Artificial reefs provide hope for fishermen
Artificial reefs provide hope for fishermen
JAKARTA (JP): There is still hope for fishermen, who rely on catches of reef fish, as the country's coral reefs rapidly vanish -- they can build artificial reefs.
Scientists of the Bogor Agricultural Institute recently discovered that the same fish would be attracted to reefs of old tires and bamboo within six month of them being dumped in the sea.
Dedi Soedharma, who headed the institute's team, said in his abstract that these two types of artificial reefs are equally capable of drawing fish to them because they served as ideal habitats for diminutive fauna and flora, which are the main diet of small fish.
The presence of small fish, in turn, attracted larger fish, its predators, and turned the artificial reefs into either a place to stop for food, for shelter or as a permanent habitat.
Declining coral reefs, due to man-made and natural destruction, made artificial reefs a favorable means of starting new fish colonies and, if developed commercially, could serve as the fishermen's permanent source of catch, the research concluded.
The study was among 20 presented in a three-day seminar on the latest results in marine scientific research.
The seminar, held from Monday to Wednesday, brought together researchers from six state-owned universities, which were granted Asian Development Bank loans totaling US$74 million, under a Marine Sciences Education Project.
The loans, which were rendered starting from 1989, were used to establish project facilities in Riau's University of Pekanbaru, the Bogor Agricultural Institute, Semarang's Diponegoro University, Manado's Sam Ratulangi University, Ujung Pandang's Hasanuddin University and Ambon's Pattimura University.
Other studies included the impact of crude oil pollution on the growth rate of Sea Bass, the occurrence of ocean currents and other phenomenons and their impacts on fish population and the existence of pathogenic bacteria in the sea.
The Director for Academic Development at the Ministry of Education and Culture, Harsono Taroepratjeka, explained that 228 research activities have been conducted under the project, which will be finalized this year.
He considered that although the research may not be directly applicable, it would nonetheless contribute significantly to the currently scant research in marine sciences.
"We are not aiming for anything spectacular yet because at present we are at the stage of arousing the awareness and ability of researchers to understand Indonesia's seas and oceans," Harsono said.
"What we need is a means to communicate them to the public," Harsono said.
He admitted that currently, there was minimum communication between universities -- as the centers of distinction and sources of research -- and the public, resulting in what was often seen as the researchers' ignorance towards society.
The six universities undertake different specializations, according to their respective local conditions, which consist of marine conservation, marine resources exploration, mariculture and marine pharmacology.
Twenty-two research projects have been conducted by the University of Riau, 75 by the Bogor Agriculture University, 35 by the Diponegoro University, 48 by the Hasanuddin University, 32 by the Sam Ratulangi University and 16 by the Pattimura University.
The loans have been used not only to carry out research but also to establish marine laboratories, procure other facilities, including research vessels, and finance academic consultants, civil works and human resources development for faculty staff members.
The major focuses of the Marine Sciences Education Project are marine ecology, marine resources conservation, mariculture, marine biology, oceanography and marine acoustics. (pwn)