In the past quarter, our team has successfully completed the Reef Check surveys around the Mersing Islands for 2023.
A total of 36 sites were surveyed, with the help and support of the Johor’s Department of Fisheries (DoF), as well as the local island communities and organisations.
Reef Check surveys in the Mersing Islands are complete
Three representatives of the Pulau Besar community have recently been trained and certified as “EcoDivers”.
During the training, they familiarised themselves with monitoring methods and indicators, including targeted fish species, invertebrates, and coral cover.
This training programme is part of Reef Check Malaysia's (RCM) ongoing initiative to equip island communities with the relevant skills to actively participate in marine conservation efforts in the Mersing islands.
Practical dive exercise led by an RCM diver
Pulau Besar community that is trained to be EcoDivers
Following our recent meeting with the Pulau Tinggi villagers, 20 households agreed to participate in a community recycling programme and manage their recyclables on a rotation basis beginning next month.
56 recycling bins were constructed with the help of the island community themselves. These bins will be used to collect household recyclables (primarily tin, glass, and plastic materials).
The Pulau Tinggi islanders showed great interest in this programme, inspired by the success of the recycling initiative in Pulau Sibu. A recycling centre was opened in Pulau Sibu in August last year, and today, it is equipped with a baler machine.
Islanders preparing the bins
We conducted a workshop on the stranding and necropsy of turtles and marine mammals, held at Pulau Sibu and Pulau Tinggi.
This programme was done in collaboration with Johor’s DoF, Rantau Abang Fisheries Research Institute and The MareCet Research Organization.
Members of the authorities in Mersing from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Marine Police and Malaysia Civil Defence Force, together with Tengah Island Conservation, participated in the programme.
Participants of the workshop at Pulau Tinggi
The workshop covered theoretical knowledge about the various turtle species and marine mammals found in Malaysian waters, as well as practical exercises. Participants engaged in a stranding simulation to learn the necessary responses when a stranding incident occurs. Additionally, participants took part in a necropsy exercise involving a post-mortem examination of turtles to determine their causes of death.
Participants prepare to conduct post-mortem examination