Coral Reef Squadron

PHUKET DEEP SEA PORT: Muslim clerics and Buddhist monks held religious services on the morning of November 15 to bless 10 aircraft that will be be sunk off Bang Tao Bay to create the “Coral Reef Squadron,” the first artificial reef project of its kind in Thailand.

The services started at 10:30 am with a ceremony led by Muslim Wittaya School teacher Doroning Sacheh. Also taking part were Phuket Islamic Council chairman Bamroong Samphaorat and committee member Hameed Longji, other Muslim Wittaya teachers and Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorJor) President Manote Panchalad.

The Muslim blessing was followed by a Buddhist blessing ceremony, conducted by five monks, that lasted until noon.

After the ceremonies, work began on moving the ten aircraft by crane onto waiting barges that will ferry them to the project site, located about one kilometer offshore.

The aircraft were originally meant to be sunk early in May, but the onset of stormy monsoon-season weather caused project organizers 'For Sea Foundation' to postpone the sinking until this month for safety reasons.

According to the project schedule, the loading work will take place through November 22, with the barges departing for the project site on November 23.

The sinking of three planes and six helicopters, expected to take four days, will commence November 24.

The sinking of the final Dakota is scheduled to begin at 9 am on the morning of Saturday, November 29.

When all this is completed, there will be a grand opening ceremony with Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat expected to preside.

Rainer Gottwald, who heads the Thai Dive Association (TDA) committee responsible for the sinking of the aircraft, said yesterday that everything is going according to schedule and all of the aircraft have now been moved to the edge of the wharf.

Mr Gottwald said he is hoping good conditions at Ao Panwa continue, as the loading of the aircraft with their concrete block supports onto barges is delicate work that requires very calm seas to do safely.

Divers will be able to explore the Coral Reef Squadron as early as November 30, he said.

So far, no fee has been set for people visiting the site, but the TDA is discussing with OrBorJor Cherng Talay the possibility of charging a small fee, in return for which divers would get a small souvenir.

However, he revealed that TDA divers are already surveying sites off Khao Lak, where they are planning their second artificial reef project with the help of the Hotel General Managers’ Club of Khao Lak.

The hoteliers would like to have an artificial reef project off the coastline to boost tourism in the resort area, which is still recovering from the devastation of the 2004 tsunami.

http://www.phuketgazette.net/dailynews/index.asp?id=6912

Scientists Report Major Steps Towards 1st Census of Marine Life

The 2,000-strong community of Census of Marine Life scientists from 82 nations today announced astonishing examples of recent new finds from the world’s ocean depths.

In the fourth highlights report issued since the global collaboration began in the year 2000, Census scientists say their work is:

• Compiling an unprecedented number of “firsts” for ocean biodiversity;
• Advancing technology for discovery;
• Organizing knowledge about marine life and making it accessible;
• Measuring effects of human activities on ocean life;
• Providing the foundation for scientifically-based policies;

According to Ian Poiner, chair of the Census’s International Scientific Steering Committee and Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Marine Science:

“The release of the first Census in 2010 will be a milestone in science. After 10 years of new global research and information assembly by thousands of experts the world over, it will synthesize what humankind knows about the oceans, what we don’t know, and what we may never know – a scientific achievement of historic proportions.”

An email that should be read

Please read the email I recieved today...


Hello all,

I'm not in the habit of contacting everyone in my inbox (especially both personal and work) regarding issues, but yesterday I saw something that has spurred my normally (non tree-hugging, non-vegetarian) laid back attitude into life. As such, I would be very grateful if you could read this mail (in which you will be happy to know you are Bcc'd so you don't get every single response) to the end before committing it to your deleted items. Many thanks in advance,

Mik.

The pictures I have attached to this message were taken in Tesco Phuket (where I live....in Phuket, not Tesco's) on the 6th October 2008 and show, for those who don't open attachments willy nilly, 500g packets of Shark Fin freely available in the freezer cabinet. For anyone not from the UK, Tesco is the largest supermarket chain in the UK.



Wondering what the big deal is? OK, first thing to do is open the following link and watch to the end so that you can see how shark fin is obtained (and be talked through things by award winning director Ang Lee)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkxoRPv4ugE&feature=related

As you can see, this is not exactly the most humane of processes, and I had to root around a bit to find a relatively tame video!! But before you fin them, you have to catch them, right? The vast majority of sharks are caught by long lining. Now, I'm sure that most of you buy tinned tuna that is 'dolphin friendly', i.e. not caught on long lines, as there was a massive public outcry that the by-catch on these lines (that are generally in excess of 20km in length) such as turtles, dolphins, sea birds and so on was a disgrace. Companies listened, as profits were taking a big hit, and lo and behold tuna is now generally obtained from non-long lining sources. But the long lining continues in order to catch sharks, and so the 'useless by-catch' is still being caught. Oh, and by the way, the lines have to be baited (and 20km+ requires a lot of bait)....but what to use? One of the most common baits is illegally caught dolphin. Getting angry yet?

OK, back to the sharks. Once the sharks are on the long line, one of two things happens. Either they struggle, get caught up in the line and suffocate as they can't move around to move water through their gills, or they get dragged aboard the boat alive, have their fins removed, and are thrown back in the water alive where they sink to the bottom and die. Slowly. At this point you may be wondering a couple of things.

Firstly...why do they throw away the shark? Well, shark meat doesn't store well and is worth comparatively nothing compared to the fins. Also, it takes up lots of space on a fishing boat that could be taken up with lots more valuable shark fin.

Secondly...why the fins? Shark fin soup is a popular (and expensive) Chinese delicacy. It is sold in huge numbers in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Taiwan, Seoul, and Tokyo among many others. In fact, have a look in your local yellow pages and you'll probably find restaurants selling it not too far away from your home, wherever you live. It is often seen as a status symbol but is also popular in Chinese medicine as sharks are seen as strong creatures. Eat the strong creature and become strong yourself. Quite. Interestingly, shark fin is boiled and bleached before use to remove it's natural (apparently unpleasant) taste and so shark fin soup will generally taste of the broth it is cooked in, usually pork or chicken.

Thirdly...is this legal? Well, yes and no. Any country with a coastline is responsible for laws and regulations pertaining to fishing in their waters, and only 17 of these countries have currently outlawed shark finning. Some countries have implemented legislation against it, but they have not outlawed it completely.

But back to Tesco for a moment. It's worth noting here that regardless of the legality of the practice, shark finning is contrary to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) International Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks. Here's a quote from Tesco's website for you. "We are playing our part in seeking to maintain a viable and long-term future for wild fish and shellfish populations. We seek to buy all our seafood from responsibly managed fisheries. We use the United Nations' Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries as our sourcing reference." Interesting. Maybe they fell asleep before they got to the bit about sharks.

I could go on and on about this subject all day, and probably through the night and into tomorrow, but I realise that some of you may not be particularly interested so I'll quit while I'm ahead. But that said, please check out the following links and make your own decisions....

www.stopsharkfinning.net
www.sharkwater.com/education.htm (and watch the movie, it's heart-breaking and inspiring in equal measure)
www.bite-back.com/sharks.htm

These were just chosen at random from a myriad of large anti-shark finning organisations.

Want to do something about it? Contact Tesco, their e-mail address is customer.service@tesco.co.uk. I've already mailed them about the issue and am awaiting a response. They also have a 'Corporate Responsibility Team', although these guys may live in the middle ages as they have neither e-mail or a phone number. If you want to write an old fashioned letter (or maybe send a carrier pigeon), their address is...

Corporate Responsibility Team
Tesco PLC
New Tesco House
Delamare Road
Cheshunt
Hertfordshire
England EN8 9SL

If you're now half and half as to whether to do anything, I've attached a text file to this e-mail. It's a copy of the mail I sent to Tesco (with minor changes, after all I'm sure they won't believe everyone on this list was in Tesco Phuket on yesterday), and all you have to do is cut and paste it into a new mail and send it to the e-mail address above. Don't forget to put your name at the bottom. This will take only two minutes of your time.

And I have two final things to say. For anyone who has read this and is thinking that sharks are evil tooth filled killing machines, here's a little fact...

Sharks kill on average 5 people every year, which is less than are killed by either soft drinks dispensers or chairs (seriously). It is also significantly less than the 130 people killed by Americas biggest 'man-killer' every year. The deer.

Is it worth the 11000 sharks killed hourly around the globe? Please help to stop this abhorrent trade and forward this mail to anyone you think may care.

Many thanks,

Mik.

100s of new creatures found on Australian reefs

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — Marine scientists have discovered hundreds of new animal species on reefs in Australian waters, including brilliant soft corals and tiny crustaceans, according to findings released Thursday.


The creatures were found during expeditions run by the Australian chapter of CReefs, a global census of coral reefs that is one of several projects of the Census of Marine Life, an international effort to catalog all life in the oceans.

"People have been working at these places for a long time and still there are literally hundreds and hundreds of new species that no one has ever collected or described," said Julian Caley, a scientist from the Australian Institute of Marine Science who is helping to lead the research.



"So in that sense, it's very significant in that if we don't understand what biodiversity is out there, we don't have much of a chance of protecting it," he said.




Scientists at several Australian museums have begun the complex process of working with the samples for genetic barcoding and taxonomy, the formal system of naming living things. That work is expected to take years, Caley said.

Among the creatures researchers found were about 130 soft corals — also known as octocorals, for the eight tentacles that fringe each polyp — that have never been described in scientific literature, and scores of similarly undescribed crustaceans, including tiny shrimp-like animals with claws longer than their bodies.

The 10-year census, scheduled for final publication in 2010, is supported by governments, divisions of the United Nations and private conservation organizations.

The Australian researchers conducted three expeditions, one each in the waters off the Great Barrier Reef's Lizard and Heron islands, and one in the Ningaloo Reef, on Australia's northwest coast. Thousands of samples were collected during the three-week research trips, which took place between April and September.


Researchers plan to explore the three sites annually for the next six years to learn more about soft corals, which are poorly understood, despite making up a large part of the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists are also looking to catalog how many animal species live on Australia's coral reefs, how many are unique to the reefs and how they respond to human disturbance.

Researchers also pegged 36 plastic house-like structures to the ocean floor in various locations around the three sites. Animals are likely to be attracted to the structures and make them their home. Researchers will go back and study the life inside each house over the next few years. The structures will also be placed in reefs in other parts of the world, providing a standardized method for studying marine life internationally, Caley said.



The project marks the first time any group has made a concerted effort to understand the biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef, said Ron Johnstone, a marine science professor at the University of Queensland who is familiar with the research.

The scientists' findings could have direct benefits for humans, Johnstone said. Marine life is used in medicines, and the creatures could also provide clues as to how they cope with climate change and pollution — issues people wrangle with as well.

"Some people say, 'Going out and collecting samples — of what value is that?'" he said. "It's a bit like saying we don't know what we have in the shop so we don't know what we can use to survive, and at the same time we don't know what bits of the machine fit together to make it work."
On the Net:

By KRISTEN GELINEAU

* CReefs: http://www.creefs.org

An Uneasy Eden

A rare, pristine reef turns out to be a landscape of fear, where predatory fishes reign and their prey is in hiding.

By Kennedy Warne

Source - National Geographic Magazine - July 2008




Tropic breezes rustle the palms, a turquoise sea laps white sand, and below the surface a coral reef teems with photogenic fish. What could possibly be wrong with this postcard scene? Enric Sala, a marine ecologist, says such a seemingly flourishing reef might actually be an ecosystem in distress.



Ambush specialist, a blackside hawkfish lurks amid coral to surprise smaller fish and crustaceans. A mid-level player in the food web, the hawkfish must strike swiftly and retreat to its hiding place, or else a red snapper, larger and equally vigilant, may grab it.



This radical notion fits with what Sala, a National Geographic Fellow, has observed during two recent expeditions to Kingman Reef, part of a chain of Pacific atolls and islands (called the Line Islands) that straddles the Equator 1,000 miles south of Hawaii. Places like Kingman, remote and near pristine, preserve a record of the world when the human footprint was light. They provide a reference point against which to measure change and a blueprint for conservation. But they are a scarce resource. "Worldwide, there are maybe 50 reefs in this sort of condition," says Sala. He chose the Line Islands because they provide a gradient of human impact—from uninhabited, unmodified Kingman Reef at one end to ecologically degraded Kiritimati (Christmas Island), with a population of more than 5,000, at the other.



Kingman's 30-mile triangle of coral encloses a lagoon the size of Manhattan Island. Above water, nothing grows. The only dry land consists of a few spits of sun-whitened coral rubble and the dead shells of giant clams. But beneath the surface is a world of rare luxuriance. The reef is a glittering city of staghorn, mushroom, pillar, and plate corals packed so tightly together there is hardly a patch of bare sand. Through their interstices dart fusiliers and damselfish, butterflyfish and parrotfish, and scores more of the plankton sippers, coral nibblers, and algae grazers that populate a reef-fish community.



Patrolling above the coral skyline are the reef 's overlords: gray and whitetip reef sharks and hordes of aggressive red snappers. Indeed, fully 85 percent of Kingman's fish biomass is in the form of these large predators, and three-quarters of the predator biomass is sharks—the opposite of the conventional reef snapshot, with rainbow throngs of aquarium-size fishes frolicking in a coral garden and barely a predator in sight. Kingman's proportion of apex predators, the top tier of the traditional biomass pyramid, is greater than has been found in any other coral reef ecosystem. Here the biomass pyramid is turned on its head.




Sharks - Whitetip and gray reef - prowl Kingman's waters for food. Cloud-like schools of fish, a common sight at most reefs, hardly exists here. The healthy abundance of large predators, accounting for 85 percent of the fish biomass, forces most prey fish into hiding.



At first glance, an upside-down pyramid is counterintuitive. On land, we are familiar with the notion that an apex predator, such as a lion, must eat many wildebeests to survive. But imagine a world with one pound of wildebeest for every five pounds of lion. The only way an inverted pyramid can function is if there is rapid turnover of biomass at the lower levels. Prey must be fast growing and quick to replenish; predators must grow slowly and live long. This seems to be the case at Kingman Reef. In the warm tropical waters, many prey species spawn several times a year, replenishing their stocks as rapidly as the predators deplete them. Even so, the prey barely manage to sustain the predators: Researchers found the stomachs of red snappers at nearby Palmyra Atoll, another protected reef, mostly empty. The picture that emerges of life on a healthy reef is one of abundant predators living in perpetual hunger and scarce prey living in perpetual fear.



The divers who found it said that from a distance it looked like a flying saucer. On closer examination, ecologist Enric Sala sees a stupendous lobe coral that maybe 500 years old. According to reef expert Jim Maragos, the species is likely new to science.



If predator-dominated Kingman represents the gold standard for coral reefs, how does the removal of large carnivores through fishing affect coral communities elsewhere, such as in Kiritimati? As the report from the Line Islands shows, overfishing can unleash a population boom of smaller fish. The reef might appear luxuriant for a time, but in a matter of decades its ecosystem can unravel from a wonderland of marine diversity into a sediment-choked ecological desert.



"Eliminating the top predators speeds the turnover rate of the entire reef community," Sala says. Through mechanisms not yet fully understood, this acceleration ultimately produces an explosion of microbes, some of which may cause coral death. Fishing out the large herbivores contributes to reef degradation. In the absence of grazers, large algae flourish, and their photosynthetic activity increases the availability of dissolved organic carbon in the system, boosting the growth of bacteria.



"It's bad for corals to be bathed in microbes," says Elizabeth Dinsdale, an expedition microbiologist. Ten times as many microbes populate the water above Kiritimati as live above Kingman. It's the difference, Dinsdale says, between swimming in a sewer and a chlorinated pool.



This research comes at a critical time for coral reefs, in trouble across the globe as rising greenhouse gas levels warm the oceans and boost the acidity of seawater. Elevated temperatures trigger mass episodes of coral bleaching. Rising acidity, the result of increased carbon dioxide absorption, threatens the very coral matrix. Pollution and overfishing make matters worse.





Wary of being eaten, a blenny, just a few inches long, feels safe in its coral hideouts.

Blennies do take risks, venturing out to feed on scales, fins and even mucus coating the skin of larger fish.



"Working out the relationships between overfishing and reef health is critical," says Sean Connolly, an Australian reef expert. "Protecting reefs from overfishing is within our power and might help mitigate adverse effects of other changes, such as global warming."



To Sala the message is clear: Overfishing is ecological sabotage. "It's like removing vital parts from a machine and expecting it to keep functioning," he says. At Kingman, the machine still has all its parts. And because the ecosystem is largely intact, it has stability and resilience and is able to recover from environmental stresses. Kingman Reef provides one of our last, best glimpses of what a coral reef should be: a postcard from the past for the benefit of the future.



References –

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/07/kingman-reef/warne-text/1

August Newsletter

MV Colona will be starting her ninth season. The trips offered will be a 4 day Similan cruise or a 2 day; Hin Daeng, Hin Muang and Phi Phi cruise. Why not combine them for a 6 day cruise? Not to be forgotten our special 6 day Similan trip MV Giamani the schedule will be made up of 4 trips to Burma of 9 days 9 nights, and a choice of either 4 days or 6 days in the Similans. For those that supported Giamani in her first season many thanks she was over 80% full and we had great feedback.

At present both boats are in the ship yard preparing for the new season… we are aiming to make some improvements as well as the regular maintenance, updates to follow.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our tour leaders for next season on MV Colona and MV Giamani.




















Steve is 29 and has been working in Thailand for five years and is returning for his 2nd season on Colona VI. He speaks French, Spanish and a fair bit of Thai as well as his native English. An experienced PADI Staff Instructor, SSI Advanced Open Water Instructor, Emergency First Response Instructor and Gas Blender Instructor, Steve is also working towards technical diving instructor ratings. He periodically goes home to the UK where he also teaches diving and plays waterpolo, but much prefers the warm clear waters of the Andaman Sea.


Dimitry is 34 years old from Oostende/Belgium, a nice city near Belgium’s north sea. He speaks French, English, a fair bit of German and Thai.
In 2005 Dimitry arrived in Phuket as a tourist and discovered scuba he has not stopped since, finishing his IDC in March 2006. He has worked as a tour leader throughout Thailand and Burma.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with our boats please check out the latest videos we have uploaded onto our website and our facebook network.
We wish you happy diving and hope to hear from you soon.
Colona Group Co., Ltd

new licenses to fishers to catch up to 700 tonnes of sharks each year and also to catch sharks with nets over a kilometre long in our off-shore waters

An alarming new proposal by the Queensland Government will establish a dedicated shark fishery in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area which will service the international trade in shark fin. The Australian Marine Conservation Society (and anyone who cares for our oceans) is astonished by this proposal, in which Queensland's fisheries department (DPI&F) plans to legitimise one of the most unsustainable forms of fishing on the planet - shark fin fishing. With over 90% of the world's sharks and other big fish gone from our oceans, this project is unsustainable, unethical and will be flatly rejected by the Australian public. Not only is the Queensland Government proposing to hand out specific fishing licenses for shark fin fishing, which will entrench the practice for years, they are planning to legitimise shark fishing in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and in the Marine Parks of Moreton Bay and the Great Sandy Straits with this new license proposal.
The proposal will create new licenses to fishers to catch up to 700 tonnes of sharks each year and also to catch sharks with nets over a kilometre long in our off-shore waters.

Read more about this................http://www.amcs.org.au/default2.asp?active_page_id=490