Iloilo City - Scientists from Southeast Asia and Japan are calling to intensified efforts to increase the stocks of threatened marine species to counter threats to food security in the region. They made the appeal on Friday at the end of the three-day regional technical consultation on stock enhancement conducted by the aquaculture department of the Iloilo-based Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). Among those identified as threatened are sea horses, giant clams, top shells, coral, sea cucumbers, whales and dolphins, marine turtles, sharks, and rays. The capture, collection, trade, and utilization of this species are banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) and other international agreements.

Burgos, N. P. Jr. (2005, July 18). Scientists urge culture of endangered species. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A21.