In the Spotlight

Malaysian Dive Centres rally to remove net from corals Earth Day 2010 

April 2010 - The campaign to remove a fishing net at Tokong Bahara Marine Park, Malaysia began on Dive for Earth Day 2010. The net was located by the local Marine Park Pahang who worked alongside Go Eco Dive Operators, B& J Diving and Eco Divers to rescue the reef.  Tioman dive centres rallied together to remove the net choking marine life and encompassing the coral. Eco Divers successfully cleared 2 of the 4 nets leaving the final effort to B& J Diving volunteers.

Eighty Metre Net Chokes Marine Life in Similan Islands, Thailand

October 2009 - During the low season a popular dive site in Thailand fell victim to an enormous fishing net. Divers recently discovered eighty metres of net smothering a large area of Koh Tachai Plateau, near Koh Tachai.

Removing the net, Similan Diving Safaris customers and staff discovered many damaged corals and other fish life.

"It appears the net had been there for the five month off season. The corals that weren't snapped or broken were obviously suffering from the effects of the algae covered net that had smothered them for so long. Some net still remains and other dive operators are continuing the cleanup," said Stephen from Similan Diving Safaris.

Armed with cutting tools, lift bags and crates the team worked together to remove the nets.  A dead moray eel clung to the net as divers slowly and delicately untangled it from both hard and soft corals. Small damsel fish, flatworms, crabs and the most effected murex shells were all fighting to stay alive within the corals. 

Bonaire National Marine Park, Netherlands Antilles

Thanks to the dedicated team from Bonaire's National Marine Park, 20 new mooring buoys were installed to protect Bonaire's fragile reefs. An increase in tourism has brought vessels larger in number and size so improvement projects like this are necessary to reduce environmental threats on the park. "Our team installed 20 permanent mooring buoys for the marine park with Project AWARE Foundation's support. This directly helps reduce impact on our local reef environments," said Ramon de Leon, Bonaire National Marine Park Manager.

Chuuk's Historic Preservation Project, Micronesia

Chuuk Lagoon's aquatic environment - like many coral reef nations - is threatened by coral bleaching, dynamite fishing and tourism. And this small, remote island nation has limited resources and capacity to deal with these problems and develop a regular, long term survey program. 

With support from Project AWARE Foundation, Chuuk's Historic Preservation Project developed a management and monitoring manual specific to Chuuk Lagoon. The group presented hands-on workshops for Chuuk residents focusing on monitoring and documenting coral health, human impacts, invertebrate populations and fish sightings. The group aims to fine-tune data collection techniques and ensure that monitoring surveys continue.