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Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 2 Sep 19; KOTA KINABALU: The threat posed by �ghost nets� � fishing nets discarded or lost in the sea � to marine life forms was evident recently when a dive and recreation team from Gayana Marine Resort discovered two bamboo sharks battling for their lives in the surrounding waters off Malohom bay here. The team managed to rescue one shark, but could not save the other. The resort was conducting a cleanup operation following the discovery of ghost nets in the surrounding waters of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (TARP). �Initially, we had only wanted to look for new dive sites to bring our guests to. �However, during our recce, we were shocked to find patches of corals covered by ghost nets,� said the resort�s operations manager Alfonso Valirianus. Alfonso said it was sad to see beautiful and healthy coral reefs being damaged and broken by the weight of the abandoned fish nets. The team then brought back some of the living coral fragments entangled in th...

BBC 30 Aug 19; The Great Barrier Reef's outlook has been officially downgraded from poor to very poor due to climate change. Rising sea temperatures thanks to human-driven global warming remain the biggest threat to the reef, a five-year Australian government report says. Actions to save it "have never been more time critical", the report reads. Stretching over 2,300km (1,400 miles), the reef was designated a World Heritage site in 1981 for its "enormous scientific and intrinsic importance". But in recent years the reef has been increasingly damaged by warmer seas which have killed off coral and affected its long-term health. Unesco's World Heritage Committee is due to consider adding the reef to its list of sites that are "in danger". The massive report documents the condition of the reef and its outlook for the future. What does the report say? Under Australian law, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) must produce a report on t...

Avila Geraldine New Straits Times 14 Aug 19; KOTA KINABALU: A Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) reef expert has welcomed the one-month closure of popular Sipadan Island to give way for marine recovery effort. Marine ecology lecturer Muhammad Ali Syed Hussein said the decision by Sabah Parks to temporarily close the island was a good start to reduce and remove stress from the coral reefs. �As Sipadan is popular (for scuba diving activities), it would be difficult to close it for a long period of time. A one-month closure is a good start. �It will help control the quota (of divers) while ensuring the reefs are maintained in good condition,� he said. The one-month closure of the renowned Sipadan will only begin in December next year. The directive from Sabah Parks was made at the request of dive operators. December was picked as it is the low season in terms of diver arrivals. Ali believed that Sabah Parks was committed to ensuring the protection of corals and marine life, and the body had...