The KK Reef Watch Blog

Stop Global Warming Campaign

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:58:00 +0000

6th February 2010. KK Reef Watch was invited to give a talk at the Borneo Marine Research Institute (BMRI), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) for the 'Stop Global Warming Campaign'. The campaign was organized by the 2nd year Marine Science students (45 students) led by their lecturer Puan Madihah. It was a half day event involving 45 students and teachers of high school from SMK Tombovo.

Token of appreciation made from used materials

Most of the materials used at this event were recycled items, including all the tokens of appreciation. No air-conditioning was involved as the event was done at an open space, the foyer of BMRI.

2nd year marine science students explaining the effect of global warming on life on Earth

Students of SMK Tombovo also visited the BMRIs' museum and aquarium to look at the marine life and learn about their behaviour and habitat.

Demonstration of effect of global warming

The marine science students made global warming an attractive issue and generate a great amount of interest amongst the high school students and teachers. This shows by a lot of questions asked by the high school students about global warming.

Outdoor setting... No air-conditioning... No CFC... Nice & eco-friendly :)

KK Reef Watchs' posters

KK Reef Watch representative promoting marine awareness and education

KK Reef Watch gave a 30 minutes talk on promoting marine awareness and education. Marine related environmental issues seems to be a new topic for the high school students. One of the question being asked by the students is 'What is coral reef?'. This is a popular simple question that students always asked whenever we visit schools. It is very important for the students to know what coral reef is, its' life cycle and its' role in the ecosystem in order for them to be able to appreciate coral reef or the marine environment.

All were invited to immortalized their hand print on a sheet of white cloth

The event ended with a group photo session at 12.30 pm. The Marine science students did a great job in organizing and facilitating the campaign. Congratulation!

Posted by: Sofia Johari

Environmental Stewardship Programme Update

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:45:00 +0000

23 November 2009, ODEC Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

It was a beautiful day, at 3.30 pm the sun was out, the sky was clear blue, the sea was calm, temperature was not so hot with a little breeze. Perfect setting for our programme on the beach!

We started the programme with an icebreaking game, the 'Trust Game'. Then while sipping on hot coffee/tea and munching on 'kuih' we moved on to a talk by Salha on what KK Reef Watch (KKRW) is all about and highlighted some of the past activities.

The 'Trust' game...

After the talk, we had a beach clean up activity. Students collected so many types of garbage on the seemingly clean beach. When the sun started to set we began the segregation process. Plastic water bottle made the most of the pile of garbage collected. We are guzzling more water out of plastic bottles than ever! We need to find a way to reduce the production of plastic bottled drinking water. Will give 'lecture' on how long each type of material to decompose in another post..... For now enjoy the photos taken during the event :) .... Photos were taken by Rozlan Wahab & Sofia Johari.

Salha explaining about the mangrove seed found on the beach to Ju Ping and Ah Long

Working hard eh...

CT, Mohd Rizali, Salha and Ju Ping segregating the garbage

Shea Chan Loong, Kodimalar and Salini with their collection

Group photo :)

Faz, Jar, CT and Rozlan starting the fire for BBQ

Discussion during talk on job prospect in marine conservation

Video presentation on marine life in Sabah by me

Presentation of certificate of participation by KKRW president, Salha

Even though we did not get as many participants as we expected (due to bad timing - most of the students have gone home for long semester break), the programme was still a success and enjoyable. Both the students and us learnt a lot from each other and the programme. We also discussed on the possiblity of co-organizing activities with Greenpulse (UMS registered environmental society) in the very near future.

The programme ended at almost 9pm (photo: Rozlan Wahab)

Thank you to the Borneo Marine Research Institute (BMRI) for lending us their facilities such as the PA system and exhibition panels particularly to Prof Saleem Mustafa (Director of BMRI) and Syuhaimie Mohd Ali (Science Officer & an ol' friend of ours).

Posted by: Sofia Johari

Environmental Stewardship Programme

noreply@blogger.com (Salha) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:58:00 +0000

Calling all passionate environmentalists!

Students of Universiti Malaysia Sabah are invited to participate in our Environmental Stewardship Programme. Basically, environmental stewardship means taking the responsibility of protecting our planet by managing and caring for the natural environment.

Highlights of the event are:

1. BBQ

2. Beach Cleanup

3. Exhibition & Presentation

4. Games

Venue: Odec, UMS

Time: 3 - 7.30 pm

Date: 23rd Nov 2009 (Monday)

Participation fee is RM10. Please make payment before 20th Nov 2009 to Puan Siti Rahma / Puan Zarinah Waheed at Institut Penyelidikan Marin Borneo (IPMB).

Bring your friends and their friends. See you there!

Swim like a Fish

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:36:00 +0000

Exploring the reef is easy and fun. Even if you do not know how to swim you can still delve into the marine world. It is a beautiful, colorful and different world, unlike anything on land :)

So how do we start?

First of all, you should find a good place for your adventure. Here in KK, we are fortunate to have the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (TARP) close by. This is a nice place for a beginner. The water there is relatively calm on a good sunny day, plus there are lifeguards to look out for you.

I know most people in Sabah do not like to go out if the sun is shinning. Panas! Well, the best time to go diving or snorkelling is during a sunny day. Personally the hotter it is, the better I like it. Sunshines will make it easier for you to see creatures underwater.

You must protect yourself from the sun to prevent sunburns and skin cancer. So use sunblock whenever you are out there. SPF 30 is good enough ;) For added protection, it a good idea to get a rash guard. This will protect you from other things such as jellybugs or when you bump into rocks or something.

Before going into the sea there are a few things you will need to see n breath underwater.

1. Floating Device

For those who cannot swim, use a floating device such as life jacket or body boards. Do not go into deep water without a floating device.

2. Mask & Snorkel

To be able to see and breath while you enjoy the scenic view of the reef, a mask and a snorkel is a must.

Find a mask that fits your face.

Put the mask on your face without strapping it on, gently sniff in and form a vacuum in the mask. Its a good fit if the mask doesn't fall of when you do this.

Make sure the strap is loose and not too tight. Tight strap will make you uncomfortable and cause leaks.

To avoid fogging, apply a bit of anti-fogging liquid on the glass. Or you can use a little bit of tooth paste or shampoo. Just rub it on the glass and rinse it before putting the mask on.

There are masks for those who needs correctional lenses too.

A snorkel is an equipment attached to your mask used as breathing device. In the event that water enters the snorkel, blow hard to get the water out and then take a breath slowly. If water still present, blow again.

3. Fins

Fins are used so that you can swim as fast as a fish :) This is optional. If you are uncomfortable using fins then you don't have to. Just be extra careful when using fins. Do not step on corals or kick them with your fins. Make sure your fins are not too tight as it can cause muscle cramps.

KKRW tips: When exiting the water, stop where water is waist deep, take off your fins and walk happily out.

So now you are ready to hit the water! Remember comfort is very important because snorkeling is a visual activity. So choose your equipments wisely.

Enjoy!

Salha

Ocean Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Salha) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:23:00 +0000

We, in KK, live near the ocean. So you would expect the residents of KK to love and respect the ocean. But still our actions are polluting the ocean. So maybe some of us do not understand that what we do on land can have devastating effect to the ocean and our marine friends living in the ocean.

Here are some facts about the ocean.

1. Ocean covers 71% of the Earth's surface and that is about 362 million sq. km. Imagine when sea level rises due to global warming. Where are we going to live?

2. 97% of Earth's water is contained in the ocean.

3. The first 10ft of the ocean holds as much heat as our entire atmosphere. Ocean plays a big role in regulating Earth's temperature and also our weather.

4. 80% of marine pollution comes from activities we do on land. Those plastics on our beaches must comes from us!

5.The ocean generates 75% of the world's oxygen. And we need oxygen to live. So our survival depends on the ocean and the quality of our lives depends on the quality of our environment.

6. The ocean purifies 50% of the carbon dioxide emitted by humans. Planktons in the ocean take up carbon dioxide and it is transported downwards in the ocean.

7. 90% of volcanic activities occurs in the ocean.

8. The deepest part of the ocean is called Challenger Deep which is about 11km in the ocean. Mount Kinabalu is only slightly 4km above sea level!

9. The ocean would rise 66m if all the world's ice melted.

10. Every year, rubbish is dumped into the ocean in the amount of 3 times more than the amount fish caught.

The ocean is indeed interesting and important to us. Maybe this will start of your curiosity to learn more about our ocean. The best way to know more about the ocean is by jumping into it! You can scuba dive or you can simply put on a mask and a snorkel. Our reefs here in KK is quite shallow. So go explore our ocean and have fun :)

Salha

Inspiring Future Leaders

noreply@blogger.com (Salha) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 06:01:00 +0000

On the 20th and 21st July 2009, KK Reef Watch and SPCA KK held a joint exhibition at the Library of University Malaysia Sabah. The exhibition was held to promote marine conservation through education and also to gain support from university students.

Interesting students :)

Students cehecking out the artificial reef model

Drink sponsors (Vico and Indocafe)... Thanks guys!

Salha explaining about KKRW marine program

It was very encouraging to see many of our university students who cared enough to volunteer with both KK Reef Watch and SPCA. KK Reef Watch is in fact encouraging the spirit of volunteerism. Volunteers makes a difference by contributing their time, skills and energy to a noble cause in order to improve quality of human lives.

Marine education program posters

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the students of UMS who have voluntarily helped us during the UMS Library exhibition. Special thanks to Ju Ping and the 2nd Yr. Marine Science students who contributed their time and energy in making the exhibition a success.

Excited about marine education

The marine ecosystem in Kota Kinabalu is in dire state. As residents of this beautiful city and just as a human being, it is our social responsibility to ensure the safety of our community and our environment, which includes all flora and fauna.

Explaining the benefit of becoming a volunteer

KK is a rapidly developing coastal city and our resources are being utilized unsustainably. If we do not do something about this now then when are we going to start being accountable for what we do.

Students signing up to become volunteers :)

The Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park is just 15 minutes away by boat. Its close proximity to the city is causing massive damage to its marine life. Sedimentation from unmitigated reclamation around the coastal area and land clearing from mainland causes our waters to be murky and turbid. There are many other threats to our environment occurring at the moment and this is the time for us to make a stand together.

Group photo with SPCA KK :)

The event was a great deal more festive with support from Vico and Indocafe who was there for both days.

Salha Alban
President
KK Reef Watch
Driving the Youth of Today
Towards a Greener Community

Turtle Hatchery Management Workshop

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:32:00 +0000

Been quite busy with work recently. The most recent KKRW activity was a turtle hatchery management at Mataking island for the Reef Dive Resort staffs in Semporna, Sabah.

First day, putting up banner

There were about 20 participants including the Dive Resort manager. Great participants to have. The resort's Marine Biologist Khoo Min Hui was the one who's responsible for the Turtle Hatchery on the island and organize the workshop for the staffs.

Digging turtle nest is hard

On day 3 of the workshop we successfully tagged a green turtle, it was the first turtle to be tagged on the island. The next day, the tagged turtle came back to the same beach to lay eggs. Looking forward to release the baby turtles :)

Night lecture

A demonstration on how to release turtle hatchling

The island is also home to a very unique and rare crab called coconut crab. It is named after its ability to crush the hard shell of coconut.

A coconut crab, this is how you handle them

At the end of the workshop all the staffs were motivated to take care of the turtle eggs on the island and have more knowledge on the turtle biology and how to handle the eggs and the turtles. A very successful workshop :)

Group photos with certificate of participation

The island itself is full of interesting habitat, an ideal ecology with a bit of mangrove, large patches of seagrass bed, sandy beach and rocky shore.

Dead sea turtle shell on the seagrass during low tide

A wreck at Mataking Besar island, full of life (sweet lips, crocodilefish, scorpionfish, groupers etc)

Just 1 hour of your time...

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 06:44:00 +0000

Climate change is having a devastating impact on our planet. But what can one person do?
Earth Hour is a campaign where participants (individuals, business, major corporations, cities, towns, schools) will turn their lights off for one hour – Earth Hour. It started in Sydney in 2007 with 2.2 million participants and a year later 50 million people from 370 cities and town participated.

This year Earth Hour aims to reach 1 billion people from 1000 cities.

Earth Hour is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up, to take responsibility and to get involved in working towards a sustainable future. People across the world will turn off their lights and join together in creating the vital conversation about the future of our precious planet.

So join us in this noble effort. Turn off your lights at 8.30pm on Saturday, March 28 and be a part of a global effort and show the world that you care enough about climate change to take action. Tell your friends and encourage them to participate.

To know more about Earth Hour and Sign Up: Click Me!

cheers,
salha

I can't wait for Eart Hour :)

'The Inconvenient Truth'

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:17:00 +0000

Was watching a docu-film starred Al-Gore ‘The Inconvenient Truth’. I was touched with the part where he told the story about how almost losing his son to a car accident changed his perspective on life and make him think of what role should he play on this planet we called Earth while he’s still living and breathing on it. This film tells about Global Warming & Climate Change, an issue to most people not their problem.

Industrial activities is one major human activity that

contributes to the increase of greenhouse gasses into the air

that traps the heat from being reflected back into space

‘Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb. If the vast majority of the world's scientists are right, we have just ten years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tail-spin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced.’ (http://www.climatecrisis.net/aboutthefilm/)

Top: Mount Kilimanjaro in 1998, ice cap covering the mountain.

Below: 85% of the ice has melted in 2005.

We have watched the effect of Tsunami in Thailand and the hurricane Katrina in the U.S., the flood and landslides in China and we feel so lucky for not being there and being those victims who have lost their parents, siblings, friends, pets, home, jobs and a place to hang out to have beers and chit chat with friends. All gone within a very short period compared to how long it is that you have known your families and friends, how long it takes to build a building where you hang out or that city, how long it takes for you to get that job and a good salary.

When you really think about it, we are just a tiny particle of life form living on pieces of land sticking out from the sea on a huge sphere (I wanted to say ball, but it wouldn’t sound right to some people). This sphere floats in a huge vacuum (space) along with the other floating objects in space including the Sun.

What can we do to save our planet or to make sure we and our next generation still have a save and livable place to live in 10 years time to come?

Firstly understand what Global Warming is.
2nd: You have to understand what Climate Change is. Try this site, its easy to understand http://www.maf.govt.nz/mafnet/rural-nz/sustainable-resource-use/climate/impact-on-industries/
3rd: Tell your family, friends, colleagues about this phenomenon and make them understand the consequences.
4th: Vote for a politician who is environmentally concern and would fight for that cause.
5th: Think again, what more can you do… (eg: Switch off air con if not needed… use bicycle to go to work if u can, recycle your rubbish and etc.)

All of us should watch this film. Informative and unboring; and makes you think…..

A polar bear have to jump from one tiny piece of iceberg to

another to go around, look for food or rest.

There's cases where polar bear drowned in their effort

to get to the other side of the land/iceberg to get food

as they cant find any iceberg big enough for them to rest on to.

‘Upton Sinclair’

It is difficult to make a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.

Sofia :)

Turtle Trouble

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:30:00 +0000

I was reading about marine turtles and came to this article. It is a recent one and I am very concerned.

Marine turtles in Sabah are protected by the Wildlife Department. What threatened their survivals are habitat loss, accidental catch in fishing nets and poaching of eggs and adults. Turtle’s population are dwindling and as custodian of Earth, it is our responsibility to make sure that these animals doesn’t disappear from our planet forever.

I still see people buying turtle eggs here in Sabah. It saddened me to say that a few times I went to a ‘kenduri’ here, turtle eggs are served. It is disgusting for me to see people sucking the eggs with satisfaction. I talked to this woman next to my mom about how turtles are on the verge of extinction and how we should all try to help. I tell her the benefits of not eating turtle eggs. She just laughed and said “Well, they’re already cooked anyway. Nothing I can do but eat la.”

We have to understand that the selling stop when the buying stop. And the buying will stop when we stop eating it. If everyone thinks like this woman then there is no hope.

It takes decades for turtles to reach maturity to breed. And once they nest, the turtle will go back to the sea leaving her eggs buried in the sand. After about 7 weeks, the hatchlings will emerge and ran crawling to the sea. There are many predators to these hatchlings. Monitor lizards, crabs & birds attack them on the beach. And when they reach the sea, sharks & other fishes prey on them. So it is a hardship for them to just reach the open sea. On top of that, from the moment they were born, they have no mom to love them :( Only about 1% of baby turtle will survive and reach breading age. Imagine that!

Stop eating turtle eggs!!

Nudies

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 02:14:00 +0000

Nudibranchs (NEW-dih-bronk) are basically sea slugs. The word ‘slug’ often makes people thinks of yucky slimy creature. They are gastropods like snails only they lack the shells (think ‘siput babi’ without the ‘siput’). However, the sea slugs or nudibranchs are one of the most beautiful and colourful creature of the ocean. During their larval stage (when they were babies), they did have their shell but it disappear during metamorphosis (when they change into adult).

There are about 3,000 (and counting) different kind of nudies (as I like to call them) in the world and each species are vibrantly rich in colour and has fantastic colour pattern. The name nudibranch means “naked gills” : their secondary gills are exposed outside their bodies. They have a pair of tentacles called rhinophores at the front. This they use mainly to sense chemicals (macam mata la kunun).

Like any other gastropod (‘siput’) they are slow moving. They have soft bodies and as mentioned no external shells to protect them. So how do they protect themselves from predators? Well, nudies are toxic and bad tasting and their bright coloured bodies are actually a warning sign to predators.

They can be found in nearly all reef habitats. Just look for their favourite food and you might be able to see them. These pretty little creatures are carnivorous. They feed on sponges, algae, bryozoans, anemone, and corals. Sometimes they can be cannibalistic too, feeding on other nudies.

Nudies are hermaphrodite (both male and female at the same time). They can mate with any other adult of their species. They also have varied life span. Some can live only 1 month and some can live up to a year.

If you want to take nudies home with you, take a picture! Don’t put them in a plastic bag and take them away. They will lose their shape and colour very fast. Plus they cannot survive aquarium life.

So next time you go snorkeling or diving, remember to keep a look out for these tiny critters.

Interesting fact: Some nudibranchs are solar-powered, storing algae in their outer tissues and living off the sugars produced by the algae’s photosynthesis.

Happy looking
~Salha~

Beach Guide

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:38:00 +0000

Photo: Rozlan W.

KK is a beach city situated along the west coast of Sabah. I grew up here and I absolutely love it. Going to university in KL was tough for me, largely because I just hate the over-populated city and the nearest beach, Port Dickson, was too far and a big disappointment because it is awfully polluted.

In KK we have many wonderful beaches & the islands are only 15 minutes away traveling by boat. To enjoy your time fully while lounging with your friends under the sun, I have compiled a guide to make the experience safe and fun for you.

What to bring

Sun block
Towel
Slipper
Sunglasses
Snacks
Cap/hat
Proper swimming attire (rash guard is a good investment, they protect you from the sun, cold & jellyfish)
Shampoo and conditioner to wash your hair, salt water makes your hair dry.
Extra change of clothes.

When swimming

Check the public notice boards for information on water quality, currents and emergency phones. Pay attention to red tide & jellyfish alert. If you are stung by jellyfish, seek help immediately.
Always use sun block.
Follow any advice from lifeguards. We have lifeguards at the TARP islands.
Do not swim when the sea is rough, or where there are known currents or riptides. Consult the lifeguards.
Always swim parallel to the shore and not out to sea.
Do not swim immediately after a meal.
Stay out of the water if you are tired. Even experienced swimmers can get into trouble if their strength fades and conditions worsen.
Do not step on corals. They can hurt you and you are hurting them.

Photo: Sofia J

When bumming

Slap on some more sun block.
Wear your sunnies.
Drink lots of water
Stay in the shades in the afternoon (11pm-2pm), when the sun is extremely hot.

We want you to enjoy yourself at the beach and in the sea without causing harm to the environment ;)

~Salha~
beach bum :P

p/s: Bring your rubbish home or throw them in the bin. Do not leave your wastes behind.

Precious Water

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 03:59:00 +0000

Photo: Rozlan W.

Water is essential to life on earth. We need water to grow food, keep clean, provide power, control fire, and last but not least, we need it to stay alive!

If water is constantly being cleaned and recycled through the earth’s water cycle, why do we need to conserve it? The answer is that people use up our planet’s fresh water faster than it can naturally be replenished.

Runoff from mainland is a source of pollution to ocean water. Besides carrying sediments, runoff transports harmful chemicals such as pesticides. Wastewater and sewage also end up in the ocean. Sooner or later, all waste ends may up in the ocean.

So reducing your water usage is beneficial not only because it saves money and energy but it also saves the ocean.

Saving water is good for the earth, your family, and your community.

Here are some tips to start you off
Bathroom Sink:

• Repair leaky faucets and always turn off your taps tightly so they don't drip.

• Use an aerator and a water-flow reducer attachment on your taps.

• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or washing your hands.

Shower/Tub:

• Have showers instead of baths and keep them short (5 minutes).

• Install low-flow showerheads.

Toilet:

• Never flush garbage of any kind down the toilet.

• Install a low-flush toilet (that uses 6 litres or less per flush), or place a toilet insert or weighted plastic bottle filled with water in the water tank.

Kitchen Sink:

• Don’t run the water continuously while thawing food, hand washing dishes or while washing fruits and veggies; use a partially filled sink instead with a quick rinse afterward.

Washing Machine:

• Wash full loads and use the shortest cycle.

• Adjust the water level.

• Use environmentally friendly (low or no phosphate and biodegradable) detergents.

Cars and bikes:

• Use a bucket of water to wash your bike or car, then rinse quickly using a trigger nozzle on your hose.

• Wash the family car over grass or gravel to prevent any soapy runoff from going directly into the sewers.

Sewer grates:

• Never throw garbage, oil or chemicals down your toilets, sink drains, the storm drain or onto the ground. Improper disposal leads to contamination of our local creeks, streams, lakes and soil. Take your hazardous waste to your local waste management facility.

DID YOU KNOW?

Plants are an active part of the water cycle—they release moisture from the surface of their leaves to the air through transpiration.

A tap leaking one drop of water per second wastes more than 25 L of water a day!
That’s 9,000 L a year!

Dumping household cleaners, pesticides, oil, gasoline, etc. down the toilet, drain or storm sewer pollutes aquatic ecosystems and harms every creature that depends on them (including humans).

Using a bucket of water to clean the car instead of the hose saves about 300 L of water…each time!

Less than 3% of the water produced at a large municipal water treatment plant is used for drinking purposes.

A five-minute shower with a standard showerhead uses 100 L of water.
A five-minute shower with a low-flow showerhead uses 35 L of water.

Training the Potential Trainers

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:49:00 +0000

One of KK Reef Watchs’ acitivity in the month of September is training facilitators in handling non-science background students. The chosen facilitators, namely Ruth Yap and Khoo Min Hui were sent to Bunaken Island (a marine park in Manado, Indonesia). These students were sent to Bunaken to facilitate a marine education program run by Stefan Ottomanski for the Japanese Azabu University and Indonesian students. The program was carried out for 2 weeks (3rd – 15th September 2008).

Ruth and Min Hui find the program very useful and learnt a lot on how to organize about 20 non-English speaking with non-science backgraound students from Japan and Indonesia. These are some of the photos taken during Ruths’ and Min Huis’ trip to Bunaken. Enjoy the photos :)

At Manado jetty.

On the boat.

Bunaken Island (Background; Manado Tua).

Staircase to Kampung Parigi.

Kampung Parigi.

Preparing the cameras before going into the water.

Loading onto the boat.

Jonathan Lynch (English lecturer at the Azabu

University who escorted the students) with

Ruth and Min Hui.

Stefan (far right) with Indonesian facilitators.

Min Hui introducing KK Reef Watch.

Presentation session.

The local kids!

Gruesome findings at Tomohon, Manado (Roasted bats and dog).

Ruth recently got a job with Reef Check Malaysia (Based in KL and Tioman Island), while Min Hui got a job at Mataking Resort in Semporna, Sabah. Both of them will be working on educating the public, tourists and school children about the importance of conserving our marine environment. So good luck for these two youngsters!

Sofia :)

A Hectic Month!

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:51:00 +0000

It has been a very busy month for us, we had a joint exhibition with the SPCA (Sabah Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) at the Seri Insan Secondary school from 23-24th June 2008. We had Dr. Ditch Townsend (Marine Life Photographer) to give the main talk on our behalf, on marine life. SPCA had 2 veterinarians who gave talks on cruelty to animals. The response from the students were amazing. They were very enquisitive during all the talk sessions. The main objective of this exhibition is to get the students to get interested in marine life and to be aware of the threats it is facing now and what they can do to contribute towards the conservation effort. We had also introduced them to some reef health monitoring pack/kit/method such as the Coral Watch Pack sponsored by Project AWARE Foundation.

Students inspecting the Coral Watch Pack.

Our volunteer artist Daniel on that day :)

Dr. Townsend showing some of his work

Salha's presentation on the reef and its' threats

Overall it was a good 2 days exhibition, the students and the teachers were great and helpful. Many thanks to our volunteers Bob, Clo, Pinky, Daniel, Acom, CT, Adi and our co-organizer cum our legal advisor, Faz. Lastly but not least thanks to the State Museum for lending us the panels for the exhibition especially to Mr. Asun.

Swarmed by students

-Sofia-

Call for Volunteers!

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:41:00 +0000

Hi there all, KK Reef Watch is organizing another ‘I See, I Care, I Save’ Marine Education Program tentatively to be held in July (a series of 4 days program, during weekends). We are looking for additional facilitators to facilitate the students as well as life guards. Facilitator training will be held sometime in June and early July 2008. The purpose of the training is not only for the purpose of facilitating the students but to educate the facilitators as well. Facilitators will be taught on how to conduct interactive discussions on marine life with ‘hyperactive’ and ‘hypershy’ students, teaching students the correct technique to snorkel and how to observe marine life, how to handle students in the water, and how to do simple reef check. Other fringe benefits would be of course free trips to our beautiful islands within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park and hang out with the cool KK Reef Watch’s team.

Requirements:
1) Good and strong swimmer
2) Comfortable with snorkeling gears
3) Comfortable in rough sea condition (strong current and big wave)
4) Water rescue and CPR certifications
(not necessary but would be nice!)
5) Knowledge on marine biology
(not necessary but would be nice too!)
6) Highly motivated

Those interested please drop us an e-mail at kkreefwatch@gmail.com

Here are some shots on the previous facilitator training in May 2008.

Part of the team (Bob, Paya, Johnny, Me, Min Hui) at the Manukan Jetty (note my lovely blue rashguard)

Salha (pink rashguard) giving briefing to the facilitators

Pointing at Paya’s ‘bruised and injured’ leg

Emergency exit by Bob at Gaya Island

Bob saved…. (it’s actually harder than it look, current was quite strong, and a marine snake was lurking in the water)

Sofia :)

IOC/WESTPAC 7th International Scientific Symposium

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:12:00 +0000

Setting up the booth

KK Reef Watch had a booth at the exhibition hall during the IOC/WESTPAC 7th International Scientific Symposium 21st - 23rd May 2008 at Magellan Sutera, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. In my humble opinion, w e had the best booth (I'm noy bias!!) We all had fun & all our volunteers were great. We also met a lot of people who gave us motivation & advice since we are a new NGO here. Lots of government agencies had booths and we maximize that opportunity by getting to know the officers for possible future collaborations.

Datuk Kamarulzaman Ampon, Deputy Vice Chancellor

We didnt expect the booth to be so big so in the future we need to produce more posters. However, we compensate by putting up a big canvas for people to sign. Now we have a very nice memento of our first Exhibition in Malaysia. We will frame it and put it up in the office (we have a small room in Sofia's house that serves as our temp office :) and it will serve as motivation for us to keep us going when the going gets tough.

Bing, our artist volunteer to do caricature drawings. it was a great hit. Many people came to our booth to do the caricature and give some donation to KK Reef Watch. Thanks :)

Here are some of the many money shots :) (hehehe)

Our legal advisor interviewed by the press

Mr Adrian (Special officer - MOSTI)

VIPs at the booth during launching ceremony

Cute photos of me, Zar & Sof

Many thanks to our volunteers:
Paya, CT, Adie, Zar, Faz (our new legal adviser), Min Hui, Bobita

Thank you so much for your support :) We also would like to thank Prof Ridzwan & Prof Saleem for giving us the opportunity to do the exhibit. UMS actually gave us the booth for free :)

Cheers,
Salha

Fun on A Not so Sunny Day

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:01:00 +0000

At about 10 pm the night before the ‘I see, I care, I save’ marine education program we were all in a high spirit and anxious waiting for the big day. All the facilitators were gathered at Cocoon having a last minute meeting. Suddenly I received missed calls and text messages from Pontius, Sri Insan teacher, saying that we might have to cancel the trip due to the parents concern about the weather and safety of their kids. All of a sudden our elation plunged downhill. Last minute cancellation is wicked!! We have paid for everything and cant cancel at this last minute.We tried to soothe their panic (maybe ours too) by telling them all the safety measure that we have arranged. Pontius told us that some students will show up but maybe only half.

On D-day, we woke up early and went to the jetty with apprehension and praying that at least some students will show up. All the facilitators including a reporter from See Hua Daily News, Miss Ling were already gathered, and the students were still nowhere to be seen. We were worried; I was baiting my manicured nails and screaming inside….. Then suddenly I got a call from Pontius saying that he was already at the jetty and there were 13 students with him!! I told Salha the good news and she virtually jumped with joy and did a little happy jig. Everybody was relieved. We met the students and they were full of anticipation and enthusiasm. Already they were asking a lot of questions. “What are we going to do?”, “Where are we going?”, “Are we going to learn how to snorkel?”, “When are we going already?!”

Hearing their eagerness fires our energy. We gave them T-shirts and they immediately changed. The facilitators were in their cool white T-shirts looking confident and optimistic, the students in their adorable T-shirts looking lively & in good spirit. The team was ready to conquer anything.

And then we were off. Despite the sun being shy, hiding behind the clouds, we were all bright & cheerful. The boat ride was full of laughter and raging adrenalin.

At the island we were greeted by a marine research officer, mr Irwan Isnain. He gave a good talk on Tunku Abdul Rahman Park role in protecting and managing the marine park. The video presentation on marine life was equally interesting. The highlight of the program was the water activity. The current was a concern but we took extra precaution and make sure that all the students were save and comfortable.

The program was a success; the students went home with a sense of awareness and connection to the sea. The sea is more than just salty water, and fishes are not just fishes, they have feelings too… :) For us the facilitators, the kids made our day just by being inquisitive and eager to learn. A very satisfying day for all of us indeed……..

Sofia :)

1 Day Marine Education Program

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 01:39:00 +0000

The 1 day 'I See, I Care, I Save' Marine Education program is going to be held on the 17th May 2008 at Manukan Island. Participants will be secondary school students from Seri Insan. Teachers from Seri Insan, lecturers from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Sabah Parks Authority will be the observers. We also have volunteers from UMS to help in facilitating the program.

This program is wholly sponsored by the Rufford Small Grants Foundation.

So the activities will look something like this;

Marine life observation

Wrap up

Sofia :)

swimming dolphin

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:58:00 +0000

On 13th April 2008 we found a Spinner Dolphin on our beach. It was found early in the morning about 6am. We were shocked to see it and also excited at the same time. All of us have never seen dolphin up close before. The dolphin beached itself and has many scratches on its dorsal fin, pectoral flippers, melon and at the tip of its rostrum (C).

A) Dorsal Fin: The dorsal fin is falcate (curved back) and located at the center of the back. It is made up of fibrous tissue. It may act to stabilize the dolphin as it swims but it is not a necessity - as some dolphin’s dorsal fins are damaged with some almost completly missing.

B) Melon: The fatty, rounded structure on the top of the head used to produce sounds for communication and echolocation.

C) Rostrum: The snout of the dolphin containing conical shaped teeth. These interlock to catch prey whole and suck it down whole, without chewing it.

D) Pectoral Flippers: The pectoral flippers are the dolphin’s forelimbs. They are very similar to our forearms and hands. The flippers are curved and pointed on the ends and have a primary function of helping the dolphin to steer.

E) Postanal Hump: The hump is found only on mature males.

At the time that we found it at the beach, one of the dive crew at our jetty was shouting and pointing at something in the water. Turns out it was a Tiger shark, probably it was chasing the dolphin or maybe it was attracted by the blood of the dolphin. It went away after a few minutes. Phew!I haven’t dived since this Tiger shark sighting L Anyway, we didn’t know what to do with the dolphin, tried to pull it into deeper water but it kept coming back and it refused to swim or do anything. We have no facilities to care for a dolphin but out of concern we took a tank and put it into the tank while we made calls for help and instruction on dolphin’s care.

I called Zarinah at UMS and she told me the survival chances of beached dolphins are very slim. Then we called a vet in Sepilok and were told the same thing. We were also told to keep the water in the dolphin tank deep enough for it to float as to avoid its body weight from crushing its lungs and internal organs. But at the same time we have to keep holding the dolphin up so that it can breathe.

After about 4 hours in the tank with the dolphin (I secretly named it Fifi, because we have a dog here named Fufu), Fifi seems to be feeling better. Where previously she was motionless, she was able to move and float for herself. We were worried that she might have internal injuries but she peed 4 times without blood in it so I assume there is no internal bleeding. We decided to put her back in the sea to see if she is ok and wants to swim away. The truth is the tank that we put her in was an old one with many holes. We had to put canvas and keep the sea water flowing in. We were really poorly equipped to keep her.

We gently carried her into the sea. At first she just swims around us in circles and sometimes she will brush up against us. She kept swimming & expanding the circle. I think she was testing her own self when she swims away and then came back to us. After about 30 minutes she decided to swims further and we escorted her in a small boat. When we reached deeper water she started playing with us, making spins, circling the boat and even racing with the boat. She seems to be feeling much better. She can swim really fast!

We waved goodbye for the last time to Fifi and head back to the island. I don’t know how it happened but I feel very attached to Fifi. Holding her in the tank for 4 hours (Fifi peed on me 4 times and surprisingly she farted a few times too) and praying for her well being made me fall in love with her. Dolphins are amazing creatures indeed. I never thought I would experience this. It feels really good to nurse it back.

Swimming with Fifi was an amazing event in my life and I will remember it forever.

xoxo

-salha-

Greetings from Lankayan Island: Dendritic Jawfish

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 04:55:00 +0000

Hello everyone,

Since I am going to be in Lankayan Island the whole year, I thaught it would be nice to report on some of the interesting species & news here in Lankayan. Lankayan is one of the islands within the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA).

On my first week here, I was brought to see Lankayan's famous jawfish. It was my first experience seeing this Dendritic jawfish. It was big and it has eggs in its mouth. It was a very interesting fish to observe and I immedietly look for more information on the fish.

Cheers,
-Salha-

Jawfish from the Family Opistognathidae (opisto means ‘behind’ and gnath means ‘mouth’ in Latin), are classified within Order Perciformes, Suborder Percoidei.

The Dendritic Jawfish is a large jawfish species and can grow up to approximately 25cm in length. It can be identified by its yellow brown body with dark spots and blotches. The species is solitary and usually can be found burrowing in sands and rubble bottom reef in depths ranging from 2m – 40m. In Langkayan Island, this jawfish is very famous. In fact one of the dive site here is named after them, Jawfish Lair.

Jawfish typically reside in burrows that they construct in sandy substrate. They will stuff their mouth with sand and spit it out elsewhere, slowly creating a tunnel. Utilizing the protection of these burrows, these fish will hover feeding on plankton or other small organisms, ready to dart back in at the first sign of danger. They are territorial of the area around their burrows.

Jawfish are mouthbrooders meaning that their eggs hatch in their mouths, where the new-born fry are able to be protected from predators. Mouthbrooding, also known as oral incubation and buccal incubation, is the care given by some groups of animals to their offspring by holding them in the mouth of the parent for extended periods of time.

Jawfish are paternal mouthbrooders, where the male looks after the eggs. Typically, after courtship, the male fertilises the eggs and then collects them in his mouth, holding onto them until they hatch. During this time he cannot feed. All mouthbrooding fish will be underweight and requiring a period of time to feed and make good the depletion of their energy reserves.
The eggs are protected until they hatch and the fry become free swimming. By caring for their offspring in this way, jawfish are able to produce smaller numbers of offspring with a higher chance of survival than species that offer no broodcare.

More Red Tide Info?

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:41:00 +0000

Check out maru maru's blog at http://marufish.blogspot.com/. There's recent satelite images showing chlorophyll level in seawater, sea temperature and etc. These are quite helpful in detecting the red tide movement and whereabouts. If anybody have more information on red tide around Sabah coastal waters, it's location, shellfish poisoning due to red tide and etc let us know.

Information Saves Lifes (even cage cultured fish's life) :-)

-Sofia-

Red tide news in Daily Express

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:33:00 +0000

Red Tide Alert Off KK and Tuaran
Daily Express, 20 March 2008. Kota Kinabalu

The Fisheries Department Wednesday announced that Red Tide was detected off Kota Kinabalu and Tuaran, though in small amounts, since last week. Its Principal Assistant Chief Ronny Bisuing advised to the public to be extra careful when eating shell fish or fish known to be easily contaminated by toxin produced by Red Tide.The situation is not critical and is under control. He also advised fishermen involved in cage fish culture to monitor the sea in their area and shift their fish to safer areas if needed. The department is monitoring the Red Tide movement and would inform the public from time to time.

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=56502

-Salha-

We need Co-organizers

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:23:00 +0000

Been busy with day jobs and sorting out stuffs with government agencies to seek approval for our ‘I see, I care, I save’ program. Education department of Sabah suggested we seek approval from the Federal Education Ministry. We are now trying to get the KK City Bird Sanctuary to co-organize the program as their theme ‘wetland’ is very much related to our marine theme. We might extend our intention for Sabah Park to co-organize the program as well, as getting their support is very important and beneficial to the sustenance of the program.

-Sofia-

Environmental Race in Sandakan

kkreefwatch@gmail.com (Popong) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:18:00 +0000

Salha is at the moment busy co-organizing the Environmental Race in Sandakan, it’s like an adventure race, only the theme and all clues are related to the Environment. It’s quite a significant event involving teachers, government authorities and NGOs. Hope we can organize this sort of race along with other agencies in Kota Kinabalu targetting teachers and students this year.

-Sofia-