Mad as a Marine Biologist

High-res sallysnowglobe: Rolling in the deep.  Perhaps Most definitely the coolest photo I will ever have with a whale shark.  Taken by photographer and all round hero, Steve De Neef (www.stevedeneef.com).    This shot was taken whilst we were out on survey here in Southern Leyte last week.  This individual is actually LSR-24 – the 24th shark our LAMAVE team has identified here in Sogod Bay.  It’s a juvenile male and if you look closely at the photograph you’ll see it has a big scar across the back of it’s head- probably from a fishing line.  The photo shows me photographing the shark for identification.  By taking photographs of the unique spot pattern on the left side of the shark – just behind the gills and above the pectoral fin - we can identify individual sharks – it’s effectively a cheap way of tagging whale sharks and it’s through this process that we are assessing the whale shark population in this area of the Philippines.  One thing we are trying to find out is whether the sharks are hanging around or just passing through?  This individual, LSR-24 has now been here for over a month, having first been identified by our LAMAVE team at the end of February this year.  Whilst I took the photograph, he continued to feed slowly, the two of us, chilling just below 10 meters from the surface…       Followers, meet my friend Sally. She works for the Large Marine Vertebrates Project at the research base in Southern Leyte, Philippines. Follow her for first hand shark adventures! 

sallysnowglobe:

Rolling in the deep. 

Perhaps Most definitely the coolest photo I will ever have with a whale shark.  Taken by photographer and all round hero, Steve De Neef (www.stevedeneef.com).   

This shot was taken whilst we were out on survey here in Southern Leyte last week.  This individual is actually LSR-24 – the 24th shark our LAMAVE team has identified here in Sogod Bay.  It’s a juvenile male and if you look closely at the photograph you’ll see it has a big scar across the back of it’s head- probably from a fishing line. 

The photo shows me photographing the shark for identification.  By taking photographs of the unique spot pattern on the left side of the shark – just behind the gills and above the pectoral fin - we can identify individual sharks – it’s effectively a cheap way of tagging whale sharks and it’s through this process that we are assessing the whale shark population in this area of the Philippines.  One thing we are trying to find out is whether the sharks are hanging around or just passing through?  This individual, LSR-24 has now been here for over a month, having first been identified by our LAMAVE team at the end of February this year.  Whilst I took the photograph, he continued to feed slowly, the two of us, chilling just below 10 meters from the surface…      

Followers, meet my friend Sally. She works for the Large Marine Vertebrates Project at the research base in Southern Leyte, Philippines. Follow her for first hand shark adventures! 

High-res Coron Island, Palawan, Philippines by Samantha Craven Apologies for not posting or answering your questions in a while. I’ve been in Coron to be a speaker for Green Fins at a Sustainable Tourism workshop run by the Coron Initiative.  It’s been an awesome few days, learning, networking, and getting distracted by the view. Updates to follow! 

Coron Island, Palawan, Philippines

by Samantha Craven

Apologies for not posting or answering your questions in a while. I’ve been in Coron to be a speaker for Green Fins at a Sustainable Tourism workshop run by the Coron Initiative. 

It’s been an awesome few days, learning, networking, and getting distracted by the view. Updates to follow! 

Monad Mornings

- Bo Mancao


Why would you get up at 0530? Well the only answer for me is to see Thresher Sharks! This is my mate Bo’s video of the Threshers at Monad Shoal - an underwater platform of coral where these normally deep dwelling sharks come to be cleaned by little cleaner wrasse. 

A much better wake up than coffee!

Things I can hear from my bed this morning:

  • Cockerels.
  • Waves on the shore.
  • Hammers downstairs. Like every morning.
  • Cats playing in the roof of my room. Yes in it. Lots of them.
  • Kids playing on the beach.
  • Cockerels (I can’t emphasise this enough).
  • Someone sweeping.
  • Someone clearing their nose!
  • Pots and pans being washed.
  • At least two radios. One of which is playing ‘Ganggam style’. Again.
  • Kittens meowing.
Maayong Buntag from the Philippines! 

I was lucky enough to work closely with the very talented Steve De Neef during my work with the whale sharks of Oslob last year. Steve is one of my favourite conservation documenters - he spends time getting to know the conservation issue at hand, speaking to all the stakeholders involved getting information from all sides, and then producing high quality articles and documentaries helping to spread awareness and inspiration. 

This is a reel of some of the projects he was involved with last year and a short snippet of an interview with me.