Silliman, UP and MSU to do a 3-year research project on sea cucumber

DUMAGUETE CITY—Silliman University through the SU Biology Department led by faculty member Dr. Nadia Palomar-Abesamis, is set to collaborate with Mindanao State University (MSU) Tawi-Tawi and the University of the Philippines - Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) on a three-year research project entitled, “Understanding Stichopus cf. horrens Ecology, Reproductive Biology, and Culture for Sustainable Production” to start in July this year.

“The project works on a commercially important invertebrate species that can directly improve the culture of the species, its fishery and the coastal communities that rely on it for food and livelihood,” Palomar-Abesamis explained.

The research project, funded by the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) aims to examine aspects of the biology and ecology of the commercially important sea cucumber Stichopus cf. horrens relevant to the improvement of culture technology and production of high-value biomolecules.

Silliman University will specifically investigate the ecology, phylogenetic diversity, and reproductive biology of the species in key sites within Negros. Palomar-Abesamis will be taking the helm for the SU team and expects to work with a research assistant and some SU Biology students during field surveys.

Abesamis said that some outcomes are scientific publications on the biology, ecology and culture of Stichopus cf. horrens, knowledge products on the species, graduate student development, and training workshops.

(Dr. Nadia P. Abesamis (left) interviews local fishers regarding the biology of Stichopus cf. horrens in their locality.)

This collaborative project was approved during the DOST Governing Council meeting in Los Baños, Laguna last December 7, 2023. DOST-PCAARRD is in the process of finalizing the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the collaborating institutions, Abesamis bared. (Photos: SU-OIP)