Protect Coral Reefs in Malaysia

Ghost nets are fishing nets that are discarded or abandoned by fishermen when they become torn or entangled in reefs. While these nets may seem harmless once left behind, they pose a serious and persistent threat to marine life and ecosystems. Ghost nets continue to "fish" for marine animals, leading to entanglement and often death. Turtles, dolphins, sharks, and fish have all been found trapped in these nets. For instance, turtles entangled in ghost nets are unable to surface for air, leading to drowning, while other animals may die from starvation or exhaustion trying to free themselves. 

Coral reefs, too, suffer significant damage as larger, heavier nets can smother or break them apart. The removal of ghost nets is critical for protecting marine ecosystems, but it must be done carefully to avoid harming delicate coral structures. Heavier nets often require larger teams, significant manpower, and hours of effort to safely retrieve them.

Once retrieved, ghost nets are brought ashore for safe and responsible disposal with the assistance of local authorities.

Reef Check Malaysia's Local Marine Conservation Groups (LMCG) deal with the removal of ghost nets when they receive reports from the local islanders. Recently, our team in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah partnered the Marine Research Foundation, Sabah Parks, Sabah Dive Rangers and Scuba Junkie SEAS to organise a ghost net removal program in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. 

The 3-day program involved recce dives on the first day to verify the location and depth of the ghost nets that were reported, and to mark these sites with buoys. Over the next two days, a team of 25 divers worked hard to remove 141.7kg of ghost nets. These nets were entangled over a vast reef area and our team was able to remove it without damaging the reefs. 

Your continued support has made these crucial conservation efforts possible. Thank you for helping us move closer to our goal of conserving Malaysia’s marine ecosystems.

Our colleagues in the Mersing group of Islands, Johor have been making waves with their education and awareness program for one of the local schools. Recently, 105 amazing 16 year-olds students had the opportunity to participate in a marine sample demonstration and the much-anticipated Winner Announcement of their first assignment entitled "Marine Organism and Awareness Social Media Content."

We spent some time watching and reviewing the fantastic and creative video content produced by these students, who worked in teams. Each teams’ work was reviewed and judged based on content, clarity and charisma.

In our previous session with these students, we exposed them to the fascinating marine ecosystems: from coral reefs to mangroves to seagrass beds. In this session, we did a quick recap of all these ecosystems and all the students had a chance at hands-on experience in a sample demonstration, bringing these vital topics to life.

Following these sessions, we then had narrowed down the group to 40 students, through their success in the Marine Organism and Awareness assignment. These students went on a field trip to learn about marine wildlife sanctuaries and mangrove ecosystems. The content of this trip focused on the role of predators in maintaining ecological balance through interactive presentations and exploration activities.

Here's what the students were up to:

-      Visited a Marine Wildlife Sanctuary: They participated in an interactive reptile show and received insights from Sarang Buaya Pasir Gudang Wildlife Officer, regarding crocodiles.

-      Visited a mangrove ecosystem: They has a chance to explore and observe vital mangrove habitats, and we took this time to highlight the ecological importance of mangroves.

We were fortunate to have volunteers from our partner organisation and support from the marine wildlife sanctuary, as well as the local town council, all of whom made this whole educational trip a success. The students had a wonderful time and are looking forward to their next learning adventure with us.