021-2022,” said ICLS Director Evelyn Fajardo.
According to Fajardo, the ICLS will utilize the blended learning approach, wherein students will take part in face-to-face classes for four days and online classes for the next 10 days.
“This 4-10 bubble will allow the Institute to shift to online class in periods where face-to-face classes will be suspended,” Fajardo added.
Moreover, Fajardo said most of the Level IV students who will take part in limited face-to-face classes have already received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccine and are waiting for their second dose in July.
Based on the Department of Health’s (DOH) CoViD-19 Vaccination Prioritization Framework, students in health and allied profession courses with clinical responsibilities are part of Priority Group A as they are considered non-professional frontline workers in health facilities.
The authorization document signed by CHEd Regional Director IV Maximo C. Aljibe states that the B.S. Medical Technology program passed all the compliance requirements in the CHEd-DOH Joint Memorandum Circular 2020-001 to reopen for limited face-to-face classes.
The CHEd authorization is valid for two semesters and took effect last June 4.
Representatives from CHEd, DOH, and the Inter-Agency Task Force of Dumaguete City conducted the documentary analysis and ocular inspection of the university’s B.S. Medical Technology, B.S. Nursing, B.S. Physical Therapy, and Doctor of Medicine programs on April 5 and April 15 this year.
The Doctor of Medicine program of received the CHEd approval last April, while the Nursing and Physical Therapy programs received theirs last May. – NWI
