Dynamite, cyanide destroy coral reefs in S. Sulawesi

Dynamite, cyanide destroy coral reefs in S. Sulawesi

Hasanuddin Hamid, Contributor, Makassar

The widespread use of sodium cyanide and explosives in fishing
has caused massive damage to coral reefs in South Sulawesi over
the past decade, local environmentalists say.

"Some studies show that about 70 percent of coral reefs in the
Spermonde islands and on the west coast of South Sulawesi are
seriously damaged because fishing activities in these areas
ignore the environmental aspect", said Willem Moka, of the
Maritime Biology and Research Center for Coral Reefs at
Hasanuddin University.

The area is well-known for its strong winds and huge waves and
explosives and cyanide are considered effective to catch fish
quickly.

In addition, conventional fishing gear will not ensure a good
catch. Hence a shortcut is necessary: the use of sodium cyanide
and explosives. They are unaware, sadly to say, that this method
does great damage to the environment.

Sodium cyanide and explosives are used, among other things,
because certain expensive species of fish, for example kerapu,
usually hide behind coral reefs and they can be caught only after
they are anesthetized by spraying chemicals into the gaps in the
reefs.

If they cannot catch the fish easily, they will damage the
coral reefs to chase the fish.

The use of chemicals in fishing causes the death of living
tissues and the ecosystem of the coral reefs.

Moka says that once a coral reef ecosystem is damaged by
chemicals or explosives, its restoration will be very difficult.

It will take about 40 years to 50 years to restore a damaged
coral reef ecosystem while broken corals will take about four to
five years to return to their normal condition.

"Coral can survive as long as they have living tissues," Moka
said.

To prevent the damage to coral reefs from worsening, Moka
suggested that a nucleus zone, a protection zone and an
exploitation zone be established and modeled upon Maluku's sasi
system in which an island is alternately isolated and then opened
again. Under this system, locals will be prohibited from fishing
at particular times.

Efforts to cut the destruction of coral reefs have been made
by some institutions such as the government, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and the World Bank through its Coral Reef
Rehabilitation and Management Project (Cormap). The South
Sulawesi-based Research Institution for Coastal Villages and
Community (LP3M) is one of the institutions focusing themselves
on the rehabilitation of coral reefs and providing guidance to
the people living in the Taka Bonerate National Sea Park in the
regency of Selayar.

The director of LP3M, Hermanto Aziz, said that the fishermen
in Taka Bonerate were guided through the community-based
management pattern, namely building the participation of
fishermen in cultivating the sea and determining conservation
areas.

The pattern is successful. Several years of involvement in the
program to save coral reefs has improved the locals' awareness of
the need to keep coral reefs in good condition.

It is the fishermen that determine the protection zone and
then manage it well as they can directly look at the process such
as the increase in the number of fish and other organisms.

Based on the World Bank's calculation, Hermanto Aziz said, the
financial losses incurred on coral mining for the next 25 years
reaches Rp 350 billion.

The use of explosives causes losses worth about Rp 165 billion
a month while monthly losses of Rp 35 billion have been caused
through fish poisoning.

Hermanto said that the sea management and protection would
benefit fishermen as they could increase harvests and also
maintain the preservation of coral reefs.

Although the management of coral reefs has been successful in
reducing coral damage, there are still differences in perception
among fishermen as some say that coral reefs management
constitutes a fishery activity that must give maximum results.

In relation to the serious efforts of LP3M in Taka Bonerate,
Moka said that the condition of coral reefs in the Taka Bonerate
National Park was still good.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Willem said, the Taka Bonerate
National Park suffered quite serious damage but the extent of the
damage had now been reduced thanks to the government's deployment
of sea rangers, control by security apparatuses and involvement
of non-governmental organizations.