Monday, October 30, 2006

Prof. Pepito M. Fernandez: An Educator, A Scientist and An Administrator

By

Melchor F. Cichon
April 27, 2005

In the next 15 to 20 years, the sea will become the basket of food to Filipinos.

That is if our people will not pollute it.

This was the prediction of Prof. Pepito Fernandez, the former dean of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of the Philippines in the Visayas, Miag-ao, Iloilo, when this writer interviewed him on September 1, 1997 at his office in Miag-ao, Iloilo.

He further said that since our arable land area is becoming smaller and smaller because of the conversion of lands into subdivisions and commercial centers, our people will focus their attention to the sea to seek food and livelihood.

He laments, however, that our government is not giving as much attention as it does to agriculture. This is one of the many reasons why he advocated together with Dr. Flor Lacanilao for the approval of the Fisheries Code. He believes that this Code will enhance greater fishery production. Of course, the results of this Code will not be immediate, but with an umbrella organization, like a Department of fisheries or a Fisheries Commission, coordination of programs, projects and activities on fisheries will be better managed.

And funding on fisheries will be optimized.

The Code was approved on February 25, 1998 as RA No. 8550 known as Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998. It is an act providing for the development, management and conservation of the fisheries and aquatic resources, integrating all laws pertinent thereto, and for other purposes.

No department nor a commission on fisheries was established. Instead the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was reconstituted, and a position of Undersecretary for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was created.

Prof. Fernandez also laments on the situation of fisheries education in the country. He said that many of our fisheries schools can not pass the standard for Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Diploma in Fisheries Technology Programs. He said that many of our fisheries schools and colleges lack human and physical resources. He knew this because he was a member of the committee who had been tasked by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) to evaluate tertiary fisheries schools in the country. By lack of human resources, he means the lack of highly trained faculty and research staff of these schools. According to him, a great majority of the faculty members of the tertiary schools in the country today do not have masteral degrees in fisheries or biology from reputable universities like U.P., Ateneo de Manila, and De La Salle University. Aside from this, the schools lack scientific equipment, books, journals and other reading materials on fisheries and related subjects to support their academic programs. Of course there are some fisheries colleges that have considerable human and physical resources, like the College of Fisheries of Central Luzon State University, the Iloilo State College of Fisheries and the Regional Institutes of Fisheries Technology (RIFT). But there are only seven RIFTs in the country. So we can see what kind of fisheries graduates we have.

What he envisions is a college of fisheries that “institutes degree programs that address the need for sustainable development of the country’s fisheries resources and can respond to the call for highly trained manpower in the field. Its curricular offerings both in the graduate and the undergraduate levels aim to impart to their students theoretical knowledge and practical skills, toward innovative approaches and solutions to fisheries and related problems.” In short, what we need are fisheries graduates who will lead and initiate changes to sustain fishery development in the Philippines.

It is good that there are colleges and universities like the University of the Philippines and the Central Luzon State University that have been producing graduates who have played significant roles in the upliftment of fisheries in our country. But again these are very few.

Prof. Fernandez was born on May 5, 1936 in Camiling, Tarlac. His father was a farmer, while his mother was a housewife.

Because of poverty, Pete, as he is fondly called by his colleages, worked his way to college.

While studying in high school at the Tarlac Agricultural College, he worked as a poultry caretaker of that school from 1953-1957. It was there where he developed his interest in research. As a caretaker of the poultry farm, he noticed that it was difficult to determine which hens were poor layers, so he suggested that each layer be caged individually. His supervisor approved his suggestion. And it proved his point. From then on, they knew which layer should be culled early or not.

The systematic method used by Pete in poultry husbandry caught the attention of their superintendent, Nemenzo Bacalso.

Because of this, Superintendent Bacalso enouraged Pete to take up agriculture.

In 1960, Pete enrolled at U.P. Los Baños taking up poultry husbandry. But after a year, through the encouragement of his relative, he transferred to the College of Fisheries, U.P. , Diliman, Quezon City. He thought that enormous challenges were awaiting him in fisheries than in agriculture.

And so far he has no regrets for having taken Fisheries as a career.

Immediately after finishing taking his Bachelor of Science in Fisheries degree in 1966, the College Dean, Prof. Rogelio O. Juliano employed him as research assistant in his research project. Upon termination of the Dean’s project, he applied for a work at the Commission of Fisheries at Port Area, Manila. But when he met Section Head Herminio R. Rabanal, he turned him down.

“This is not the place for you, Mr. Fernandez,” Chief Rabanal told him. “And even if there is a vacancy here,” the Chief further said, “still I will not take you in.” Rabanal must have thought that Prof. Fernandez could earn more money and experiences if he would work in another agency.

And Pete did look for a job in a private firm. He was employed at Litton Mills and Co. in 1968. It was in this company where Prof. Fernandez career as a fisheries scientist started. He worked there as a shrimp biologist together with two Japanese scientists. The project was successful that a new site was established in Tawi-Tawi to be headed by him.

To prepare for the position, he was asked to attend seminars on personnel administration in Manila. In one of his trips to Manila, he learned that the main plant of Litton Mills and Co. was burned down. This incident weakened the shrimp project. Although he was still receiving his salary even without working, he got bored. He decided to seek other employment. Although it was difficult to grant his request for the company already had invested some amount of money on him, he was eventually allowed to leave. But he pledged to come back if ever his services were needed.

He applied for a job at the UP College of Fisheries in Diliman, Quezon City. At that time the dean of the college was Prof. Rogelio O. Juliano. Luckily Prof. Juliano hired him as a Research Assistant. He was assigned at the Institute of Fisheries Development and Research (IFDR), 1968-1970.

In 1970, Prof. Juliano hired him as an instructor of the then College of Fisheries. After four years, Prof. Fernandez became the Secretary of the College. Ten years later, he was appointed as Chairman of Department of Inland Fisheries, College of Fisheries, U.P. Because of his good record as an administrator and other qualifications, Prof. Juliano appointed him as UP in the Visayas Vice-Chancellor for Administration, when the former became the second UPV Chancellor. Chancellor Juliano replaced Chancellor Dionisia Rola when the latter retired on April 30, 1987.

While employed as a faculty and administrator, Prof. Fernandez served as Aquaculture Consultant to some private agencies. Three of which are Trivino Fishpond Project, 1984-1987; DM Consunje Fishpond Project, 1984-1986; and Benguet Management Corporation., 1984-1986. It was here where he developed his pet project: modular method of raising sugpo (prawn).

According to him this method of sugpo farming gives a much higher production than the traditional one, up to 5 folds. Under natural feeding, it enables the farmer to harvest up to 5 times a year for an aggregate yield of up to 2 tons per hectare. If required at all, supplemental feeding maybe resorted to only during the later part of the culture period, or as the growth rates of the prawns so indicate. Thus, this method entails relatively low cost of production with very lucrative returns. The pond operates with three pond series of different bottom elevations. Four weeks or so after stocking the nursery pond (NP), growout pond (GP-1) would be prepared to accommodate the juveniles from the NP. While the stock are at the GP-1, the nursery pond and the grow-out pond two (GP-2) would be prepared to accommodate a new batch of postlarvae and the post juveniles from fry source and GP-1 respectively. The process goes on cyclically every 40-45 days. Moreover, the method maximizes the use of labor and space without altering so much the technical attitude and temperament of the fish farmers. Recommended pond ratio is 1:2.5-3:5-6 (NP:GP-1:GP-2).

His other vital research undertakings include (1) nursery technique for sugpo in pond. Here provisions of shelters are provided to ensure high survival rate up to 94% for a 30-day rearing from the postlarvae. This could be in the form of coconut frond; dried branches or twigs of bamboo or non-toxic indigenous materials tied into small bundles. (2) Crab (Scylla serrata) fattening in pens installed in pond and in mangrove areas. The pens inhibit the crabs from escaping and boring holes on the dikes and utilizes spaces in mangrove areas without cutting the vital trees.

He has written and published books, articles and monographs. Some of these are the following: Fishery Arts for Secondary Schools: Exploratory (co-author). MBF Mercantile Corp., Quezon City, 1980. 322p.; A Manual in Fish Culture III. (major author, together with Crispino A. Saclauso and Arnulfo N. Marasigan), UPV College of Fisheries, Iloilo City, 1987. 159p.; Philippine Recommends for Bangus, 1976 (co-athored with Rogelio O. Juliano, Flerida M. Arce, Melchor M. Lijauco and Leda G. Handog); “Prawn farming in the Philippines: problems and prospects,” UPV Fisheries Journal 1(1):13-22 1985.

For his many achievements in and out of the academe, Prof. Fernandez has received the following awards: Most Outstanding Alumnus (Fisheries), Tarlac College of Agriculture, Camiling, Tarlac, April 9, 1985; Most Outstanding Faculty Award of 1986, U.P. in the Visayas, April 28, 1987.

Although Dean Fernandez has already achieved many things which many other individuals have not, yet he still has some dreams. He hopes that his modular method of sugpo farming be adopted by sugpo farmers to avoid the many diseases that have plagued the industry; that fisheries education in our country be improved so we can train and produce not only technical fisheries graduates but future leaders and scientists who will help accelerate fisheries development in our country; that the objectives of the Fisheries Code be realized soonest so that fisheries as a whole in our country will be better managed. Finally, he hopes that our fisheries students will acquire the appropriate information and technologies to better equip them in fighting whatever challenges that will confront them.

Finally, when this writer asked Dean Fernandez how he should be remembered, he said: as a scientist, as an educator and as an administrator.


Bibliography

His curriculum vitae, 1996. 11p.
Personal Interview, September 1, 1997.

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Monday, October 16, 2006


Erlinda S. Ganzon-Naret:
The Rising Fisheries Nutrition Researcher
By

Melchor F. Cichon
October 17, 2006


Erlinda S. Ganzon-Naret was born on October 25, 1953 in Iloilo City from a poor family.

She is the 3rd child of Mr. Cirilo B. Ganzon and Mrs. Elena S. Ganzon (both deceased).

To survive, Indang, as her friends and colleagues fondly call her, used to vend cigarettes, melon juice and boiled bananas in their neighborhood in Iloilo City.

As a child, Indang dreamed of becoming a doctor, however due to the meager income of her parents she could not enroll to this medical profession.

But she could become a successful professional in another field.

So she studied hard.

She finished her elementary education at the Iloilo Central Elementary School in Iloilo City in 1966 and finished her secondary education with honors at the Iloilo City National High School in Molo, Iloilo City in 1970.

After graduating from high school, she took and successfully passed the Timawa Scholarship examination that was funded by the Iloilo City government. She enrolled at the University of San Agustin and took up a B.S. Biology degree. She graduated cum laude in 1974.

In April 1978, she applied as Research Assistant at UP Brackishwater Aquaculture Station under the research project funded by the National Science Development Board (NSDB).

To further develop her potential as an effective researcher, Ms. Naret was allowed to take a master’s degree in Aquaculture at the UP in the Visayas (UPV) as a UNDP-FAO-UPV scholarship grantee. This was part of the faculty and staff development program of UPV, and was conferred the degree in 1989.

Again, in 1990, she was able to get her Master of Agriculture at the West Visayas State University in Iloilo City.
With this background, she carves her way to fisheries nutrition.

She finds this aspect of fisheries science challenging because it entails a lot of patience and sacrifices just to get reliable results. And find satisfaction when the finished article is published in a peer-reviewed journal. In most cases, she has to work overtime to carefully monitor his experiment and to write acceptable journal articles.

Her researches focus on fish nutrition particularly on rabbit fishes, sea bass, and tilapia using indigenous feed ingredients and live feeds to sustain fish production. (Please see some of her publications at the end of this write-up)

Indang has served as a project leader on the effects of different protein levels on the growth, food conversion and survival of sea bass (Lates calcarifer) in brackishwater ponds in March 1988 until March 1989.

This was followed by another project on the performance of young sea bass (Lates calcarifer) fed with fish silage in April 1994 until March 1995.

As a result of her researches, she was able to attend the Third Asian Fisheries Forum in Singapore on October 26-30, 1992 and the Fourth Asian Fisheries Forum in Beijing , China on October 15-21, 1995.

In May 2004, she presented her research on The Effect of Dietary Inclusion of Selected Soy Products as Partial Replacement for Fish Meal on the Growth and Feed Utilization of Oreochromis niloticus at the 7th Asian Fisheries Forum in Penang, Malaysia.

Prior to this, Ms.Naret attended the Training Course for Senior Aquaculturists in Asia and the Pacific in India , China and Thailand in March 1988 to March 1989. She also attended the international training course on aquaculture and extension in Israel in June-July, 1993.

In recognition of her dedicated and meritorious contributions to fisheries, Ms. Naret received, among others, the following awards:

1. International Publication Award for 2006 for research paper entitled: Comparison of fatty acid profile between cultured and wild caught grouper Epinephelus cioides. In Aquaculture Science 53(2):127-134 (2005)

2. Outstanding Professional Jubilarian Award in the Field of Fisheries, July 23, 2004 given by the UP Alumni Association (UPAA) Iloilo Chapter.

3. Chancellor's Award for the Most Outstanding Research, Extension and Professional Staff (REPS) given by the UPV on July 25, 2003.

4. 2004 Most Outstanding CFOS Research, Extension and Professional Staff (REPS), July 2, 2004, UPV-CFOS 60th Foundation Day.

5 .International Publication Award for 2003 given on March 17, 2004 for her research paper entitled: Performance of indigenous protein sources as diets for tilapia under laboratory condition. This was published in Fisheries Science, vol. 68, Supplement 1, pp. 797-800.

6. UPV Service Award for 25 years of service, given on July 25, 2003.

7. Platinum award given by UPV Employees Cooperative in February 2005.
Ms. Naret is also a member of Asian Fisheries Society, and of the National Research Council of the Philippines.

Her publications include the following:

1. Naret, E. S. G., Koshio, S. Teshima, S. and Ishikawa, M. 2005. Utilization of solvent extracted soybean meal in pelleted feed for Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). UPV J. Nat. Sci. 10(1):9-16.

2. Toledo , JD, Naret, E.S.G., Nakagawa, H. 2005. Comparison of fatty acid profile between cultured and wild caught grouper, Epinephelus coioides. Aquqculture Science 53(2):127-134.

3. Naret, E.S. G., Koshio, S., Teshima, S., Ishikawa, M. 2005. Performance of indigenous protein sources as diets for tilapia under laboratory condition. Fisheries Science 68 Supplement I, pp. 797-800.

4. Naret, E.S.G. 2002.Performance of young sea bass (Lates calcarifer) fry fed diets with fish silage. UPV J. Nat Sci. 4:32-40.

5. Naret, E.S. G. 1995. Effects of different protein levels on the growth, feed conversion and survival of sea bass (Lates calcarifer) in brackishwater ponds. In Proceedings of the Fourth Asian Fisheries Forum in Beijing , China , October 16-20, 1995.

6. Naret, E.S.G., Fermin, A. C. 1994. Effect of delayed feeding of Artemia salina and partial replacement of Moina macrocopa on growth and survival of sea bass, Lates calcarifer (Bloch) larvae. Israel Journal of Aquaculture-BAMIDGEH 46 (1):48-52.

7. Naret, E.S. G., Catedrilla, L. 1994. Culture of Siganus guttatus in brackishwater ponds. Philippine Scientists 31:58-66.

8. Naret, E. S. G. 1991. Effect of supplementary diets containing various levels of protein on the growth and survival of Siganus guttatus in ponds planted with lumut. Fisheries Research Journal of the Philippines 16(1-2):15-21.

9. Naret, E. S. G. 1990. Effects of incorporating farmyard manures on soil organic matter under submerged condition. Graduate Research Paper. Master of Agriculture. West Visayas State University , 2nd semester 1990.

From a Research Assistant in 1978, Ms. Naret now works as a University Researcher III at the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of the Philippines in the Visayas, Miag-ao, Iloilo.

She now resides in Miag-ao, Iloilo with her husband, Jose Naret of Miag-ao, Iloilo , and their four children: Ma. Ellen Rose, Jlyn, Joe Carlo, and JC Vincent.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Claro T. Martin

Claro T. Martin: The Prolific Philippine Fisheries Researcher of His Time

By

Melchor F. Cichon
August 2006

Two years from now, specifically on August 10, 2008, the family, if not the town of Malolos, Bulacan, will celebrate the centennial birthday of Claro Tolentino Martin.

Who is Claro T. Martin?

Martin was born on August 10, 1908 in Malolos, Bulacan to the couple Antonio Martin and Julia Tolentino. But his last known residence was in Bautista St., San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City.

The young Claro grew up to become one of the earliest Filipino molders of fisheries researches in the Philippines.He married twice and was blessed with six children. He married his first wife, Edna Buck, on March 7, 1929; and his second, Juliana Millan, on December 12, 1952. Their children were Rosalinda, Hector, Victor, Rose Marie, Clarence and Anton.

He finished his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of the Philippines in 1927.

After which, he worked as Assistant at the Division of Fisheries, Bureau of Science most probably just after his graduation in 1927. The following year, he was promoted as Asst. Ichthyologist in the same office.

After several years of working from the different offices of the Bureau of Science and from the Bureau of Fisheries, he became the Chief of the Division of Fisheries Technology, 1947-1957. He also served as contributing editor to the Philippine Journal of Fisheries.

He was a member of several societies and organizations like the Philippine Scientific Society; National Research Council of the Philippines; Fisheries Society of the Philippines; Zoological Society of India; The Academy of Zoology, Agra, India; Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science, Phi Sigma fraternity (Alpha Chi chapter, U.P. biological Society).

It was during these periods that Mr. Martin conducted a lot of studies on fisheries and published his findings in various publications more particularly in the Philippine Journal of Science.

His scientific studies on fisheries will show us the extent of his contributions to the early researches on Philippine fisheries. He did not only work on fisheries resources, but he also focused his attention on the possibility of industrializing fisheries in the country. He also wrote on the post-harvest aspect of Philippine fisheries. The concept of coastal resources management was not in his consciousness then, but in his welcome remarks at the Dagat-Dagatan Fishery Experimental Station, Malabon, Rizal on December 8, 1959, he sounded a warning to the legistrators "that in the program of industrialization the compensatory bad effect of industrial plants through pollution of the water by the effluents from them should not be overlooked."

So far, this writer has captured 27 published articles and pamphlets, both in popular and in scientific journals like the Philippine Journal of Science.

Here is the complete list.

Martin, Claro and Heraclio R. Montalban. 1934. Philippine Sillaginidae, Philippine Journal of Science 55(3):221-229.
Martin, Claro and Heraclio R. Montalban. 1935. Philippine Parapercidae. Philippine Journal of Science 56(2):215-227.
Adams, Wallace, Heraclio R. Montalban and Claro Martin. 1932. Cultivation of bangos in the Philippines.Philippine Journal of Sciences 47(1): 1-38
Martin, Claro . 1934. Methods of smoking fish around Manila. Philippine Journal of Science 55(1):79-89.Martin, Claro. 1935. The catching of alamang (Palaemonetes sp.) in Bulacan, Bulacan with special reference to the destructive method. National Research Council of the Philippines. Bulletin No. 9, p. 13 (abstract)
Roxas, Hilario A. and Claro Martin. 1937. A checklist of Philippine fishes. Manila, Bureau of Printing. 314p. (Philippine commonwealth). Dept. of Agriculture and Commerce. Technical bulletin 6.
Martin, Claro 1938. Two new Philippine fishes. Philippine Journal of Science 66(3):387-389.
Martin, Claro. 1938. The flying fish industry of the northwestern and southwestern coast of Cebu. Philippine Journal of Science 67(2):177-184.
Martin, Claro.1938. Tuna fisheries and long line fishing in Davao Gulf, Philippines. Philippine Journal of Science 67(2):189-198.
Martin, Claro and H. R. Montalban. 1938. Philippine Parapereidae. Phil. J. Sci 67:189.
Martin, Claro. 1938. The fisheries of the province of Oriental Negros, Cebu, and Bohol. National Research Council of the Philippines. Bulletin no. 19, pp. 121-122 (abstract).
Martin, Claro. 1939. Cultivation of bangos in the Philippines. Philippine Commonwealth. Dept. of Agriculture and Commerce. Popular Bulletin no. 12.
Martin, Claro. 1939. Two rare Philippine fishes. Philippine Journal of Science 66:387-389.
Martin, Claro. 1946. Bangos culture. 8p. (Philippines Republic. Dept. of Agriculture and Commerce. Food Production Series. Leaflet No. 6.
Martin, Claro. 1946. Preparation of fish sauce (patis). 4p. Philippines Republic. Dept. of Agriculture and Commerce. Food Production Series. Leaflet no. 9.
Martin, Claro. 1949. Notes on experimental canning of fish at fish preservation station in Estancia, Iloilo Province. Manila, Bureau of Printing. 15p. (Philippines. Republic. Dept. of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Popular Bulletin no. 28. Also in Fisheries Gazette, May 1960, v. 5, no. 5, p. 2-12.
Martin, Claro and Herbert Warfel. 1951. Outlook for industrialization of Philippine fisheries. Philippine Journal of Fisheries 1(1):99-103; Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council Proceedings, 2nd Meeting, 1950, Sections II and III, p. 153. (abstract)
Villadolid, Deogracias V., Heraclio R. Montalban and Claro Martin. 1948. Role of fresh-water fisheries and fish farms in increased pond production. Farming and Cooperatives (11):12-31.
Martin, Claro. 1952-1953.Commercial miscellaneous aquatic products and their uses. Bulletin of the Fisheries Society of the Philippines 3-4:35-40.
Martin, Claro. 1952-53. Outstanding research on fish and fisheries in the Philippines. Bulletin of the Fisheries Society of the Philippines 3-4:101-109; Philippine fisheries Yearbook, 1953, pp. 66-68,247, 282.
Martin, Claro and Augusto D. Manalo. January 11, 1953. Methods of preservation and processing of fish. Philippine Herald Agricultural Weekly 1(15): 8.
Martin, Claro. March 1954. The fisheries of the Capiz-Masbate sector of the Visayan sea. Agricultural and Industrial Life 16(3);50-51.
Martin, Claro and Jose .I.Sulit. 1955. Studies on the preparation of salted fish paste (bagoong) from dried dilis (Stolephorus indicus). Philippine Journal of Fisheries, 3(1):39-45.; Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council Proceedings, 4th Meeting, 1952, Section II, p. 258 (abstract); Fisheries Gazette, Sept. 1960, vol. 4, no. 9, p. 26-27; Nutrition News, Oct-Dec 1957, vol. 9, no. 4, p. 19-20.
Martin, Claro. 1959. Preliminary results of the marine fishery biological research program. Manila, Agricultural Information Division, Dept. of agriculture and Natural Resources. 15p. (Technical bulletin no. 26)
Martin, Claro and Inocencio Ronquillo. 1960. Marine fisheries biology research. National Research Council of the Philippines Bulletin No 45, pp. 213-214.
Martin, Claro and Priscilla Cases-Borja. 1962. The status of marine fisheries biological research programme. Philippine Fisheries Yearbook, 15th anniversary issue, pp. 36-44.
Martin, Claro, Leticia Brillo, Constancio N. Legaspi, Teodoro G. Megia, Gregorio T. Velasquez and Deogracias V. Villadolid. 1962. Marine research and training in the Philippines. Science Review 3(3):5-11, 20.
Mr. Martin was a well-travelled man. Almost every year, he was sent to local and international meetings/conferences where he presented the Philippine fisheries situations.

Below is the list of meetings/conferences he attended:

1948—Sub-Area Committee Meeting under the auspices of FAO Buitenzorg, Java.
1949—Inaugural Session of the Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council, Singapore
1950—Second session, Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council, Cronulla, N.S.W., Australia
1952--Fourth Session, Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council, Quezon City
1953--Eight Pacific Congress
1954--Pacific Regional Seminar on "Teaching About U.N. and Education for International Understanding, Quezon City
1955--Sixth Session, Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council, Tokyo.
1955—UNESCO-Sponsored Meeting of Representatives of Marine Sciences Institutes of the Indo-Pacific region, Tokyo
1957—Seventh Session, Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council, Bandung, Indonesia
1958—United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, Geneva (Adviser on Fisheries to the Philippine Delegation)
1959—UNESCO-Sponsored Regional Conference of Specialists on Marine Sciences, Saigon, South Vietnam
1959—Tenth Session of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome1961—Ninth Session, Indo-Pacific Fisheries council, Karachi, Pakistan
1962—UNESCO-sponsored Regional Meeting of Representatives of Marine Sciences Institution in East and Southeast Asia, Manila (Chairman of Philippine Delegation)

For his exemplary works, he received two awards: In 1931, he was sent by the Philippine government as a pensionado for a study tour in the United States, and the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources conferred him a Merit Award on Fishery Technology (no date given).

Hopefully, what Mr. Martin had worked for had given inspirations to our contemporary fisheries scientists.

Sources::

Blanco, G. J. and H. R. Montalban. 1951. A bibliography of Philippine fishes and fisheries. Philippine Journal of Fisheries 1(2):115-138 (Republished edition, 1977)
His Curriculum Vitae. No date. Typescript.