Around 55 percent of coral reefs in South Sulawesi waters have been damaged by destructive fishing practices, the South Sulawesi marine and fishery service announced on Wednesday. Due to the destructive practise of throwing explosives into the water to catch fish, only 45 percent of the coral reefs in the national marine park of Takabonerate are in good condition.

The Indonesian Naval personal have arrested fishermen in South Sulawesi for using explosives to catch fish, but the practise continues.

Takabonerate is considered the world`s third most beautiful marine park and has received an award from the World Ocean Conference (WOC) which was held in Manado, North Sulawesi, this month. This marine park is located within the famous Coral Triangle; a Pacific region home to over 75 percent of the world’s known coral species. This figure becomes even more remarkable if you take into account that the triangle only comprises two percent of the world’s ocean.

Hopefully, the situation in the region will improve as six heads of state/government participating in the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Summit organized as part of the WOC signed a declaration on May 15, approving the Coral Triangle Initiative Program. Within this program, the six countries who share this amazingly coral rich region will coordinate their protection of marine resources.

Over 120 million people depend on the Coral Triangle ecosystem for their survival and would suffer greatly if the diversity of fish, shellfish and other marine creatures were to become depleted due to unsustainable fishing practises.

Indonesia will create Southeast Asia’s largest marine park in the Savu Sea, Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Freddy Numberi said on Wednesday at the World Ocean Conference in Manado, Sulawesi.

The Savu Marine National Park will cover 3.5 million hectares in an incredibly diverse area where you can find no less than 500 coral species, over 300 recognized species of fish and a lot of charismatic wildlife like sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and whales. Out of 27 known species of whale, no less than 14 migrate through the Savu Sea to get from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. The Savu Sea is also an important spawning ground for many marine species, including the world’s dwindling tuna population.

Indonesia is famous for its prosperous marine environment, but this marine flora and fauna are today facing serious treats, including pollution, over fishing and the use of unsustainable fishing methods. Lax enforcement of Indonesian law has made it possible for fishermen to continue using illegal fishing methods such as dynamite and cyanide fishing.

Within the Savu Marine National Park, efforts will be made to eradicate illegal fishing practises while keeping certain areas open for local fishermen to continue traditional subsistence fishing. Tourism activities will also be allowed in certain designated areas within the park. Environmental groups, including WWF and The Nature Conservancy, will help set up the reserve together with the Indonesian government.

“Enforcement is one of the key questions we need to work out, said Rili Djohani”, marine expert at The Nature Conservancy. “It could be a combination of community-based and government patrols.”

The Savu Marine National Park is located within the so called Coral Triangle, a coral reef network bounded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and the Solomon Islands.

This story might be a few days old but is still of interest and as I haven’t been able to get to it sooner I decided to post about it today.

Indonesia will allow trawling in selected areas for the first time in 30 years, maritime ministry official Bambang Sutejo announced on January 15. Trawling will be allowed off four areas of Indonesia East Kalimantan province, despite concerns about overfishing.

“There will not be overfishing this time as we’re only allowing small boats to trawl, and it’s not allowed in other parts of Indonesia,” says Sutejo, adding that legalising trawling would help fight illegal trawlers.

According to Chalid Muhammad of the independent Green Institute, trawling has a destructive impact on the marine environment and will intensify the problem with overfishing in Indonesian waters. “The total amount of fish caught is getting smaller each day while their imports are getting bigger,” says Muhammad.

Muhammad also feels a legalization of trawling will embarrass Indonesia as it prepares to host the World Ocean Conference. “If the government allows this, Indonesia will have a weak standing during the World Ocean Conference as sustainable management of marine resources will be discussed,” Muhammad said. The World Ocean Conference is an international gathering of policymakers and scientists held in May 2009.

Kalimantan is the Indonesian portion of the island Borneo, the third largest island in the world, and is divided into four provinces: East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan.

What is trawling?

Trawling is a fishing practise where fishing boats tow long nets behind them. These nets do not only scoop up commercially valuable fish, but all sorts of marine life. Trawling is divided into bottom trawling and midwater trawling, depending on where in the water column the trawling takes place. Bottom trawling is especially harmful to marine environments since it can cause severe incidental damage to the sea bottoms and deep water coral reefs.