During a training workshop held January 11-13, 2013, a dozen PAMANA leaders received training on methods for leading focal group discussions and reporting financial, administrative, and research data. Their first data collection using the Cultural Consensus Model was reviewed by Dr. Pajaro and her research team and discussed relative to the future development of training programs and formal education. The goals of the workshop were to begin assessing the needs of PAMANA fisherfolk leaders as frontline researchers and to establish an initial feedback strategy so they could better understand the use of the research outputs and their emerging roles. With regard to field data collection activities, the project is focusing on four provinces: Catanduanes, Quezon, Isabela, and Aurora. The Haribon researchers are ahead of schedule in obtaining an initial dataset from Catanduanes, which will be used to assess the best approach for further province-wide activities in the broader Bicol Region. In Quezon and Isabela a collaboration framework was further defined by in-province meetings with the Provincial Government and the State University to prepare for activities scheduled for early 2014. In Aurora Province, the project was advanced through meetings leading to a letter of endorsement from the Provincial Health Office to work in collaboration with the Haribon team on their Ecohealth approach. Subsequently an orientation meeting was held with representatives from each of the eight Municipal Health Offices. Thanks to the foundation laid by these meetings, the team aims to move three to six months ahead of schedule in applying a combination of methodologies on the Cultural Consensus Model and best practice transfer on Action Research in Aurora.