Discovering FishBase, SeaLifeBase - An In-Depth Introduction

I am the Senior Scientist and Project Manager of the Sea Around Us

I studied at the University of the Philippines Diliman where I received a BA in Anthropology and later pursued graduate studies at the Institute of Marine Science. I am a Research Associate at Q-quatics. My work focuses on mapping global species distributions using the AquaMaps modelling approach, in partnership with FishBase and SeaLifeBase. I am also involved in the ongoing development of AquaMaps systems for marine and freshwater environments, as well as the management of AquaMaps-based projects.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, majoring in Marketing and Prizes. As the Communications Officer at Quantitative Aquatics, Inc., my focus is to enhance and promote the Q-quatics brand to increase database usage and collaborations by engaging with interest groups, creating content that resonates with them, amplifying its presence on social media platforms, and fostering relationships with the media. 

I joined the FishBase Project in 1991 after having worked on several projects at the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines, where I got my BSc in Marine Science and MSc in Marine Biology. I have more than 30 years of experience in FishBase, starting my work with compiling the checklists of the Philippines and fishes of the Indo-Pacific region. My ongoing work to ensure the validity of species and species status has helped me develop a strong network of fish taxonomists, the majority of whom are formal collaborators of FishBase. I contribute to the synchronization of FishBase and the Catalog of Fishes and encode species information (biological and distribution). With my long working relationship with the database, collaborators, and FishBase Consortium members, I am involved in the development and promotion of FishBase for fisheries research, management, and conservation.

I was born and raised in the Philippines. I’ve always had a passion for art and design and pursued a degree in Advertising from The Philippine Women’s University. I worked with a diverse range of clients, from small businesses to large corporations, across a variety of industries. My areas of expertise include branding, print design, and digital design. In recent years, I have been working with SeaLifeBase as an artist. This developed my strong interest in marine conservation and has made me an advocate for ocean protection. My passion for marine conservation has led me to develop new skills in environmental design and sustainable branding.

I received my Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (Philippines) with an interest in and studies in landscape ecology, environmental sciences, and geographic information systems. Presently, I am involved in work relating to species distribution maps at Quantitative Aquatics, Inc. 

I am a researcher with a passion for understanding and protecting our oceans. I completed my undergraduate studies in Biology at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, and also earned a Master’s degree in Environmental Science. My work in Q-quatics focuses on providing global species distributions in FishBase and SeaLifeBase, which are used in AquaMaps. I am also involved with faunal projects focusing on marine biodiversity and providing species baseline information that can aid in policy and implementation. 

I studied at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, graduating with a BSc in Biology majoring in Systematics. I am currently a researcher encoding data for the Trophic Ecology suite of FishBase and SeaLifeBase. I am interested in ocean conservation, waste reduction, and policy formation.

I completed my studies at the University of the Philippines Los Banos and graduated with a BSc degree in Biology and an MSc in Food Science. I work as a Research Analyst at Q-quatics, and my current research interests include marine biodiversity and conservation, database management, and food security. My work focuses on taxonomy, updating species conservation status, as well as encoding geographic distribution-related information for various fish and non-fish species. In SeaLifeBase, I provide data gap analyses needed for various ecological and ecosystem modeling. I am also involved in various projects involving georeferencing marine invertebrate collections, CMSY and global fisheries catch reconstruction.

I vet and analyze published fish life history information in FishBase for growth and species resilience modelling work. On the side, I also review research manuscripts on the growth and life history of fishes as an Associate Editor of Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria and as a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Applied Ichthyology. When my workload allows, I run an online Ichthyology course for natural resources management practitioners at the University of the Philippines Open University.