ISKANDAR PUTERI, June 6 — The Department of Fisheries (DOF) is replanting seagrass to conserve the plant in Pulau Tinggi and Pulau Sibu, Mersing, which are dugong grazing areas and habitats.
Its deputy director-general of fisheries (management) Wan Muhammad Aznan Abdullah said the effort was carried out by DOF experts, in collaboration with public higher education institutions, to further attract the presence of these mammals on the two islands, which have been gazetted as Marine Parks.
“In addition to that (replanting of seagrass bed), like in Pulau Tinggi, sometimes the current is too strong, and it will push the seagrass that is growing.
“Therefore, we will also make an artificial reef to develop coral so that the seagrass can be sheltered from the current,” he said after launching the Johor Fisheries Aquaculture Flavours Programme and Roadshow today.
Aznan was responding to queries on the DOF’s efforts to prevent the dugong from going extinct in Mersing waters.
Previously, the department said the Mersing islands are where dugongs are often found, but due to the threat to the habitat and ecosystem of the seagrass, the population of the mammal is shrinking.
It added that the seagrass meadows around Pulau Sibu and Pulau Tinggi are important grazing areas for dugongs, as seen from the effects of grazing throughout the seagrass survey and the effects of grazing since 2014.
Although the exact number of dugongs in the Mersing islands is unknown, the Marine Mammal Research and Conservation (MareCet) suggests that the dugong population in the area is unlikely to exceed 100.
Meanwhile, when asked about the issue of mussels in Port Dickson’s waters being contaminated with dangerous biotoxins, Aznan said they are still unsafe to eat.
“The ban on selling it is in effect until we make sure the biotoxin level is below 800 parts per billion,” he said.
On April 4, Aznan said the laboratory analysis results of the Kuala Lumpur Fisheries Biosecurity Centre showed that there were harmful algae that caused mussels in Port Dickson’s waters to be contaminated and unsafe to eat.
— Bernama
