Dr. Annabelle G.C. del Norte-Campos together with Ms. Lorelie A. Burgos, and Ms. Kris Angeli S. Sanchez from the Marine Biology Laboratory, Division of Biological Sciences made their research findings into a purposeful output, A Field Guide to the Commercially-important Mollusks of Panay, Philippines.

One of the major commodities that is currently of high interest among researchers are mollusks. In Panay, Philippines, a wide diversity of mollusks is present, however, biological information, proper identification and awareness are insufficient among various stakeholders. Dr. Annabelle Del Norte-Campos and her research team made it easier for those who are interested to study commercially-important mollusks not only present in Panay Island but also in the whole Philippines.

Mollusca are one of the most exploited phyla in the country, specifically in the island of Panay. These are obtained using a diversity of fishing gears and methods and about 80% are harvested by gleaning, targeting mostly bivalves and gastropods (Del Norte-Campos, et. al., 2019). These provide significant livelihood opportunities to coastal communities especially to women. Cephalopods, on the other hand, are obtained through squid pots, trawls, jiggers and spear fishing. 

A Field Guide to the Commercially Important Mollusks of Panay, Island Philippines is a compendium of commercially-important mollusks which consists of three classes: Gastropoda, Bivalvia, and Cephalopoda. This field guide is not only limited to be used in the lab, this was physically designed to be glossy (wet proof), has thick pages and spiral bound which allows it to be brought to the field to perform in-situ identifications. This provides researchers the notable taxonomic and diagnostic information and characteristics of specific mollusks. This field guide supplements Dr. Liberato Laureta’s Compendium of Economically Important Seashells in Panay, Philippines which was limited only to seashells and its economic value. In this present guide, it includes cephalopods, which are known to be the most misidentified and least known mollusks. Also included were the distribution and occurrence of each identified species in Panay. The research team collected mollusk samples and identified them using the descriptions based on FAO volumes 1 and 2 (1998). The identification was then verified by Dr. Takuma Haga from the Department of Geology and Paleontology, National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, Japan.  

This field guide is an output of the DOST-PCAARRD-funded project titled, “Studies on the Biology and Utilization of Commercially-Important Mollusk Species in Panay Island (MOLLPAN)” which is under the Niche Center in the Region for Research and Development (NICER) Program, Center for Mollusk Research and Development. This was implemented by the Marine Biology Laboratory, Division of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, UP Visayas. 

What Now? This Field Guide to the Commercially-important Mollusks in Panay, Philippines is a helpful reference guide for our researchers and government agencies when it comes to identifying different mollusk species. This provides a strong source of information to better understand the existing mollusk species in Panay, Philippines. This may also serve as a reference to ensure awareness among various stakeholders, leading to a sustainable management and responsible utilization. 

You may access this field guide at the OVCRE Library and this is also downloadable in the DOST-PCAARRD Website

Link: http://bit.ly/MollusksFG

References: 

del Norte-Campos, AGC, LA Burgos and KA Villarta. 2019. A ranked inventory of commercially-important mollusk species in Panay Island as a guide to prioritize research. The Philippine Journal of Fisheries 26 (2): 114-131