AQD hostsback-to-back

SEAFDECmeetings

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AQDAQDAQDAQDAQD MattersIn-house newsletter of the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department, Tigbauan, Iloilo

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TTTTThis year’s 30th

Program CommitteeGroup on Fisheries. It alsoreviewed and endorsedthe progress andachievements of programsunder the FCG Mechanismin 2007 and the proposedprograms for 2008.

Other issues discussedwere the status of theASEAN-SEAFDECStrategic Partnerships, theprogress in theimplementation of theCode of Conduct forResponsible Fisheries, theinitiatives of SEAFDEC oninternational fisheries-related issues and theprogress and policyrecommendations derivedfrom the implementation ofthe 2-year program onSustainable FisheriesDevelopment in the BIMP-EAGA (BruneiDarussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-EastAsia Growth Area) Regionwith support from theASEAN Foundation.

Apart from themeetings, the participantshad the opportunity totour AQD’s TigbauanMain Station. Dr. Evelynde Jesus- Ayson, Research

Meeting (PCM) was heldback-to-back with the 10th

ASEAN-SEAFDECFisheries ConsultativeGroup (FCG) Meeting at theAmigo Terrace Hotel inIloilo City from November26-30.

Forty-sevenrepresentatives from theASEAN and SEAFDECMember Countries (exceptLao PDR) as well as theSEAFDEC Departments andthe Secretariat attended.

The 30th PCM reviewedthe results of programsimplementated in 2007 andendorsed the proposedprograms for 2008. It alsodeliberated and adoptedthe establishment of theRegional ScientificAdvisory Committee(RSAC) for FisheriesManagement in SoutheastAsia.

Similarly, the 10th FCGMeeting discussed thefollow-up actions to thedirectives given during thelast meeting of theSEAFDEC Council and theASEAN Sectoral Working

Division Head, briefed thevisiting group. Dr. JoebertToledo, AQD Chief, wasalso on hand.

FCG cites AQD’s achievementsand contributions in SEA.Much is expected fromaquaculture in terms ofaddressing the region’sfood security agenda.AQD, has, for severalyears, been assisting theMember Countries achievetheir MillenniumDevelopment Goalsthrough responsibleaquaculture. AQD’s maincontributions in the regionare the science-basedtechnologies for breeding,seed production and grow-out rearing of fishes,shrimps, mud crabs,mollusks, and seaweeds.

A video recentlyprepared by the AQD’sTraining and InformationDivision entitled “AQDMagic” which documentsthe contributions of theDepartment over the years,was presented at theNovember 30 PlenarySession of the 10th FCGMeeting. Delegates viewed

The 10th FCG and the visit toAQD’s main station (above),

and the 30th PCM (at left)

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I. TEN

DENC

IA

2 AQD Matters November 2007

Stockenhancement

and aquaculturediscussed

AAAAAquaculture andstock enhancement

SEAFDEC TechnicalSupporting Group inJapan; and the GOJ-TrustFund at AQD.

The first session onfishes started with thepresentation of AQD’s Dr.Evelyn Grace DJ Ayson onthe Marine fish seedproduction technologiesdeveloped at AQD.

She was followed byDr. Josefa Tan-Fermin whotalked on seahorses.

Dr. Kenzo Yoseda ofthe Ishigaki TropicalStation, Seika NationalFisheries ResearchInstitute of Japan was next.He introduced the on-going projects at hisstation and a case studyon improving larvalsurvival of groupers.

Dr. Yoseda’scolleagues, Dr. HideakiYamada and Dr. AtsushiNanami , then discussedapproaches to effectivestocking based on survivaldata of the black-spotturkfish Choerodonshoenleinlii (Labridae).

Former AQDresearchers also madepresentations: Dr. ArnilEmata, now a milkfishconsultant at BFAR, talkedon breeding the mangrovered snapper; while Mr.

Denny Chavez , now withINVE Asia Services,discussed rabbitfish.

The second session oncrustaceans, mollusks andechinoderms had thefollowing speakers fromAQD: (1) Dr. EmiliaQuinitio on Advances andconstraints in mud crabaquaculture; (2) Dr. Ma.Junemie Hazel Lebata-Ramos on Stockenhancement of mudcrabs; (3) Dr. DoloresParado-Estepa onAquaculture of tigershrimp in the Philippines;(4) Dr. Ma. RowenaRomana-Eguia onFreshwater prawnresearch at AQD; and (5)Mr. Armando Fermin onDonkey’s ear abalonehatchery, aquaculture andsearanching.

Mr. Nguyen DinhQuang Duy, Deputy Chiefof RIA-3 in Vietnam, lastlyspoke on the Status ofsandfish Holothuria scabraculture in Vietnam.

The third session wason AQD’s initiatives onbuilding capacities of localinstitutions for sustainableaquaculture, and this waspresented by Mr. RenatoAgbayani, Head of AQD’sTraining & InformationDivision.

Gentlemen on the left (from left): Dr. AC Emata, Mr. Nguyen (also at the grouper hatchery below, right), Dr. JD Toledo, Dr. H Ogata, Dr. Nanami,Dr. Yamada, Dr. Yoseda; Dr. Ogata gives a brief on GOJ-TF; Dr. Emata and Dr. Jurgenne Primavera seek clarification

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can help countries achievefood security andsustainability,” said Dr.Hiroshi Ogata, DeputyChief and Manager of theGoverment of Japan TrustFund (GOJ-TF) at AQD, ashe welcomed participantsto the Seminar-workshopon stock enhancement andaquaculture of tropicalspecies.

“There is, however, alot more work that stillneeds to be done,” AQDChief Dr. Joebert Toledoadded. He summarizedthese as: (1) studies on theretrieval and behavioralaspects of the species tobe released; (2) studies onthe genetic biodiversityand reduction ofreproductive capability ofspecies once released; (3)economics; and (4)involvement ofcommunities and otherpartners on stockenhancement.

The workshop was heldNovember 22 at AQD’smain station in Iloilo, andwas supported by theFisheries Research Agencyof Japan, ResearchInstitute for AquacultureNo. 3 (RIA3) of Vietnam;

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the 8-minute video and hada glimpse of what AQD isall about.

The Meeting expressedappreciation to AQD for its

achievements and themany significantcontributions fordevelopment ofsustainable aquaculture in

the region. Congratulationswere extended to all AQDstaff for their laudableefforts.

- By BELEN ACOSTA

November 2007 AQD Matters 3

AQD conductstraining in Vietnam

on KHV and SVC

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Trainees and studentsTrainees and studentsTrainees and studentsTrainees and studentsTrainees and students

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ixteen participants(11 females, 5 males)

Training sessionsof the ICD-SA project

for Filipinos SSSSSMUDCRAB @ N.SAMAR

the second phase of theNorthern Samar season-long training course onMudcrab culture.

Focusing on stockassessment, the trainingwas held November 6 to 9(6 & 8 for the lectures-discussions; and 7 & 9 forthe hands-on sessions) atthe Catarman campus ofthe University of EasternPhilippines, and then at theMunicipality of Rosario.

Among those whoattended were fishers, acoconut farmer, ahousewife, a security

These two are diseasesthreatening Vietnam’slucrative freshwaterornamental industry. Withoutbreaks noted in theUSA and in some EUmember countries, healthcertifications are nowrequired, including a two-year record of absence ofSVCV and KHV in theexporting country. Suchcertifications are based ondiagnostic tests that usecell culture, PolymeraseChain Reaction (PCR),Reverse Transcriptase PCR(RT-PCR) and others. Thismeans the need forNAVIQAVED to set upvirus diagnosticcapabilities.

attended the hands-ontraining on the detection ofKHV (koi herpes virus) andSVC (spring viremia ofcarp) conducted by AQDin Vietnam from 27 August2007 to 5 September 2007.

The training is acollaboration betweenAQD and the NationalFisheries QualityAssurance and VeterinaryDirectorate (NAFIQAVED)of Vietnam’s Ministry ofFisheries, and partlyfunded by the Governmentof Japan Trust Fund’s fishdisease project.

Why KHV and SVC?

The traininginstructors included Dr.Gilda Lio-Po, Head ofAQD’s Fish HealthSection; Dr. Edgar Amar,also of AQD; Dr. Ly TihThanh Loan, Ms. NguyenNgoc Du, Mr. Cao ThanhTruong and Ms. NguyenViet Dung of RIA-2.

They and theparticipants also went on afield trip to a koi grow-outpond in Hoyen BinhChanh, Ho Chi Minh City.They collected, dissectedand processed 153 livesamples of apparentlyhealthy carp samples aspart of the practicals.- FROM THE REPORT OF GD LIO-PO

eventeenparticipants attended

guard, and fishery officers,all aiming to make mudcrabculture a lucrative sourceof income.

They learned muchfrom the lectures anddiscussions with AQD’sDr. Emilia Quinitio and Ms.Didi Baticados.

The AQD staff werejoined by Ms. Joelyn Biagand Ms. BuenafeDongoyan of MODE, Mr.Pepe Lutao of BFAR, Ms.Sheilah Vergara of CATP,and Ms. Tess Ecamina &Mr. Rafael Vista of ACE.They represent AQD’sprogram partners.

In-between and afterthe training dates, the

AQD team was also able toassess a proposed crabnursery site and monitorthe construction ofanother; gather collectiondata on crabs and otherspecies; and met with theVice-Mayor of Rosario,Mayor of Pambujan, andthe project’s site managers.

The Northern Samarmudcrab project is underthe umbrella of ICD-SA, orthe Institutional capacitydevelopment forsustainable aquacultureproject. Mr. RF Agbayaniheads the team. ICD-SAseeks to transferappropriate technologiesand fishery resourcesmanagement techniques.-FROM THE REPORT OF RF BOMBEO

View more photos at theAQD website www.seafdec.org.ph.

Photos courtesy of Dr GD Lio-Po

On their way to the site in Rosario where the trainees can practicestock assessment techniques; Dr. ET Quinitio shows off a smalldevice for crab collection; and a child sets out to collect crab

RF B

OMBE

O

4 AQD Matters November 2007

Vet students,an analyst, andtwo technicians

TTTTTwelve veterinarymedicine students

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TTTTTCATFISH-TILAPIA @CAPIZ

hirty-six farmersaged 25-74 years old

(26 men, 10 women) from 9barangays in Dumaraocame to attend the firstphase of Freshwateraquaculture.

The season-longtraining course is anoffering of the ICD-SAproject in Capiz funded bythe provincial government.The first session was heldNovember 14-15.

The trainees listened tothe how-tos of tilapia andcatfish culture from AQD’sMr. Armando Fermin, Engr.Emilio Aralar, and Mr. RuelEguia. They also learnedthe concepts ofcommunity-basedaquaculture from Mr. RFAgbayani.

Under Mr. Joel Gaitan,also of AQD, the traineesconstructed 6 units offloating cages (4 x 4 x 1.5m) for tilapia, catfish andfreshwater prawn.

As the phase 1 sessionfinale, the trainees stockedtheir cages with 3,000pieces of tilapia, 3,000prawn and 650 catfish.

The next (phase 2)session is scheduled forDecember 4-5, also at theNIA Bunkhouse inCodingle, Dumarao.-FROM THE REPORT OF RR PAGADOR

RR PA

GADO

R

Elements of a working cageculture technology (top tobottom): securely-sewn netcage, strong bamboo support,quality seedstock, and thehow-tos of culture as taught byexperts

TTTTTMILKFISH @GUIMARAS

wenty-sevenparticipants

continued on to thesecond phase of Milkfishcage culture, a season-long training course foroilspill affected families inGuimaras.

Funded by PetronFoundation Inc, thesecond phase is a hands-on module on stocksampling, water quality,feed formulation andpreparation and cagemaintenance. It wasconducted 16-17November at AQD’s IgangMarine Station.

The participantsrepresented fourbarangays in NuevaValencia: Igang , Magamay,San Antonio, and Sto.Domingo.

The resource personsfrom AQD included Mr.Albert Gaitan, Dr. RelicardoColoso, and Engr. NelsonGolez. Also present wasMr. Jess Borci of thePhilippine Business forSocial Progress (PBSP).-FROM THE REPORT OF CV GENZOLA

In Igang, Dr. RM Coloso emphasis a point in feeding management (“never overfeed the stock;it’s costly and it’s polluting”); the participants listen intently and relax after a lecture. Of the original30 who attended the phase 1 module, three were not able to make it to phase 2

CV G

ENZO

LA

from the Aklan StateUniversity spent 10 days(beginning November 5) atAQD familiarizingthemselves with fishhealth.

They were introducedto disease development inaquaculture and diseasesof crustaceans by Dr. CeliaPitogo and to diseases offishes by Dr. Edgar Amar.

The vet students alsostudied modules onviruses, fungi, and fishparasites; and did practicalwork on monitoring shrimplarvae, preparing sterilemedia and other materials,isolating and countingbacteria, and sendingsamples for diagnosis.

AQD’s fish health staffalso demonstrated the PCRmethods to detect viruses,electron microscopy, andslide preparation.

The soon-to-be vetsviewed videos and spenttime at the AQD library.

STUDENTS FROM AKLAN

AAAAAlaboratory analyst~ Ms. Judy Buerom

ANALYST FROM SIQUIJOR

~ from Aqua Cards Inc inSiquijor underwent a 4-dayspecial training on thedetection of white spotsyndrome virus using PCR.This was from 20 to 23November, and mostlyhandled by Dr. Leobert dela Pena with the assistanceof Mr. Geimbo Capulos.Ms. Buerom’s training wassponsored by VTI-RSY ofBacolod.-FROM THE REPORT OF CV GENZOLA

November 2007 AQD Matters 5

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New client for ABOT

MMMMM s. Betty Lua (shaking hands with AQD ChiefDr. JD Toledo above) and Mr. Fortunato

Sanchez Jr are the new clients of AQD in the Agree-Build-Operate-Transfer (ABOT) AquaNegosyoprogram.

Their agreement with AQD was signedNovember 23 at AQD’s Tigbauan Main Station inIloilo.

The clients hail from Cebu, and would like todevelop their aquaculture enterprises further. Theirinterests? Milkfish culture, seabass nursery andgrow-out, biosecure tiger shrimp culture, mudcrabculture, and seaweed pond culture.

For the technical assistance it will extend, AQDexpects to get 8% of the client’s net income aftereach cropping, for a maximum 3 crops a year. Thismoney will help fund AQD’s research &development programs.

Ms. Buerom learns to detect WSSV using PCR (top) while the vetstudents from Aklan pay attention to Ms. Thesa Billena’sorientation on electron microscopy and Mr. Demy Catedral’sdemonstration of fish disease detection

Guests and visitorsGuests and visitorsGuests and visitorsGuests and visitorsGuests and visitors

DDDDD r. Fu Hongtuo, agenetic specialist

FROM WUXI, CHINA

in prawn breeding andtilapia selection, and MrLiu Bo, a researcher in fishpathology and nutrition,visited AQD this month.

On the 15th, they gavea brief overview ofresearch conducted by theFreshwater FisheriesResearch Center (FFRC) ofChinese Academy ofFishery Science, Wuxi City,Jiangsu Province, China.

Research at FFRC’sBiotechnology &Aquaculture Departmentfocuses on: (1) survey ongenetic polymorphism; (2)

sex control; (3) geneticimprovement of commoncarp, tilapia andMacrobrachium spp; (4)gene transfer; (5) sex-related genes and markers;(6) polyploidy induction;(7) cell fusion and nucleartransfer; and (8)domestication of nativewild species.

At their AquaticAnimal Disease Prevention& Medicines and NutritionDepartment: (1) nutritionalrequirements of cultivatedfish and special aquaticproducts; (2) fabricatedpellets and additives, (3)natural feeds; (4)microorganism feeds; and

(5) water treatment offishery environment andbiological control of fishdisease.

MMMMM r. JosephLeopoldo Laranja,

GHENT, BELGIUM

an MS Aquaculturegraduate of the Laboratoryof Aquaculture andArtemia Reference Center,Universiteit Ghent,Belgium, came to AQD todeliver a seminar onNovember 23. He spoke onthe In vitro determinationof the prebiotic potentialof dietary carbohydratesin fish.

TTTTTTECHNICIANS FROMMALABON CITY

wo undertook a5-day training

course on natural foodculture and feedformulation that wasoffered by AQD’sBinangonan FreshwaterStation.

From November 5 to9, Ms. Ma. RosaCristina Alvarado andMr. Manuel Penaranda,both employees of BSJFishing and Trading(Malabon City), weregiven lectures andhands-on practice.

The training wasarranged two weeks afterthe request of BSJ’s Mr.Alex Inocentes, apotential ABOT client. -FROM THE REPORT OF MRR EGUIA

6 AQD Matters November 2007

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DDDDDLOS BANOS, LAGUNA

xceptionalchildren, 78 of

r. Nicolas Bailly,OIC-Philippine

Office of the WorldFishCenter’s FishBase Project,toured AQD’s hatcheryfacilities and laboratorieson October 30.

EEEEEILOILO CITY

them, with theirparents andguardians visitedAQD’s Big Hatcheryand FishWorld onNovember 14.

They were fromthe SpecialEducation-IntegratedSchool forExceptional Children(SPED-ISEC) inIloilo City. Belongingto Grades 1 through 6under Mr. Jose

Clockwise fromtop: The seminar

audience; Mr. Laranja;Dr. Fu, Mr. Bo and

AQD’s Dr. Ma RowenaEguia; the exceptional

children of SPED, and Dr. Bailly

BBBBBWHAT CAN BE LEARNED IN GERMANY

FS or theBinangonan

Freshwater Station of AQDin Rizal sent its programleader and scientist Dr. Ma.Lourdes Aralar to theUniversity of Hohenheimin Struttgart, Germany fortwo months startingOctober 1.

Funded by DAAD, Dr.Aralar conducted a short-term study onbioenergetics(=respiration) of thefreshwater prawnMacrobrachiumrosenbergii. She was alsoable to give a lecture toM.Sc. and Ph.D. studentson aquaculture offreshwater prawns, andparticipated in a

symposium that celebratedthe 25th anniversary ofHohenheim’s Institute forthe Tropics andSubtropics. Dr. Aralar wasalso able to visit a troutfarm to observe its cultureoperations.

The objectives of theDAAD grant was toprovide former scholarsopportunities to renew tieswith German institutions. Itis also to be noted thatHohenheim used to sendto AQD their students whowere conducting thesis inaquaculture.

Dr. Aralar’s impressionsof her research trip?

“Germany and otherEuropean countries put ahigh premium on organicproducts, including thosefrom organic aquacultureoperations,” she said.“There are researchactivities focusing onorganic aquaculture.Another research interestis on the utilization ofdetoxified Jatropha mealfor animal feed, includingaquaculture feeds.”

Below from left to right:Dr. Aralar sets up therespiration chambers forfreshwater prawn; visit tobrook trout and rainbowtrout farm with M Sc andPhD students; with Dr. UlfertFocken of HohenheimUniversity and Dr.Modadugu Gupta, KeynoteSpeaker at the anniversarycelebration

Geliang, Coordinator, andMs. Elizabeth Orquiola,Principal III, they werecelebrating the DeafAwareness Week.

“I listen with myheart,” are the wordsprinted on their shirts.

A peek at BFS, DBS...A peek at BFS, DBS...A peek at BFS, DBS...A peek at BFS, DBS...A peek at BFS, DBS...

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DR. ARALAR

November 2007 AQD Matters 7

TTTTTWHAT AQD SERVICES CAN BE EXTENDED IN THE PROVINCES OF TWO SENATORS

MS or the Tigbauan Main Station of AQD in Iloilo sent its senior managers to Luzon for consultations withstakeholders and site assessments in October after the ABOT forum. The stops for Dr. Clarissa Marte (division

...the stops in the north ...the stops in the north ...the stops in the north ...the stops in the north ...the stops in the north at iba pa

head of technology verification and demonstration), Mr. Rene Agbayani (division head of training & information), andMr. Armando Fermin (program leader of the mollusc program) were as follows:

Baler,Aurora

for the consultation with theprovince’s fisheries stakeholders.Held October 22, the consultation

was hosted by Dr. EusebioAngara, president of the Aurora

State College of Technology(leftmost photo).

The Aurora project proposal wasinitiated by

Senator Edgardo Angara.

BFAR multi-species hatchery still in Baler on October22. The AQD team assessed its operations

Tuguegarao,Cagayan for the

consultation with stakeholderswhich was held October 24 at

the conference room of theCagayan Economic Zone

Authority. The Cagayan projectproposal was initiated by

Senator Juan Ponce Enrile

Meeting with CagayanGovernor Bong Antonio(facing camera) on October25. Leftmost is Dr. MildredAbella, head of Cagayan’sProvincial Agriculturist Office Meeting with Dr. Jovita Ayson (rightmost), Regional Director

of BFAR-I on October 25, at her office. Leftmost is Mr. Bernie Comit,fisheries officer. In the middle: Mr. Fermin, Dr. Marte, Mr. Agbayani

PAO tilapiahatchery-nurseryin Sta. Ana operations wasassessed October 24

THANKS TO MS. LITA AGBAYANIFOR THE PHOTOS AND THE NOTES

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8 AQD Matters November 2007

DDDDDWHAT CAN BE GAINED FROM A FARM

BS or the Dumangas Brackishwater Station of AQD in northern Iloilo yielded scrumptious harvests in Septemberthrough November 2007, and AQD employees especially those from the main station in Iloilo seemed to get early

Christmas packages what with the lower-than-market prices, salary-deductible at that:

Crop Date of harvest Production Sales at AQD

Shrimps September 4 177 kg sold to 80 AQD staff at P220/kg P38,940.00September 11 292 kg sold to 89 AQD staff (70 from TMS; 19 staff from DBS)

at P200/kg P58,400.00

Alimango September 11 9 kg sold to 6 AQD staff at P230/kilo (female) and P150/kl (male) P 1,590.00

Milkfish October 5 129 kg sold to 43 AQD staff at P65/kg P 8,385.00

Seabass October 13 51 kg harvested for the ABOT forum

Red snapper October 25 80.8 kg sold to 40 AQD staff at P170/kg P13,736.00

Red snapper November 5, 7, 9 596.9 kg: 134.2 kg sold to AQD staff at P170/kg P16, 683.50 and 462.7 kilos sold to fish vendors, restaurants and private individuals at P200/kg

- FROM THE REPORT OF MRT TAPALES

PPPPP

WHAT CANBE HAD FROMA RUMMAGESALE

roceeds ~P7,416 ~ of

NEWLY ISSUEDPUBLICATIONS

Recent developments in thegenetic improvement of the

giant freshwater prawn,86 pages, compiled by MRR Eguia

& MLC Aralar, contains resultsfrom the research project funded

by the Government of JapanTrust Fund. The project is a

collaboration under theASEAN-SEAFDEC

Fisheries Consultative Group

A folder-flyer that can holdbooks and stuff has notes on

AQD’s new vision-mission,research & development

framework, technology transferpathways, and contact

addresses for the SEAFDECSecretariat and the Departments

November 23’s rummagesale organized by theJournal Club in TMS willbuy gifts for selectedindigent residents ofAQD’s neighboringbarangays. Club membersfirst offered the goods toemployees before headingto the Tigbauan market.

Club President Mr.Stephen Alayon reportedthat buyers included seniorcitizens, children, police,tricycle drivers, vendors,and farmers who boughtalmost all the goods withinan hour. “All werehappy... those whodonated the items, thesellers, and the buyers.Thank you!”

The AQD Magic is the introductory videoon AQD’s programs and thrusts with

historical notes. The video was first shownat the November 2007 meeting of the

ASEAN-SEAFDEC FCG in Iloilo City

November 2007 AQD Matters 9

ashington DC, 13November 2007.

Carl Linnaeus,Carl Linnaeus,Carl Linnaeus,Carl Linnaeus,Carl Linnaeus,the Encyclopediathe Encyclopediathe Encyclopediathe Encyclopediathe Encyclopedia

of Life, and theof Life, and theof Life, and theof Life, and theof Life, and theSmithsonianSmithsonianSmithsonianSmithsonianSmithsonian

TU BagarinaoFulbright Scholar 2007

The one-daysymposium was asemester’s course inmodern taxonomy. GunnarBroberg of LundUniversity, Sweden, gave ahistorical perspective onLinnaeus. Groberg haswritten a booklet onLinnaeus the contents ofwhich are also in severalwebsites. Gerry Moore ofthe Brooklyn BotanicGarden, New York,compared Linnaean planttaxonomy as practiced byLinnaeus and as usedtoday. David Roberts ofthe Natural HistoryMuseum London talkedabout Linnaeansystematics, collaborativetaxonomy, and the Web.Michael Donoghue of thePeabody Museum ofNatural History, YaleUniversity, Connecticut,argued that taxonomistsshould seriously consideran alternative system ofnomenclature. MarkSiddall of the AmericanMuseum of NaturalHistory, New York, madeleeches forever glamorousby using Hirudomedicinalis and relatives

as examples of the use ofDNA bar codes inLinnaean taxonomy. Tocap the symposium, ActingSecretary Cristian Samperof the SmithsonianInstitution talked about theEncyclopedia of Life(www.eol.org), a projectthat seeks to construct aweb site for each of the 1.8million species that havebeen described and makethem all accessible througha single portal. Threehundred years ago,Linnaeus set out on anearly impossible task ofclassifying and namingwhat was thought to beabout 70,000 species onearth. Today, he wouldhave been happy to seethousands of scientistscontinuing his work todocument 1.8 millionspecies. Samper offeredEOL as a birthday presentto Linnaeus. Nice touch.

The Encyclopedia ofLife brings togetherseveral of the world’snatural history institutionsincluding the Smithsonian,the Field Museum inChicago, HarvardUniversity, the Woods

WWWWWToday the SmithsonianInstitution hosted theSymposium “ThreeHundred Years of Linnaeantaxonomy” in celebrationof the 300th birthanniversary of CarlLinnaeus (1707-1778) andthe exhibit of Linnaeus’own copy of the first of 12editions of SystemaNaturae (1735-1768).Linnaeus was a medicaldoctor, a professor at theUniversity of Uppsala, andabove all, Sweden’s mostfamous botanist-naturalistwho sought to list andorder the whole of Creationand thereby laid thefoundations of taxonomy.He described and namedabout 10,000 species,including the familiarplants Oryza sativa, Zeamays, Cocos nucifera,Mangifera indica,Theobroma cacao, Coffeaarabica, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, and Ulva lactuca,and the animals Homosapiens, Hirudomedicinalis, Cyprinuscarpio, Carassius auratus,Salmo salar, Haliotisasinina, Perna viridis, andPlacuna placenta. Heexplored the Lapland, livedin Holland, and visitedFrance and England. Heextended his reach aroundthe world by sending manystudents (‘apostles’) onvoyages of exploration,including Daniel Solanderand Anders Sparrman whotraveled with CaptainJames Cook, and PetrusForsskal of Chanoschanos, Epinephelusfuscoguttatus, and Scyllaserrata fame.

The two-dayLinnaeus Exhibitat the NMNH: themarked copy ofSystema Naturae(1735), somespecies with L. intheir names, andthe author in hiswedding finery,holding a sprig ofthe twinflowerLinnea borealis L.(also shown asherbariumspecimen, atright).

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10 AQD Matters November 2007

Hole Marine BiologicalLaboratory, MissouriBotanical Garden, and theBiodiversity HeritageLibrary consortium. Theproject collaborates andlinks with other effortsalready underway such asthe Catalogue of Life, Treeof Life Web, FishBase, andAmphibiaweb. EOL willcost $50 million in its firstfive years. Already theAlfred P. Sloan and theCatherine T. and John D.MacArthur Foundationhas committed $12.5 M forthe first two years.

The EOL is a petproject of Cristian Samper,a 41-year old Colombian-American scientist-administrator-communicator with a longand impressive resume (allon Google). I fell in lovewith the guy after one hourof lecture. For you, too, toget a feel for the man andhis job, I attach his speech,“The Smithsonian: Fact,Fiction, and the Future”.[Editor’s note: for AQDemployees, this file was sent asan email attachment. We regretthat it’s too long to be includedhere.] Just as Linnaeusimmersed himself in nature,cultivated ‘apostles’, andfounded the RoyalSwedish Academy ofSciences, so Samperstudied neotropicalbiodiversity, designed anenvironment educationprogram for 10,000schools, and founded theMinistry of theEnvironment the Alexandervon Humboldt BiologicalResources ResearchInstitute in Colombia.Between Linnaeus andSamper, there came CharlesDarwin (1809-1882) and theOrigin of Species in 1859;

Gregor Mendel (1822-1884)and the Treatises on PlantHybrids in 1865; JamesWatson (1928- 200_), theDNA double helix, and theHuman Genome Project;and Edward Wilson (1929-200_), sociobiology, andbiodiversity. Somebreakthroughs in sciencetake just a few years, but ithas taken taxonomy,genetics, evolution,molecular biology, andbiodiversity about 300years to come together andback to taxonomy. There isa beauty to all of this.

Between Linnaeus andthe Encyclopedia of Life,there, too, was JamesSmithson (1765-1829), anEnglishman whobequeathed his library,mineral collection, andentire fortune to the“United States of America,to found at Washington,under the name of theSmithsonian Institution, anEstablishment for theincrease & diffusion ofKnowledge among men” –even though he had nevervisited the US nor knownany Americans. Createdby an act of the UnitedStates Congress in 1846,the Smithsonian Institutionis now the world’s largestmuseum and researchcomplex with 19 museums,the National Zoo, andseveral research facilitiesaround the world. Thetotal number of objects,works of art, andspecimens is more than 142million, most of them at theNational Museum ofNatural History.

But the Smithsonianalmost did not come to be.In her book The Strangerand the Statesman,journalist Nina Burleigh

(2003) tells the story.When then US PresidentAndrew Jackson wasinformed of Smithson’s giftin 1835, the news wasreceived at Congress witha mixture of disinterest,befuddlement, suspicion,ridicule, and indignation.Some Congressmen arguedthat it was dishonorable totake any money from anEnglishman, and it wasbeneath the dignity of theUnited States to conferimmortality on a manmerely for sending over atreasure. Fortunately,former President JohnQuincy Adams was thenserving in Congress. Hehad wanted to expandfederal government intothe realms of science andeducation and to create aEuropean-class Americanscientific community, buthad faced opposition. Atruly intellectual scholarpolitician passionatelyinterested in astronomy, hewas deeply moved bySmithson’s words. Afterpersistent discussion,Adams persuadedCongress to accept theSmithson bequest. Thusin 1836, Jackson sentdiplomat Richard Rush toLondon to secure thefunds. It took Rush twoyears of negotiations withSmithson’s heirs and theBritish courts before hecould bring to New Yorkand deposit at the US Mintin Philadelphia 105 sacksof gold sovereigns worth104,960 British pounds(worth US$508,318 in1836). But then the fundswere stolen!

When Smithson’sbequest arrived, the UnitedStates was broke. Half amillion dollars in 1836 was

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November 2007 AQD Matters 11

the equivalent in buyingpower of 50 million dollarstoday. It was an enormoussum in a country where theper capita annual incomewas 100 dollars. BeforeRush arrived in1838,Congress passed a billwith a last-minute tack thatauthorized the TreasurySecretary to invest all ofSmithson’s money in statestocks, but without thestates being directed touse the money for“diffusion of knowledgeamong men”. Adams wasthe sole voice of protestagainst the last minutetack. Almost all the fundswere invested in Arkansasreal estate bonds, whichturned bad quickly (orembezzled by a prominentpolitician). Adams ralliedpublic interest in the lostfunds and finallyconvinced Congress in1841 to repeal the billauthorizing investment ofSmithson’s money in statefunds. No one was heldpersonally accountable forthe loss, but the UStreasury was ordered toreplenish the fund and pay6% a year on the capital.

But Congress tookanother five years todecide what to do with thebequest. When

Smithson’s bequestarrived, the United Statesnot known for itsscientists, its intellectuallife, or its diffusion ofknowledge. Thepoliticians assigned todefine an institution for thediffusion of knowledgewere not able to fulfill thetask quickly because ofcompeting ideas aboutwhat America’s culture wasgoing to be. ThatSmithson specifiedWashington was anotherproblem. Aside from theWhite House and theCapitol, Washington wasforests and marshland anddirty streets, cholera andmalaria raged, there was noculture, and prostitutionwas as brisk as the slavetrade. Some politiciansthought a working farmattached to an agriculturalcollege in the nationalcapital best diffused thekind of knowledgeAmericans needed. Stillothers wanted the moneyto go toward educating thecommon people, or anormal school for teachers.John Quincy Adamsargued for use of theSmithson funds to build anational Americanobservatory outfitted withgreat telescopes and

staffed by learned men.Elitist Senator RufusChoate imagined buildingthe greatest library inhuman history.IndustrialistRepresentative RobertOwen preferred thecreation of a federaluniversity. NaturalistRepresentative JoelPoinsett favored a federalinstitution for thepromotion of science,combining a botanicalgarden, an observatory,laboratories, libraries, andpublications for bothscientists and lay people.Richard Rush submitted aproposal for a nationalinstitution that couldnourish Americanintellectual resources andbanish the image ofAmerica as a backwardnation inhabited by ill-educated provincials. Thefinal plan for theSmithsonian Institutionapproved by Congressvery closely followedPoinsett’s ideas andRush’s proposal. On 10August 1846, 17 years afterSmithson’s death in Genoaand 11 years after word ofhis bequest reached theWhite House, President JKPolk signed the bill thatcreated the SmithsonianInstitution. <page 12 pls>

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<from page 11>James Smithson was

passionate aboutmineralogy and chemistry,participated in thescientific community inEngland and Europe, andbecame a Fellow of theRoyal Society in 1787 anda charter member of theRoyal Institution in 1799.He lived in Paris, London,Florence, and Genoa, andtravelled to Scotland andSwitzerland. But he wasthe unacknowledgedillegitimate son of aprominent father, he nevermarried, and had nochildren. Biographers

the family sold to Sir JamesEdward Smith of Londonall of Linnaeus’ botanicaland zoological collections:14,000 pressed plants, 158fishes, 1564 shells, 3198insects, 1600 books, and3,000 letters anddocuments. To care for thecollections, Smith foundedin 1788 the LinneanSociety, which became theworld’s premier society forthe study anddissemination of taxonomy.Smithson must havewanted something similarfor himself across theAtlantic and made sure ofit with his own money. His

Clam: fossilized and donatedClam: fossilized and donatedClam: fossilized and donatedClam: fossilized and donatedClam: fossilized and donatede will learn later how old this clam really is. The donor,Ms. Louella Ali of Cebu City, is having it carbon-WWWWW

have variously speculatedabout the reasons behindSmithson’s strangebequest to the UnitedStates. I dare to advanceanother guess. SmithsonFRS must have knownabout Linnaeus (who wasby then a dead superstarscientist) and howLinnaeus’ collectionsbecame the starting pointfor the Linnean Society inLondon, not Sweden.Linnaeus had fourdaughters and a son Carlthe Younger, but the sondied without an heir in1783, just five years afterthe father. The women in

motives will never beknown because most of hisdocuments, mineralcollection, and personalitems were lost in a fire inthe 10-year oldSmithsonian Castle on anicy day in January 1865.But I like my explanation,don’t you? In 1904,Alexander Graham Bell,then Regent of theSmithsonian Institution,exhumed Smithson’sremains in Genoa andbrought them toWashington DC forreburial at the SmithsonianCastle. James Smithsonmust be more than pleased.

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Contributions fromAQD employees

are always welcome!Please send text separately from

the photos. If possible, photo quality should notbe lower than 300 dpi

AQD Matters is published by theDevelopment Communication UnitTraining and Information Division

Tigbauan Main Station in Iloilo

Editors this issueJE Salamida & MT Castanos

Editorial consultantsMT Castanos <milacasta@seafdec.org.ph>

RF Agbayani <ragbayani@seafdec.org.ph>

dated. For the moment AQD thanks the Ali family for thespecimen donation to FishWorld.