The Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) is happy to announce a generous donation of $300 from the women’s club Ipang Seineng of Koror.

The women hosted a gathering on October 8, Friday evening, underneath the Tommy Remengesau, Jr. Building, on PICRC grounds. PICRC’s Outreach office was able to make a presentation about ongoing projects at the Center. Focused on conservation and environmental education for the community and students, some of the mentioned projects included the Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS) Communications Working Group, the renovations and updates in the Palau Aquarium, and PICRC’s new classroom and science curriculum. After the presentation, Ipang Seineng presented their donation and expressed their continued support for the Center’s work. read more

The Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) is getting ready to welcome the community back into the Palau Aquarium. After closing for several months as a preventive measure against COVID-19, the Aquarium will be opening its doors to the public on Friday, October 23, 2020. The Aquarium welcomes all local residents for a FREE visit on this special holiday, United Nations Day from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The Palau Aquarium is one of the many educational tools that PICRC uses to inform the public about the Center’s research, while at the same time, teaching the community about Palau’s marine ecosystems and rich biodiversity. During the closure, PICRC performed major maintenance, repairs, and created new exhibits for the public to enjoy. read more

For over five years, the Palau International Coral Reef Center has been providing annual updates to the Rubekul Belau.  Keeping to this tradition, the Center met with the Rubekul Belau earlier this week, on October 6, 2020, to present progress to date on the Center’s newest mandate, the Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS).  In addition to sharing updates on the various facets of the PNMS, including ongoing efforts in education and awareness campaigns and research on the movement of tuna in and out of Palau, Dr. Yimnang Golbuu, the Chief Executive Officer of PICRC, also talked about the Center’s operations and their upcoming 20^th Anniversary in January 2021. read more

A new study released by the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) and the Bureau of Marine Resources (BMR), shows that the population of trochus in Palau has been increasing, in both size and number. Results of the study show a significant increase in density, population abundance, and size in each of the habitats surveyed from 2016 to 2019. The average size of all trochus counted was 9.34 cm, with 86% of the population greater than the legal harvest size of 3 inches (7.62 cm), and 48% of the population greater than 4 inches (10 cm).  During the last survey in 2016, trochus density at the reef crest was 146 individuals per hectare.  This year’s survey, the number has increased by nearly 20% to 757 individuals per hectare. Overall, trochus populations in Palau, both on the fore reef and reef crest habitats, is an estimated 3,385,995 individuals, where 2,909,980 individuals are of legal harvest size. read more

The Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) was recognized by the Organizing Committee of Palau’s 26^th Independence Day for its contributions to the Republic of Palau. On September 29, 2020, PICRC received a certificate of appreciation in recognition of its partnership and outstanding contribution to the Economic Stability, Development, and Growth of the Republic of Palau during the business luncheon for Partners and Sponsors of this year’s Independence Day celebration at Ming’s Restaurant, Palasia Hotel. read more