SU IEMS director helps advance Siquijor’s science-based “Fishing Holiday” initiative

Silliman University’s (SU) Institute of Environmental and Marine Sciences (IEMS) is helping shape a science-based fisheries closure policy in Siquijor Province through Dr. Aileen P. Maypa, IEMS director, who is leading technical training and research support for the province’s proposed unified “Fishing Holiday” ordinance.

Maypa served as a resource speaker and technical expert during the Training-Workshop on Fish Gonadal Maturity Staging on May 13–14, 2026, at Siquijor State College, equipping fisheries personnel and researchers with scientific methods to determine fish reproductive cycles, which will inform seasonal fishing closures.

The initiative, led by the Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation (CCEF) in partnership with Siquijor’s six local government units (LGUs), the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA), SU-IEMS, and the Research Office of Siquijor State College under Director Dawn Iris Calibo-Senit, forms part of the project Building Climate-Resilient Municipal (Reef and Small Pelagic) Fisheries in Siquijor, Philippines, under the Global Programme of COAST (Climate and Ocean Adaptation and Sustainable Transition), funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Dr. Aileen Maypa demonstrates how to measure a fish during the workshop.

Maypa, a Pew Charitable Trusts Fellow in Marine Conservation and an ichthyologist specializing in fish reproduction and gonadal maturity assessment, delivered lectures on fish biology, reproductive and spawning strategies, and gonadal maturity stages among various fish species.

Participants underwent hands-on laboratory training on fish dissection techniques and gonadal maturity identification, while faculty and staff of Siquijor State College’s Research Division received specialized instruction on fish fecundity assessment methods.

Participants included representatives from the offices of the Municipal Agriculturist of Enrique Villanueva, Lazi, Larena, Maria, San Juan, and Siquijor, alongside personnel from the OPA.

Fish species selected for the study were identified by participating LGUs based on abundance and importance to local fisheries. These included Siganus canaliculatus (danggit), Rastrelliger kanagurta (anduhaw), and Selar crumenophthalmus (tamarong).

Participants pose during the Fish Gonadal Staging Training Workshop organized by the Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation in Collaboration with the Siquijor Province LGU, SU IEMS, and Siquijor State College. They are joined by Dr. Aileen P. Maypa, IEMS director; George Arcaya, Municipal Agriculture Officer of Larena; Darell Pasco, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist Senior Aquaculturist; and Reann Catitig, CCEF Project Coordinator.

Following the training, participants will continue research activities for at least three months to generate scientific data supporting the implementation of the province’s proposed Fishing Holiday policies.

The initiative also seeks to strengthen fisheries research capabilities at Siquijor State College and reinforce evidence-based fisheries governance across the province.