By the early 1980s, Clarissa Marte (also a UP faculty member) and Flor Lacanilao had both moved to the Aquaculture Department of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) in Iloilo where they tried a different approach: they kept milkfish in floating cages in their natural, marine environment and let nature take its course. Subjected to natural, seasonal changes in environmental factors, the milkfish spontaneously matured and spawned; external fertilization followed and baby fry were produced. Flor Lacanilao’s dream had finally come true! In subsequent years, they showed that the results were reproducible and studied the underlying hormonal mechanisms.

Suarez, R. K. (2008, January 10). Philippine science as world science: The case of milkfish reproduction. The Philippine Star, p. B-7.