Tag - Environment

PUTATAN:  Universiti Malaysia Sabah Borneo Marine Reseach Institute (BMRI) will carry out another two more projects to release aquatic life into rivers this year. Disclosing this, the school’s director, Professor Dr Saleem Mustafa, said they were in the stage of discussion to plan the best strategy to implement the projects in the hope of producing sustainable supplies of marine life. He stressed that the selection of suitable marine life was vital, adding that several factors were taken into account such as its biological nature, natural habitat, economic factor and the support from the local community. “While we are working closely with the relevant bodies on this project, it will not succeed without the support and cooperation from the local community. We are looking forward to their feedback for the implementation of this first project launched today (yesterday),” he said referring to the launch of the first phase of the Lobster Ranching Project at the Muhibbah Hall in Petagas, here, by Deputy Chief Minister cum Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin. Saleem added that BMRI will hold discussion sessions from time to time to identify the suitable species to be released at several locations for the next phase. He said there have been requests from individuals to release fries or shrimps into the rivers. Saleem added that the project was initiated to rehabilitate and restock the fisheries in the rivers in Sabah. “This upgrading and fish releasing project is the latest science subject that has gained public interest due to its benefits,” he said. He added that while the quality of fries and shrimps produced is important, another vital factor is its new habitat. “That is why we hope that this district will not ignore the quality of environment, river and sea despite the race for development. “It is important for the people to help create a conducive and comfortable environment for their new ‘guests’ … let us do it for the good of biodiversity and fisheries here.” Source : The Borneo Post

PENAMPANG: GARBAGE is Sabah's number one threat that will drive away tourists if it is not addressed, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun. Over the years, the bulk of tourist complaints received by the ministry was the heaps of rubbish in the sea and on the streets. He said Sabah was blessed with beautiful nature, but if it was lost to trash, it would mar the state's image. "Tourists will not come to Sabah (if this problem is not overcome) and we will have no tourism and no job opportunities for the locals. "There have been some progress in the cleanliness of the city, but overall, it is still not satisfactory," he said at the Lestari Expo at SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin here yesterday. Lestari Expo is an environmental day organised by the school to raise awareness among students in sustaining the environment towards a better world. Masidi said his ministry, through the Department of Environmental Protection, had done research on three rivers in Inanam and the results were alarming. Following that, the ministry will set up a task force to conduct thorough studies and investigations. "The task force, comprising relevant stakeholders, is aimed at finding ways to recommend measures to resolve the problems." In praising the school for its efforts to keep the school and the district clean, Masidi suggested the state government allocate RM10,000 for it to carry out more environment-related work. The school made it into the Malaysia Book of Records after producing 110,751 effective micro-organisms mud balls to be thrown into drains and rivers here. In 2005 and 2006, the school beat others and won the "Program Sekolah Lestari-Alam Sekitar" award. "It is time the government recognised their efforts and help them so that the school will continue to perform better, not only academically, but in sports and the environment, too." Source :  New Straits Times

Kota Kinabalu: State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun, remains firm in his desire to see a ban on shark fishing and finning introduced in Sabah. He reasoned that if such a step was not taken now, sharks would inevitably go extinct even with a sanctuary in place and this would affect the livelihood of future generations. "At the rate we are catching sharks in our waters, I believe they will go extinct even during our lifetime. "The choice is basically postponing (sanctuary) the eventual and inevitable wiping of the shark population in Sabah or making life adjustments to save them," he told Daily Express, Saturday. Nevertheless, he pointed out there is no ban on both shark fishing and hunting yet in Sabah waters. "In the first place there is no ban yetÉthe proposed law or its details is not even in place. "But if we don't do anything now, the sharks would inevitably disappear altogether and the issue of some people losing their livelihood then becomes irrelevant. By then there would be no sharks to catch and those claiming that their livelihood is going to be affected by the proposed ban would be worse off. "But even worse is that we would have also killed our dive industry which is one of our biggest tourism earners annually and probably even more in the future," he said. "We are leaving a legacy in terms of economic opportunity for the future generations to partake and benefit. I believe that one of the roles of any responsible government is to add value to what have so that the future generations would have a better world to live in." Besides, he said the anti-shark killing movement all over the world is gaining momentum and have started to urge tourists to boycott countries that allow shark hunting. "I cant imagine the economic toll, especially on the State's tourism industry if they carry out their threat," he said. He said if the sharks become extinct, "they (who are against the proposed ban) will not only have lost their livelihood from shark finning and shark hunting but we would have also killed the dive industry that earns the State millions annually. "Not to mention loss of pro-sharks tourists who would stop coming to Sabah," he said. I hope we take into consideration the future well being of our people and the State by planning good policy now. The proposed shark ban, which created a stir among some quarters, including, restaurants, had its draft resolution endorsed by the State Cabinet last March. But it still needs a federal endorsement before it could be enforced and that requires amendments to the Fisheries act. A public forum was held to gather thoughts of people in the industry by the State Fisheries Department at the Tun Mustapha Mini Theatre on April 4. The proposed ban encountered opposition from restaurant operators on Friday, who suggested the Government accept the sanctuary proposal and impose bans only on tourist spots. Pan Malaysia Koo Soo Restaurant and Chefs Association Chairman, Lim Vun Chan said the ban would do no good for the local economy. "It is unfair for the government to try to impose the ban without discussing with those affected by the move," he said. Lim said in fact, Semporna tourism have not done much for its people since, tourists would only go straight to the jetty for the islands and back once they touch ground. Lim claimed that proprietors would leave no parts of the sharks go to waste and not as claimed by some activists that sharks are being killed only for its fins. The idea of a shark sanctuary came about after British shark expert, Rohan Perkins who proposed that one way for the State to save its shark is via setting up such mechanism. He said the shark species found in Sabah is of home-range type, not moving more than 1-5km radius from home and thus setting up a sanctuary would prove to be the safe haven for them. Source : Daily Express

Kota Belud: If you were angered by the thought of sharks being caught for their fins and then thrown back into the sea where they ultimately die, read on. There's even more to human cruelty. Three protected hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys Imbricata) - the majestic creatures you get to see in tourism promotion commercials - were left to die in the waters off the Mantanani islands after their shells were forcibly removed and their eyes punctured to blind them. The gruesome discovery of the turtles, which can grow up to a metre long and weigh around 80 kilogrammes, was made by staff of a tour operator here on April 20. Lionel Aaron Lingam, a marine conservation officer with Mari Mari Mantanani Travel and Tour, said this was the first time he had seen something like this at the islands since he started working there. According to him, their boatman saw a turtle floating towards the dive lodge's jetty around 10.50am and that was when he asked one of his crew members to guide it closer for them to have a look. "We were all in disbelief as the poor thing which was a female was already very weak after having its shell removed and eyes poked." "Sadly, the white coloured turtle was dead after 20 minutes," he said, adding that they buried the turtle at Mantanani Kecil. Another turtle was discovered at about 5pm the same day, floating between Mantanani Besar and Mantanani Kecil. "The second turtle was smaller and we couldn't identify whether it was male or female," he added. The third one was spotted in a similar state - minus its shell and eyes blinded - near a jetty at Mantanani Besar. Lingam said the locals told him that people from the island resort to such cruelty to make souvenirs. "Unfortunately, we have no evidence to pin-point exactly who had done these cruel acts." It was learnt that representatives from the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) will be heading here to conduct a post mortem soon while representatives from the Sabah Wildlife Department are being expected on April 26. The World Conservation Union has classified hawksbill turtles as critically endangered and they are protected under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). It is among the four marine turtles that can be found in Malaysia and the largest population of hawksbills is found in the Turtle Islands of Sabah with an average of 500-600 nests each season. Other nesting places are in Malaysia are at Malacca, Johore and Terengganu. They are primarily found in tropical coral reefs and are usually seen resting in caves and ledges in and around these reefs throughout the day. As a highly migratory species, they inhabit a wide range of habitats, from the open ocean to lagoons and even mangrove swamps in estuaries. Like other marine turtles, hawksbills are threatened by the loss of nesting and feeding habitats, excessive egg-collection, fishery related mortality, pollution and coastal development. Source : Daily Express