SMEE Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition - Working in Semporna
16/12/10 17:29 Filed in: Expedition | Productions
Nina Ho, a Conservation Marine Biologist based in Semporna, shares with us some of her impressions.
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SMEE Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition - "Agar-Agar" seaweed farming
15/12/10 22:21 Filed in: Expedition | Productions
Seaweed farming is one of the major alternative livelihoods for the people of Semporna.
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SMEE Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition - Harvesting the reef top
12/12/10 23:14 Filed in: Expedition | Productions
In many parts of Semporna, we find relatively intact corals but very few invertebrates and fish. This is an indication of overfishing. The communities who live on the islands around Semporna have very few alternatives other than fishing and collecting food from the reefs. Their entire life is based on removing organisms from the reefs. With better management, including no-take areas, the reefs can supply large amounts of natural resources. However, local communities also need more access to income from sources other than fishing and collecting - this can include aquaculture, tourism and other sources, but must be managed for sustainability.
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SMEE Semporna Marine Ecological Expediton - The first week
06/12/10 23:03 Filed in: Expedition | Productions
During the first week, we covered the entire "Borneo Barrier Reef" from Roach Reef to Ligitan Island and Si Amil. During that time the teams have visited 22 locations (and with 18 divers, this constitutes approximately 400 total hours underwater). The biodiversity team has made some remarkable discoveries and the reef status team continues to assess the health of the reefs. The reef status team has surveyed 4.4km of coral reef and the highest hard coral cover, so far, is 78%. With two more weeks of surveys remaining, Dr Bert Hoeksema has found 38 species of mushroom corals. The three richest places in the world have a total of 40 species each. Dr Charles Fransen has found 70 species of shrimps and is looking forward to continuing to search for 2 more weeks. Several of the shrimp species are unusual and need further study. Dr Kent Carpenter has found over 400 species of fish within the first week. These numbers are early indicators of a very rich biodiversity in the Semporna Priority Conservation Area. Sadly, we hear fish bombs every day and have encountered several un-exploded devices on the reefs. However, everyone is amazed at the richness and diversity of the reefs in Semporna and we look forward to the coming two weeks!
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SMEE Semporna Marine Ecological Expediton - Fish market science
07/12/10 23:01 Filed in: Expedition | Productions
Surveying coral reefs is particularly challenging because of the limited amount of time that a scientist can spend underwater, observing the reef. They are limited by the amount of air in their tank, the physiology of nitrogen in the human body, and limits of energy. Often, a visit to a fish market can yield many species that haven't been observed while underwater. A cursory visit to the Semporna fish market during the expedition's first "rest day" yielded 122 species of fish in one hour, of which 74 had not been seen during the first week of diving.
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Semporna: Sipadan & 48 Islands
11/07/10 09:50 Filed in: Productions
Semporna is fast becoming the new diving mecca in Borneo with a steadily increasing number of dive destinations, operators and specialized services for scuba diving enthusiasts. Read More...
WWF-Malaysia Awareness Campaign in Denawan Island
13/12/09 13:07 Filed in: Environmental
Treasure Images Director and Underwater Photographer Eric Madeja was invited by WWF-Malaysia to give a presentation on the dangers of destructive fishing methods such as dynamite fishing and cyanide use. Read More...