Masasinge T. Hideos, a Palauan student attending University of Hawaii at Hilo, is participating in Palau International Coral Reef Center’s (PICRC) 2019 Summer Internship Program. This is the second time that Masasinge has interned with PICRC.

During him internship, Masasinge will be studying ocean acidification (OA) in Palau.   As carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels continue to increase, many of the CO₂ will dissolve in the ocean, changing its chemistry, lowering it pH and making the ocean more acidic.  The lowering of ocean pH or the ocean getting more acidic, is referred to as ocean acidification. read more

On Wednesday, June 12, 2019, President Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr. signed into law amendments to help with the implementation of the Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS) Act that was passed in 2015. The PNMS Act involves the whole of Palau’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Within Palau’s EEZ, which starts from 12 nautical miles out 200 nautical miles, 80% was designated as a no take zone where all forms of exploitations are banned, while the remaining 20% was designated as a domestic fishing zone, where fishing is allowed. The intent of the fully protected 80% no-take zone is conservation of our important resources. On the other hand, the intent of the domestic fishing zone is to help improve Palau’s economy and food security by helping to establish the domestic fishing industry for pelagic fish species and shift the fishing pressure from near-shore area, which targets reef fishes. read more

Tristen Isaac, a recent graduate from Palau Community College (PCC), is an intern in the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) Summer Internship Program.  For his internship project, Tristen will be monitoring small but chronic coral bleaching on the shallow coral reefs in the inner bays of Palau.

Tristen graduated from PCC this past spring where he majored in Environmental/Marine Science. Tristen looks forward to pursuing a career in marine conservation and is excited to be at PICRC to gain experience under the guidance of professional researchers. read more

Maikani Andres, a Palauan college student, is in Palau this summer attending the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) Summer Internship Program.  During her internship Maikani will focus on studying the status of fish populations in Palau.

Maikani is a junior at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, majoring in Marine Science. Maikani wishes to pursue a career in marine biology and chose to intern at PICRC so she can continue to learn about Palau’s coral reefs and the many threats they face. read more

On Monday, June 3, 2019, five interns joined the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) 2019 Summer Internship Program. This six-week summer internship provides practical work experience in the field of marine science. For this week, PICRC interns participated in a cultural immersion program to learn about Palau’s culture and traditions, as well as the cultural importance of marine resources in Palau. Additionally, they took part in agency visits to learn about the many conservation organizations and efforts in Palau. read more