The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was recently mentioned on UNTV News on 05-September-2017 as continuously pushing for the periodic planting of mangroves. DENR is targeting to plant mangroves in more than 50K hectares of swamps, especially in areas frequently hit by typhoons. DENR spends roughly Php50K per hectare as part of the National Greening Program to plant…
Friend of the Sea awarded Generale Conserve, one of Italy’s major canned seafood company, with the Sodalitas Social Award 15th edition in the category Sustainable Innovation and Production Processes with its brand ASdoMAR for Tuna Zero Waste project. Friend of the Sea welcomes this prestigious recognition, as ASdoMAR was the first Italian brand in the industry to require an independent…
The Maritime Conference 2017 was held on 12-July-2017. It was organized by the Maritime League led by its President Commo. Carlos L. Agustin (AFP Ret), and co-sponsored by the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources led by its Director Commo. Eduardo Gongona (AFP Ret). The conference took place in partnership with the PhilMarine 2017 organized by Fireworks…
There are 54 species worldwide of marine fishes called the Seahorse belonging to the genus Hippocampus, of which 14 species are known to live in Southeast Asian waters, and 10 species are known to inhabit Philippine waters. “Hippocampus” comes from two ancient Greek words, hippos meaning “horse,” and kampos meaning “sea monster.” The Seahorse has a head and neck with…
On 12-July-2017 The Maritime League, represented by Commo Carlos L Agustin AFP (Ret), and its co-host the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), represented by Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, in partnership with Fireworks Philippines, will sponsor a full-day maritime conference entitled “Maritime Forces: Naval Defense and Non-Traditional Roles.” Five notable speakers from the maritime sector will share…
Prior to June 2017, there were two species classified as genus Manta: Birostris and Alfredi. According to Marine Wildlife Philippines, the new taxonomy now classifies them as genus Mobula (White et al, 2017) as Mobula birostris and Mobula alfredi. Both mobula ray species are found in the Philippines, and are closely related to sharks, skates, and other rays. Collectively, they…
PT Karyacipta Buanasentosa (PT KCBS), an Indonesian tuna catch and processing company, wholly owned by Yamako Pacific Pte Ltd, has recently obtained the Friend of the Sea certification for Skipjack and Yellowfin Tuna. The company complies with all Friend of the Sea requirements and can now display the official seal of approval on its products. All tuna species are fished…
The Irrawaddy Dolphin belongs to the scientific family Delphinidae (marine dolphin), and Orcaella brevirostris species. Sir Richard Owen first identified the Irrawaddy Dolphin in 1866. It lives in shallow tropical and sub-tropical waters near coasts, and at the mouth of rivers or estuaries, land semi-enclosed lakes, bays, sounds and mangroves in Southeast Asian countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos,…
Portuguese seafood canner, Freitasmar, has received Friend of the Sea (FOS) certification for Skipjack and Yellowfin Tuna on January 1, 2017. Freitasmar, which specializes in the production of canned seafood, can now display the official seal on its products. FOS-certified supplier, Frabelle, a fishing company from the Philippines, fishes all tuna species for Freitasmar. Frabelle uses the Purse Seine fishing…
There are two crocodile species found in the Philippines – the Crocodylus porosus and the Crocodylus mindorensis. The latter is the specie endemic to and found only in the Philippines. Crocodiles are called “Buwaya” in the Philippines. However, it is used interchangeably to mean either crocodile or alligator. The word “Buwaya” originates from the Proto-Austranesian word “Buqaya.” A. CROCODYLUS POROSUS is…
The Korean Register (KR), an IACS member classification society, has announced that Mr. Lee Jeong-kie has been elected as its new Chairman and CEO. Mr Lee was elected at the extraordinary meeting of KR’s general assembly that oversees the running of KR and comprises 86 voting members. He assumes the role of Chairman and CEO, following the death of Mr….
Description. The Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) is a filter-feeding shark, very slow moving, and the largest known fish species in existence. The largest confirmed Whale Shark had a length of 41.5 ft and a weight of 47,000 lbs according to Gerald L. Wood (1976) in The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. There are undocumented or unconfirmed claims of…
Fredag, a Swiss company specializes in distribution of seafood, has recently concluded the Friend of the Sea audit renewal for black tiger and white leg shrimps. The company complies with all Friend of the Sea requirements and can continue to display the official seal of approval on its products. Fredag is located in Root, Oberfeld 7, Switzerland and has been…
The Dugong (Dugongidae) is the only strictly herbivorous marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. The Dugong is the only living mammal of the once-diverse family Dugongidae. Its closest relative, the Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), was hunted to extinction in the 18th century. Dugongs and other…
Kimagro Fishfarming Ltd, a producer of Mediterranean seabass and Mediterranean seabream based in the New Port of Limassol, Cyprus, has recently concluded Friend of the Sea (FOS) renewal audit for both species, and can proudly continue to display the FOS international sustainability seal of approval on its products. “This certification renewal is a confirmation of the sustainable origin and high…
The first of two SIGMA Class 10514 Perusak Kawal Rudal (PKR) guided-missile frigates to be built for the Indonesian Navy successfully completed its sea trials last September. The assessment phase began with seven days of basin trials to ensure that the propulsion and safety systems were fully operational before the vessel made the challenging passage from the PT PAL (Persero)…
The Maritime League, the Philippine maritime foundation, was established in 1991 to address the need for an organization which will help spur progress in the maritime profession and advance the interest of the maritime industry. How did it start? I asked its Founding Chairman and President, Commo Carlos L Agustin, and this is what he said: “It was ‘spawned’ at…
Climate Change is the long-term change in the earth’s global or regional climate patterns that began particularly in the mid to late 20th century and onwards. Research attributes climate change largely to the increasing levels in the average atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil-based fuels by humans. It takes place in small gradual changes in temperature that…
The Philippine fishing company, Frabelle Fishing Corporation, has recently concluded the Friend of the Sea (FOS) certification renewal audit. Yellowfin, skipjack, bigeye, and bullet tuna products from Frabelle can continue to display the FOS official seal of approval. Fishing Method. The tuna is caught through the purse seine method by the company’s certified vessels in the Western Central part of…
The Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corporation (APFC) is a ferry company based in Muntinlupa, Philippines. It also operates a FastCat line of catamaran ferries, which is the first in the Philippines. APFC’s slogan is FerrySafe, FerryFast, FerryConvenient. APFC’s mission is to connect the Philippine islands and neighbouring countries by providing safe, fast and convenient ferry transport system for passengers and cargo,…
The 109th Maritime Breakfast Forum (MBF 109) was hosted by the Cebu Ports Authority (CPA) and held at the CPA in Cebu City on 11 February 2016. Commo. Carlos L. Agustin (Ret), President of the Maritime League, called the forum to order at 1:00pm. He announced that instead of only one presentation from the CPA, there will be two other…
The Humboldt is a large predatory squid living in the waters of the Humboldt Current in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. It is commonly called jumbo squid, jumbo flying, pota, or diablo rojo. The Humboldt Squid (specie Dosidicus gigas) is among the largest of squids, with a length exceeding 6 ft. and mass weight of up to 100 lbs. It has…
In early April, Alusafe 1500 MPV, a well-equipped workboat was delivered from Maritime Partner AS. It is the Port Authority of Aalesund’s new workboat, a virtual “Swiss army knife” multi-purpose vessel, named Skansen. The newly developed MPV will carry out an array of assignments along the coast, in the harbour, and along the quay fronts of the Norway’s Aalesund-Sunnmøre region….
Five of seven marine turtle species (Testudines) in the world can be found in the Philippines. These are the Green turtle, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Olive Ridley, and the Leatherback. These sea turtles are commonly called “Pawikan” in the Philippines. The two other species not present in the Philippines are the Flatback (Natator depressus) and the Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles….
The 107th Maritime Breakfast Forum (MBF) was hosted by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), and held at Columbia Tower, Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City, on 25 Nov 2015. Undersecretary EDWIN LOPEZ (Operations and PPP, DOTC) welcomed the attendees on behalf of SEC. JOSEPH ABAYA. COMMO. CARLOS L. AGUSTIN (Ret.) (President, Maritime League) chaired the Maritime Forums. ENGR. ENRICO FERRE…