Prof. Kent Carpenter of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia recently visited the Philippine Genome Center Visayas and the Institute of Aquaculture to firm up plans for upcoming projects utilizing genomics to provide more in-depth information on stocks of selected Philippine fisheries. A renowned expert on marine conservation, population genetics, and phylogeography, Prof. Carpenter has worked extensively in the Philippines for several decades, contributing to both regional and national efforts in conserving the country’s marine resources.
The upcoming project will be a collaborative undertaking led by PGC Visayas, together with BFAR – NFRDI (with Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos as co-project leader), and the USAID Fish Right Program. Utilizing more efficient next generation sequencing techniques, the project aims to generate more detailed genomic data about selected fish stocks across chosen Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs) in the country. The project aims to aide policy and decision makers in the appropriate management of our fishery resources in line with the country’s goals for food security and sustainable fisheries. The valuable information to be generated from the project on the interconnectivity of the country’s FMAs will also serve as a baseline for future work related to one of UP’s flagship programs on the establishment of the Archipelagic and Ocean Virtual University.