Thailand - Rare giant ray spotted in Phang Nga

A rare giant manta some five metres wide has been spotted near Ta Chai Island in Similan Islands National Park, Phang Nga province, according to Somporn Kaewmaneechote, a diving instructor with Sea Turtle Diver Co Ltd.

 

Somporn said the ray was spotted on the morning of Sunday (November 10) while he was taking a group of divers to explore the underwater scenery near Ta Chai Island at a depth of 26 meters. “When we were coming back up to the depth of 18 metres, we saw a giant manta ray about four or five metres wide passing in front of us, giving us an opportunity to snap a photo of it.”

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“We rarely see manta rays of this size around here, and I’m so glad to have seen one,” he added.

Ruamsin Manajongprasert, Head of Similan Islands National Park, revealed that Ta Chai Island had been closed to tourists since 2016 to rehabilitate the ecosystem after the high volume of tourist boats had damaged the coral reef around the island. “The reef has now begun to heal itself,” he said. “Also, local citizens have been cleaning the beach, which helps reduce the deaths of sea animals caused by eating marine debris.”

Ta Chai Island was reopened earlier this year, and there have been report of rare sea animal sightings including dolphins, whale sharks, shark rays and manta rays.

Source - The Nation

How climate change threatens #Indonesia's marine #Tourism

While the Earth has only warmed around 0.74 degrees Celsius over the last 100 years, this small temperature increase is affecting ocean ecosystems and could impact upon the global marine tourism industry.

Coral reef tourism has a global value of US$36 billion per year, according to a scientific study mapping the global value and distribution of coral reef tourism. This study, published in the Marine Policy journal in August 2017, concluded that 30 percent of the world’s reefs are valuable to tourism.

Indonesia has a thriving coral reef tourism industry and also has the second largest manta ray tourism industry in the world, with an annual value of over $15 million.

While coral bleaching events and ocean acidification are well-documented effects of climate change, there are other stressors upon coral reefs that could undermine these valuable tourism industries.

Sea level rises, leading to coastal erosion, plus stronger and more frequent storms typical of the current climate, smother and destroy coral reef structures. Heavy rainfall cause land-based pollutants and nutrients to wash into the ocean, resulting in algal blooms and a reduction in available light at reefs. Changing ocean currents also affect reefs, by altering the connectivity of geographically distant reefs and water temperature profiles. These changes can lead to a lack of food sources and interrupt reef species’ ability to breed.

If left unchecked, these complex effects could reduce the value of marine tourism significantly as the quality of world-class Indonesian dive sites and idyllic tourism destinations deteriorate.

Thankfully a new global partnership to conserve the ocean, announced at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Jan. 25, should help address this. This new partnership, Friends of Ocean Action, will consist of leaders in science, technology, business and non-governmental groups aiming to deliver the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14: to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

Individuals can also do their part to minimize the effects of climate change by reducing their carbon footprint. Measures such as driving less, reducing waste and purchasing energy efficient appliances or light bulbs are easy ways to help. Indonesia’s coral reefs can be protected with simple measures such as using fewer garden chemicals that may run-off into the ocean, choosing sustainable seafood and practicing good reef etiquette.

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Journey to clean #Thailand’s oceans takes another step forward

   Help save our seas and save on your diving trips

Building on the success of the ‘Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand’ project, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has officially kicked off the ‘SAVE the Ocean & SAVE for Your Next Dive’ campaign, offering divers the chance to earn discounts on dive trips, in return for helping to protect Thailand’s marine ecosystem.

Interested divers are encouraged to take part by following just three easy steps: first, they need to inform a participating dive operator that they would like to join the project. The dive operator will then give them a special rubbish collection bag. Second, divers collect rubbish while enjoying their dive, and return the bag to receive a stamp on their ‘Diving Passport’. 

Third, they can use the stamp to redeem special discounts on their next dive trip with a participating dive operator.

Participating operators and dive sites are located in easy reach of Bangkok, on Thailand’s picturesque Eastern Seaboard – from the conveniently located Ao Sattahip and Ao Samae San in Chon Buri to the magical island of Ko Samet and the hidden gem of Hin Phloeng in Rayong province.

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The campaign is part of ‘Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand’ – a collaborative project among TAT, PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) and the Ecoalf Foundation – which aims to not only transform plastic debris found in the ocean into thread to make fabrics, but also to preserve the sea and coastal areas.

During their dive, participating divers are encouraged to practice good buoyancy control while also being careful to maintain the fragile ecosystem they are helping to protect – for example, when removing fishing nets from coral, it is best to use scissors to carefully trim the net and not pull it in such a way that will cause the coral to break.

Source - TheNation