'Drift nets on seabed' shock
Published on: Tuesday, June 05, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Drift nets placed on coral reefs is the latest tactic used by unscrupulous fishermen to lay their hands on the exotic and prized reef fish, the nets causing extensive damage to the reefs in the process. What is even more shocking is that this is taking place in the protected Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park (TTAR) islands due to the crackdown on fish bombing which was also destroying the reefs. Concerned divers have taken the initiative to tackle this problem together with Sabah Parks by removing these nets.ADVERTISEMENT Dive spokesperson Jude Junius said they were startled to find some reefs covered with these nets with dead fish in the nettings. "It all started somewhere in mid-March when a friend whom I introduced to diving discovered the first net that was around 200 to 300 metres in length. Not only were the nets new because of the absence of algae, there were dead fishes caught in the net. "The following day we decided to carry out a net-removal activity which took us two days because it was long and we had to make sure that we were not destroying the algae. It was a delicate work," he told Daily Express. Other dive shops who also became aware of the problem then decided to join the effort. ADVERTISEMENT Jude and his team approached other dive shops to give information and advice but even with their incessant efforts, they realized that carrying out the activity is not going to overcome the situation immediately."We started to ask for sponsorships from other dive shops for us to remove.
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But found out there were too many nets for us to remove on our own."We know these nets underwater are not only a nuisance to the fish but also to tourists whom carrying out subaquatic activity for they (the tourists) come here to see the natural beauty in the sea."Sooner or later this would scare the tourists away if we did not take the initiative to overcome this situation and that is why we collaborated with TTAR rangers to form a team to search and remove the nets stuck on the coral reefs," he added. "Tourists come to experience the aquatic beauty and we knew the number will decrease. They come here to see the coral reefs and schools of fish but what is there to see if there barely are fishes?" he asked.Following appropriate monitoring and surveying, the team carried out underwater cleaning up process which was no walk in the park. "We went out on the first day (May 3) at one of the dive sites located in the middle of Gayana and Sapi Island, the mission was a small success because we were able to remove four out of twelve nets which were about 100 to 200 metres long," he said, adding that the first day mission was carried out using one boat with 10 divers. During their first mission, fish traps were also discovered underwater believed dropped by fishermen and these caused damage to the reefs."If we do not take action, there will be no more schools of fish in the diving zones of the park. It will affect the eco-system badly. The fishes need the coral reefs and same goes for the coral reefs. But this will cause colossal imbalance if the fishing activities in the area are not dealt with," he added. Meanwhile, TTAR Park Manager Anthony Tinggi said although the joint effort was quite a success, initial work saw obstacles due to miscommunication between the diving community and the park. "At first we had miscommunication when complaints were made about the nets and our party searched the area mentioned but failed to find pinpoint the location."But thorough discussion with Jude led to the establishment of TTAR marine unit team with volunteers including divers shops to carry out the net removing works," he said via Whatsapp.He also commended the efforts and initiatives of the diving community but as well as resorts such as Gayana Island Resort who helped provide necessary equipment, including boat.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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He said Sabah Parks would plan for the appointment of several volunteer divers as "Friends of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park" or Honorary Rangers which will be submitted to the top management of the park for approval."There rangers will be the eyes and ears for us which is vital to aid the park in which they (the volunteers) will provide the relevant documents to submit to the park's higher management as to suggest this appointment initiative," he added. - Jeremy S Zabala