(MY) seahorses

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Tuesday June 20, 2006 - The Star

 

For the love of the seahorse

 

By HILARY CHIEW

 

You have 40 minutes, so get moving, " instructs seahorse researcher Choo Chee

Kuang.

 

Divided into three groups, the nine volunteers quickly take up position 50m

apart in three different spots and set about laying transect lines.

 

It is nearly 7am and the rays from the rising sun illuminate the dark

patches of the muddy ground, bringing to life the green pastures at the

Sungai Pulai estuary in Johor.

 

Otherwise submerged, the seagrass meadow is gradually exposed as the tide

ebbs, together with invertebrates like the starfish, sea anemone and sea

cucumber.

 

The verdant carpet in the sea could very well be a submerged vegetation

" bridge " connecting southwest Johor to Tuas in Singapore, given its sheer

size of 38ha.

 

Since August, volunteers of the Save Our Seahorses (SOS) have descended upon

the largest seagrass bed in the peninsula once a month.

 

SOS was set up last year by a group of enthusiastic members of the public in

Johor after they learnt of the dire state of seahorses in Sungai Pulai. To

date, 72 volunteers have lent a hand to Choo in his effort to save the

spotted seahorse (*Hippocampus kuda)*.

 

Briefed on the tasks and supervised by Choo, they assist in collecting data

on the diversity, distribution and abundance of seagrass community on the

intertidal meadow measuring 1.8km long and between 80m and 100m wide at

Tanjung Kupang.

 

Apart from identifying the various seagrass species, they also record

species of algae and invertebrates. The long seagrass called giant tropical

eelgrass (*Enhalus acoroides*) dominates the meadow. Although not favoured

by big herbivorous creatures due to its tough texture, this seagrass, which

can reach 1.5m, serves as a wave-breaker.

 

Other seagrass species are the *Thalassia hemprichii *that is the preferred

food of green turtles and dugongs, as well as the oval-shaped *Halophila

ovalis *and *H.spinulosa.*

 

When the tide returns and covers the meadow, the survey team switches to

seahorse surveys, using a drag net to comb the seagrass bed. But the elusive

fish disappoints them. They only net three of its closest relative, the

crocodile pipefish (*Syngnathus biaculeatus). *

 

Locally referred to as the Merambong seagrass bed owing to its proximity to

a small island called Pulau Merambong, the seagrass bed is under threat of

being destroyed by the expansion plan of the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP).

 

 

Choo says 13 out of 60 species of seagrass worldwide thrive in the fertile

meadow which hosts the endangered spotted seahorse.

 

*Adverse impact*

 

" If nothing is done to check the development project between Tanjung Kupang

and Pendas, the seagrass bed is doomed and so is the seahorse, " he says, in

reference to the impending port expansion programme that will reclaim a

further 8km of shoreline.

 

Although the expansion plan does not reclaim the seagrass bed, Choo says it

would have an adverse impact on the fragile ecosystem. Seagrasses require

clean water that allows sunlight to penetrate and aid in photosynthesis.

High sedimentation would lead to algae blooms that will further impede

photosynthetic activities.

 

Choo suggests that PTP constructs its warehouse complex further inland

instead of removing riverine mangrove that can act as a buffer against

sedimentation.

 

The lecturer at the University College of Science and Technology Malaysia,

Terengganu, says ignorance and indifference have led to the disappearance of

a huge tract of seagrass bed at Tanjung Adang following reclamation by PTP

in 2003.

 

" Now, further development of the port is closing in on the last remaining

seagrass bed in the confluence of the Straits of Malacca and Johor Straits. "

 

 

Choo says the Second Link project has likely destroyed seagrass beds that

were never documented.

 

Besides port expansion on the east bank of Sungai Pulai, a coal-fired power

plant and a petrochemical hub are taking shape on the opposite bank, so more

mangrove forests are being sacrificed.

 

Choo is concerned over the effect of thermal pollution from the Tanjung Bin

power plant and chemical contaminants from petrochemical plants on estuarine

marine life.

 

Adverse impact from the on-going development is already being felt by fisher

folk like Hanuar Isa, vice-chairman of the Kampung Ladang Fishermen Club

that represents 50 families in Tanjung Kupang.

 

*Bleak future*

 

" Our fishing ground has shrunk substantially. We gave up a big area in the

river for PTP, which designated it as a shipping channel. Deepening of the

channel also altered the current flow and extensive reclamation for the port

project has polluted the river. We still spend the same amount of time at

sea but the returns have dropped, " he says.

 

He says fishermen who ventured into cage culture face a bleak future as the

water quality has deteriorated. Ironically, the fishing community is turning

towards aquaculture which means clearing of more mangrove swamps to make way

for ponds.

 

Hanuar says employment promises were largely unfulfilled because of a

mismatch of skills and jobs offered by PTP. It now hires 10% of the locals,

mostly as cleaners and garbage collectors.

 

Data compiled from the surveys will be valuable towards developing a

management and conservation plan which SOS hopes to complete by next year.

With the report, it hopes to convince the authorities to turn the estuary

into a marine protected area.

 

" Seagrass beds are important nursery grounds for fish and prawns. SOS is

also monitoring seagrass health as it can provide early warning of a decline

in environmental quality. It is also an important wetland for waterbirds

which are seen foraging on the exposed meadow, " says Choo

 

" We hope that one day, the local community will be empowered to monitor

their own fish stocks, seagrass health and water quality. " Early this year,

SOS joined the Australia-initiated Seagrass-Watch which aims to raise

awareness on the condition of near-shore seagrass ecosystems and provide

early warning of coastal environment changes. Set up in 1998, Seagrass-Watch

is currently monitoring 150 sites in Asia Pacific.

 

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Local interest and involvement - The Star

 

Bakhtiar Jaffar blessed the day when he chanced upon an exhibition by Save

Our Seahorses (SOS) volunteers at the night market in Gelang Patah, Johor.

 

" They were recruiting volunteers and I gladly registered. I have

participated in the survey and am totally amazed by the rich ecosystem, "

said the primary school teacher of SK Tanjung Kupang.

 

Although he has been to the seagrass meadow in the past, Bakhtiar learnt to

appreciate the habitat even more with the scientific input from SOS. So,

naturally, his school was the first in the area to enrol in the school

outreach programme by SOS.

 

" I realised that students hardly know the mangrove forest in their

backyards, not to mention the seagrass bed and its importance. So when Choo

(Chee Kuang) approached me with the awareness promotion activity, I was all

for it. "

 

Recently, he gathered 12 Year Six pupils for a half-day classroom lecture

followed by an outdoor nature excursion. Bakthiar was pleasantly surprised

by his pupils' enthusiastic participation.

 

After listening to Choo's explanation on the ecological functions of

mangrove forests and its various flora and fauna, the students were taken to

a nearby mangrove forest where they tried to identify various species of

trees and animals.

 

As part of its community-based conservation programme to revive the seahorse

population and save its habitat from further destruction, SOS hopes to

introduce the educational programme to the seven primary schools and two

secondary schools around the Sungai Pulai estuarine.

 

SM Pontian is another school that has responded to SOS. Fifteen students and

three teachers have participated in two surveys.