Jean Utzurrum

This is your annual reminder to always back up your files.

I managed to get an old laptop working again while my laptop is in the repair shop. I also found a draft of my revised thesis proposal in my email. Today I wrote 3 new paragraphs. I have less than a week to finish the proposal. Kaya? Kayahon! 💪🏽🤞🏽

I ended 2026 with a series of unexpected twists to my masters thesis saga. I chose not too dwell too much on the "if onlys". After some reflection, I finally sat down to tackle this new development on the first day of the new year but... my laptop died.

Just a reminder that
1) science can co-exist with indigenous beliefs,
2) indigenous beliefs sometimes (if not often) are rooted in science.

PS. Maybe things got lost in translation but Sierra Madre does indeed protect the east coast of Luzon in its own way, by lessening the impacts of typhoons.

Life updates:
- marked safe from typhoons Ragasa and Bualoi
- marked safe from last night's deadly 6.9M earthquake in Northern Cebu
- not marked safe from thesis

Diving into the last quarter of the year, and into typhoon season...

This past week and a half, I subbed for a teacher. Today's sked:
💪🏽 9AM-12PM lab learning applied physics through a game of tug-o-war and Giant Jenga
🧠 1-3PM lab playing Pilaut, a behavioural research game I co-created with Wildlife Coexistence Quest last year.

Tired, but in a good way.

People who don't have airconditioning, how do you stay focused and working in this °C heat? 🥵

Cool new paper about terrestrial vertebrates endemic to the 🇵🇭 Philippines ⬇️

There are many Filipino experts in various fields of science and conservation. They already existed before I started, and some of them are still very active in their respective fields. The Philippines 🇵🇭 deserves to be more than a backdrop for foreign-led conservation activities. #ColonialScience 2/2

I've been working in conservation for 22 years. It's disheartening to see there are still foreigners conducting one-off trainings in the Philippines 🇵🇭 with little to no Filipino participants and *zero* Filipino experts as resource persons or facilitators. Seems very 🚩 #ColonialScience 1/2

A small cake decorated with a whale shark on top.

Yesterday, I learned cake icing decoration. I probably failed at techniques, but I managed to make a whale shark. #SharksNearMe

To celebrate #SharkAwarenessDay here is a snippet from my talk last Saturday at #PAMS18. As of 2023, the 🇵🇭 Philippines has 166 species of sharks and rays and 95 of these are IUCN Threatened Species. However, only 45 species are protected nationwide. Still lots of work to do to #ConservePHSharks

Lopez: Neotrygon kuhlii prey items included vermiforms, arthropods, and molluscs. Arthropods were the dominant prey in both males and females.

#PAMS18 #TeamFish #FishAndFisheries

Jules Lopez presents his UG thesis findings on diet of bluespotted maskray Neotrygon kuhlii from Hinigaran, Negros Occidental. This research is funded by @mwwphilippines.bsky.social #AtingPating grants

Zalsos: sea cucumber post-harvest wastes are mostly gonads and internal organs, which can be processed for use in agriculture and aquaculture.

#PAMS18

Josuah Zalsos of MSU-Naawan talks about innovative sea cucumber fisheries management. Sea cucumber us a top fishery commodity in the Philippines.

#PAMS18

Noblezada-Payne: redtail scad ate mostly crustacians, while slender red scad fed mostly on fishes, probably larval fishes.

#PAMS18 #TeamFish #FishAndFisheries

Mary Mar Noblezada-Payne presents findings on diet of sympatric scads – redtail scad and slender red scad.

#PAMS18 #TeamFish #FishAndFisheries

Sue Ong: a common question local stakeholders ask is "why do we follow global conservation status, and not Philippine status?". This further highlights the urgent need to fill in data gaps so local assessments can be done.

#PAMS18 #ConserveSharksPH #MarineMegafauna

Sue Ong: there are numerous studies of whale sharks and mobulid rays in the Bohol Sea, but what about other species. We looked at historical data and sightings from social media posts.

#PAMS18 #ConserveSharksPH #MarineMegafauna

Sue Ong: There is an urgent need to fill in the knowledge gaps needed to support implementation of existing shark conservation policies.

#PAMS18 #ConserveSharksPH #MarineMegafauna

Sue Ong of WCS Philippines presents collaborative work on Advancing Shark Conservation Efforts in the Bohol Sea.

#PAMS18 #ConserveSharksPH #MarineMegafauna

Dr Gonzalez: sea snake studies are biased toward venom research, but there's so many more research topics to explore

#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates

Dr Gonzalez: >30 species of sea snakes and sea kraits in the Philippines. Most species are "Least Concern" in IUCN Red List.

#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates

Dr Gonzalez: #seabirds are bioindicators — fishermen use seabirds to locate fish.

#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates

Dr Gonzalez: there are potentials for further integrative research beyond #seabirds counts and studying breeding colonies.

#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates

Dr Gonzalez: 20 sentinel sites for #seabirds were identified during the 1st Philippine Seabird Summit in 2023.

#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates

Dr Gonzalez: despite the Philippines being an archipelago, there are limited number of nesting and rookery sites of #seabirds in the country

#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates

Dr. Gonzalez: there are >35 seabird species. Historical records of #seabirds go back to when Philippines was under US colonisation.

#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates

Dr Gonzalez: there is growing interest in #seabirds and sea snakes in the Philippines. For avian species, there are already identified areas where seabirds are monitored annually.

#PAMS18 #MarineVertebrates