Success for sharks! Incredible numbers of reef sharks found in Philippine Marine Protected Area
Scientists from Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE), Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) and Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) have found incredibly high numbers of reefs sharks in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (TRNP), Philippines. The numbers are higher than most other marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world and highlight the importance of large…
Read MoreLiving and loving the simple life
I’ve learned to love this basic life we have on Apo Island. Waking up to dog barks and rooster calls at 6am and just sitting by the balcony enjoying the morning view with my cup of coffee and bread. Watching the team rushing to change into their research outfit and heading out for the first morning session at 7am. It’s always a joy to watch and identify the turtles in the water…
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 MoreDiving into science
It’s close to 6 o’clock in the morning. The sun rose just as we left the diveshop. The captain shouts “50 meters”. I better get ready, weights, mask, fins, air is open, okay I am good to go. I look at my buddy “ok”. The captain shouts “10 meters”. I look at my buddy: “ready? 3-2-1 go!” Backroll into the fresh, chilled water….
Read MoreWhat makes the Philippine Siren trip with LAMAVE this January so special?
This January 2019, LAMAVE Executive Director will be joining the Philippine Siren, for a ‘Special Siren Trip’ on a unique 10 day itinerary around the Visayas, Philippines. We caught up with Gonzo to find out more about what makes the trip so “special”.
Read MoreDonsol attracts the Philippines largest whale sharks
A new scientific study by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines and Large Marine Vertebrate Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) has revealed that whale sharks in Donsol, Philippines are uncharacteristically larger than those found elsewhere in the Philippines…
Read MoreScientific study takes a deeper look into the reproduction of mobulid rays in the Philippines
A new scientific publication by Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE) was lead by researcher Joshua Rambahiniarison and aimed to determine life history and reproductive parameters for several mobulids caught in the Philippines to provide vital information on the sustainability of the exploitation and consumptive use of these megafauna, at the country level and worldwide.
Read MoreSalamat Apo
Another day on the island. 5:30 am and the sun is already peeping through the palms and colouring the sky with the softest tones. The water is looking serene and undisturbed, it is holding in its transparency all the secrets of the amazing reef we are lucky to call a survey area. We prepare and leave home walking among the same familiar smiles that give us their ‘maayong buntag’ (good morning) when we pass by…
Read MoreSatellite tag study reveals Philippine waters are incredibly important for endangered whale sharks
A new scientific study by Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE), Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) and Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) on satellite tracking juvenile whale sharks in the Philippines has been published in the journal Peer J. To date, it is the most complete tracking study of whale sharks in the country, with satellite tags deployed on different individuals in multiple sites.
Read MoreLAMAVE Researcher Sue Ong gives us the low down on #IMCC5 in Kuching, Malaysia
Sue Ong, is a LAMAVE Project Leader, currently based on Apo Island, Negros Oriental. Originally from Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao, Sue shares her experience of attending her first-ever International Conference and why she is determined to pursue conservation goals in the Philippines. Here's what the passionate conservationist had to share...
Read MoreLAMAVE Re-joins the Sirens Fleet for a Special liveaboard trip this January 2019.
LAMAVE will once again board the Philippine Siren for a special liveaboard trip around the Visayas in the Philippines. The trip which will run between the 9-19 of January 2019 will take divers to some of the best sites in the Philippines while also offering guests the opportunity to assist LAMAVEs research on whale sharks, manta rays and turtles.
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 MoreScientists in the Philippines tag the biggest tiger shark so far
Puerto Princesa, Philippines, June 12, 2018 – Scientists from Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE), Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) and Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) have successfully tagged a 3.5-meter tiger shark and three grey reef sharks as part of a long-term study in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park.
Read MoreLAMAVE joins forces with Liveaboard Solitude One for an exclusive Research Expedition in the Sulu Sea
This September 2018, Solitude One, a liveaboard company dedicated to bringing divers exotic underwater encounters will host LAMAVE researchers and the public on an exclusive research expedition to Cagaynacillo in the Philippines.
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 MoreLAMAVE celebrates Month of the Ocean (MOO) with DENR and partners
May 4, 2018, Apo Island, Negros. DENR-BMB and partners descended upon Apo Island, Negros Oriental to officially kick-off Month of the Ocean (MOO) 2018. This year's theme “Together for the Reefs” (“Sama-sama para sa Bahura”) compliments and coincides with the International Year of the Reef and aims to get everyone involved in protection the Philippine Seas.
Read MoreJoin LAMAVE for Expedition Shark #4
LAMAVE are looking for two explorers to join #ExpeditionShark4 - our fourth shark research expedition to Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Philippines.
Read MoreThe Guilty Pleasure of Swimming with Hand-fed Whale Sharks
Scientific study reveals tourist perspectives on the ethics of feeding whale sharks in Oslob, Philippines. Two-thirds of TripAdvisor comments that mentioned ethical issues were classified as “Guilty Pleasure”, whereby the tourists were aware of the moral and ethical issues of feeding an endangered species for tourism purposes, but still chose to do the tour and recommended it to others…
Read MoreFrom the pitch to the ocean
At the age of 18, I was attending my final year of pre-university education at my local school in the Netherlands. I was studying really, really hard (:p) and I was playing soccer at a pretty high level, something I loved to do….But then in the early season the worst thing I could imagine happened - I tore off possibly all the ligaments in my right-knee and at the same time, I had to do my finals…
Read MoreOcean Love
When you are a volunteer with LAMAVE, you spent a lot of time in the ocean. I choose to spend most of my free time with things that have to do with the ocean as well. During my in-water sessions, I could not help but pay attention to everything that swims and moves underwater.
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