UPV seminar pushes innovation in coastal fisheries research

ILOILO CITY – The University of the Philippines Visayas Graduate School brought faculty members and students together to explore how research and innovation can help address challenges facing coastal and fisheries systems.

The Graduate School held the “Graduate Studies and Research Program on Sustainable Transformation of Coastal and Fisheries Systems through Innovation” on Sept. 18, 2026, at the GCEB AVR on the UPV Iloilo City campus.

Faculty members and students from UPV’s different academic units attended the seminar-workshop.

The activity provided a venue to discuss current developments, research directions and opportunities for collaboration in transforming coastal and fisheries systems through sustainable approaches and innovation.

Rico C. Ancog, deputy director for administration of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, or SEARCA, led the discussion.

Ancog discussed SEARCA’s programs, initiatives and partnerships in education, research and innovation.

SEARCA works with partner universities to help translate research into solutions-oriented policies and interventions supporting inclusive and sustainable development.

The regional center’s current five-year development plan, covering fiscal years 2025/26 to 2029/30, focuses on sustainable transformation through research, capacity building and innovation.

The seminar-workshop was designed to contribute to the development of relevant and responsive graduate research programs addressing local, national and regional challenges in coastal and fisheries systems and sustainable resource management.

It also sought to identify opportunities for collaboration and possible support from agencies and institutions, including SEARCA, for graduate theses and other research initiatives.

Students contributed observations and knowledge about coastal areas based on their respective degree programs.

The exchanges were intended to help connect graduate research with practical environmental and fisheries concerns while opening opportunities for interdisciplinary and institutional collaboration. (Carlson Alelis/IPO)