Science Vol. I: Before the Science

D has been mentioning to me that some of you reading this blog might want to actually hear about why the Fulbright Program felt it was worth paying for me to work in the Philippines for 9 months. On the off chance that she is correct, I am going to try to fill you in on my research and try not to be a boring scientist in the process.  So I present to you "Science Vol. I"! (Disclaimer: Science Vol I. contains very little science).

Vol I: Before the Science

Before I jump into what I have been doing over the past three months, it occurs to me that many of you may not know exactly what it is I study, and more importantly, why anyone should care about it. If you have seen me give a talk before, feel free to skip ahead.  Otherwise, here is a brief overview of my research:

Currently, I am focused on coral-reef fish, fishing-induced evolution, and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).  Let's quickly go through these individually, and then I will explain how they come together to form my research project.

Coral-Reef Fish: 

These guys.

If you are thinking to yourself, "Didn't he just say something about 'fishing'? Who fishes for those type of fish?", allow me to refer you here:

To the Bolinao People's Market

Where you can find Dory

And her friends...

Ready to be eaten.

Coral-reef fish are widely consumed throughout southeast Asia, and the Philippines is certainly no exception. Although the pictures above were taken in Bolinao, a rural area about 7 hours north of Manila, tropical fish are a common sight even in the city (you can see a multitude of parrotfish species in the Fish Market video posted in our first blog).  Additionally, species that aren't eaten (in this case, Nemo), are still harvested from reefs for the aquarium trade.  So the takeaway here: humans take reef-fish off of reefs. 

Fishing-Induced Evolution:

If there is one thing that you need to know about fishing, it's that humans are really, really good at it. Now while this is of course beneficial for people who eat fish, it is not so good for the fish themselves.  

Obviously.

The result of human fishing efficiency is, of course, the rapid decline of any fish population that we choose to start eating.  Combine that with a growing human population that requires more food, and the issue is pretty clear.  Decreased fish stocks, however, are really only part of the problem. 

The second part of the problem is that not only do humans like fish, but we like BIG fish. When we go fishing, humans tend to preferentially remove the largest fish from a population, leaving only the smaller fish to reproduce.  At the risk of getting technical, doing this over and over again across generations creates a strong "directional selection" pressure, which results in each generation of fish being smaller and smaller in terms of body-size (and simultaneously reduces the age at first reproduction).  So because of the way we harvest fish, we actually shape the evolution of body-size and reproductive age in these populations (hence "fishing-induced" evolution), and not for the better.

Here's the big issue: fish that have smaller bodies and mature earlier produce less offspring.  And by less offspring, I mean ALOT less offspring. For example, take Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus). It would take 212 42cm female snappers to produce the number of eggs one 62cm female snapper generates!

For reference, THIS is what that looks like!

So due to fishing, not only do we now have a much smaller population, but that population is made up of small, young individuals that can't produce nearly as many new fish.  If this loop continues unchecked, it can lead to the complete collapse of a fishery and the near or total disappearance of exploited species. How do we deal with this?

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs):

AKA Fish Sanctuaries

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have become one of the most common tools for coastal marine conservation (as of 2010 there were over 6,800 worldwide).  The premise of an MPA is very simple: it is an area of ocean (most often containing a coral reef) that is actively managed in some manner. While the term MPA is associated with many different types of enforcement, I deal primarily with "no-take" MPAs, in which fishing is completely prohibited. Although not their specific purpose, MPAs may prove critical in dampening the effects of fishing-induced evolution.  

By taking away size-selective fishing pressure, MPAs should stop the progression of fishing-induced evolution.  It is also possible that protection will actually allow the process to reverse, producing larger fish that mature later.  These fish will therefore produce significantly more offspring, potentially creating a sustainable fishery.  

Where it Comes Together:

At this point, however, this is hypothetical.  Whether or not MPAs actually stop and/or reverse the effects of fishing-induced evolution is what I am here to try to find out.  

So how is that going? Well.....

What I Have Been Doing Thus Far:

Unfortunately, in order to answer the questions I am asking, I have to do the one thing that is specifically not allowed inside of MPAs: sacrifice (a fancy scientific word for "kill") fish.  I will get into the specifics of why this is necessary in a later blog, but for now just trust me that it is.  Anyway, beyond the seemingly contradictory nature of "killing fish to make sure we are saving the fish", the nature of the work inevitably means there is a whole lot of red tape to get through before I can actually begin to gather data.  So, for the past 3 months, my primary piece of scientific equipment has been:

This guy, complete with pay-as-you-go phone card!

The Samsung GT-E1272, in "Noble Black", complete with dual SIM, FM radio and T9 predictive texting.  I mention the phone, and specifically the T9, because the Philippines runs on text messages. The country is the "texting capital of the world", with over 1 billion text messages sent every day. This is partially due to the large disparity in cost between texting and calling, with texts usually costing only about 1 peso to send, while phone calls start around 8 pesos a minute and get much more expensive if calling a land line from a cell phone, or even a cell phone on a different network.  As a result, everything important that I have done since I have been here has happened via text, and all of my texting has been done using T9.  For those of you that remember using T9, if you look back on it with fond nostalgia, let me assure you, you are remembering it incorrectly.  

Anyway, back to the red tape.  The people receiving my dozens of daily text messages have been a wide variety of officials within 15 different municipalities in the provinces of Zambales, Pangasinan, and Batangas, which combined contain about 50 MPAs.  

The black dot is Manila.

The idea has been to send a text to anyone and everyone that may be able to get me a meeting with the Mayor and Agriculture Officer (who often handles the MPAs) of each municipality.  Sometimes this works, and I am able to set up a meeting and everything goes smoothly, sometimes this sort of works, and I am able to set up a meeting, and then that meeting doesn't occur, and sometimes I just have to show up to the municipal office and hope for the best.  I have used the last method more times than I care to admit, which is always an adventure because despite the farthest municipality (Bolinao) being only 160 miles away, it takes about 7 hours to get there. 

On one of these bad boys.

This is because long-distance travel in the Philippines takes place primarily via bus.  In my best estimate, I have spent about 75 hours on buses since I arrived here in November.  The buses come in 3 main forms: "ordinary fare", with bench-style seats and no air-conditioning; "air-con", with slightly more comfortable seats and air-conditioning set at a point where a sweatshirt is required; and "deluxe", which is an air-con bus with slightly more legroom and a bathroom on board.  In my experience, air-con buses are the primary means of travel from the city to the provinces, while within-province buses are usually ordinary fare.  I have yet to have the pleasure of a deluxe ride.  

Once I have made an appointment with a Mayor (or decided to try to show up), traveled hours and hours by bus to the province, and made my way via jeepney or tricycle to the municipal hall, the real work begins: convincing the Mayor to let me conduct my research.  This usually involves either giving a presentation or handing out pamphlets that describe my research and why it is important to local officials.  

Me being convincing (I know because they said yes).

Brochures and letters describing my research.

Municipal Hall of Anda, Pangasinan

Municipal Hall of Bani, Pangasinan

Municipal Hall of Santa Cruz, Zambales

In many of these communities, fishing is not just a livelihood, it is the primary means of basic sustenance, making the creation of sustainable fisheries critically important. This fact is certainly not lost on local leaders, who thus far have been very open to my research, and I have finally obtained almost permits for almost all of the MPAs (37 out of 54!) that I need to begin my field work.  

Speaking of my research, you may have noticed that I have not mentioned exactly what I plan to do once I have obtained all of my permits.  For that you will have to wait for "Science, Vol. II" (sneak preview below).