Two projects on Anguillid eels will kick off soon in Cagayan State University (CSU) Aparri Campus and Bicol University Tabaco Campus (BUTC).
Led by Dr. Eunice Layugan of CSU Aparri Campus, the first project will study the composition of species and seasonality of eels in the river systems of Northeastern Luzon.
The second project, which is led by Dr. Plutomeo Nieves of BUTC, on the other hand, will study the eel fry fishery in tributaries along Lagonoy Gulf as well as their implications for conservation and management.
These project proposals were recently approved for funding by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD).
The CSU eel project will be conducted in Palauig and Sta. Cruz rivers in Sta. Ana, Cagayan and in Maconacon, Divilican and Palanan rivers in Eastern Isabela. BUTC will focus on major rivers bordering Lagonoy Gulf.
These projects serve as a pioneering research study on eel in these two areas where there are no concrete data on the status of the eel fishery.
The data that will be collected in Sta. Ana, Cagayan and Eastern Isabela include seasonal species diversity and abundance; plankton diversity; hydrological factors; physico-chemical water quality parameters that could affect seasonal species abundance; and existing fishing gears. The study will also develop a protocol on eel conditioning from gathering sites prior to transport.
For Lagonoy Gulf, data to be collected concerning eel are gathering sites, species composition, seasonal composition and abundance, catching efficiency of collecting gears, postharvest handling and transport, and supply and value chain.
The two approved eel projects will complement the project by the Isabela State University (ISU) under the DOST Niche Center in the Region (NICER) program titled, “Establishment of Freshwater Fisheries Center for Cagayan Valley” on the improvement of the survival of freshwater eel through the use of immunostimulants.
The projects are the first step towards a more comprehensive eel R&D that the Inland Aquatic Resources Research Division (IARRD) of PCAARRD prepared in 2017 as part of a Science and Technology Roadmap on biodiversity.