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)