Mida Creek, Kenya - fish gear exchange program
One of the key drivers around bycatch, including that of sea turtles, sharks and rays, is the use of illegal and undersized fishing nets. To mitigate bycatch in Mida Creek, our partner Bahari Hai conducted a series of education and awareness sessions with the fishers. Those who voluntarily opted to get rid of their illegal gears through our exchange program, did so. The exciting news is that the program helped contribute to a reduction of about 70% in sea turtle bycatch within the creek. Also, the fishers from the concerned area had both improved fish catch and noted bigger fish sizes and species they had not seen for many years.
Bali - storms & University Delft
Sytze Veenland presented his Bachelor thesis Civil Engineering last June at the University of Delft. It is the 1st part in our research on stability of artificial reefs. The thesis focused on the Amed area, that experienced displacement of our structures with the storms last January. One of the many things we learnt from Sytze’s theoretical analysis is that our Cube system is very suitable to use at different depths. The more interconnected Cubes lined up in a row, directed parallel with the wave direction, the higher the stability. Shallower waters have more wave action so the shallower the restoration area, the more rows of Cubes should be deployed. For the Amed area (depth at neap tide approx. 3,5mtr), the research proved a row of 6x2 Cubes to be stable.
This outcome shows that we have adjusted well in Amed. In the last 5 months we re-arranged the Cubes in 7x2 or bigger configurations and fortified them by pinning down steel pipes in the sea floor. However, in the thesis various assumptions had to be made so further research and testing is recommended. Our goal is to design a scalable, artificial reef system for remote areas that can be produced locally. We like to thank Sytze and TU Delft for their valuable contribution to this mission.
Bukti, Bali - official MPA!
In May 2023 we had an important meeting with the mayor of Bukti and various other stakeholders. Since 2020 Coral Reef Care has been collaborating with the village to create a Marine Protected Area (MPA). In the meeting it was decided that the MPA will become official this year. Fishing is no longer allowed to the villagers in the 25 hectares coral reefs of Bukti. Fishers from outside Bukti hardly come here and in practice they are kindly asked to leave. But of course, we want to make the law national, 2024 is our aim.
See also our awareness video. It explains the biology of corals, their importance to the ecosystem, why a Marine Protected Area is an effective tool in conservation and what we do in Bukti.
SEE YOU AGAIN IN OCTOBER!
