Iqbal (squatting right) and the volunteers with the ghost fishing nets which they retrieved during the underwater clean-up exercise at Seafan Garden.
MIRI: A group of volunteers from Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Miri branch, Co.Co. Dive Miri and CRK Elite Diving Brunei took part in an underwater clean-up exercise at Seafan Garden, one of Miri’s best dive sites on Friday.
The group comprised four divers from Co.Co. Dive led by its manager Jimmy Yong, two divers from CRK Elite Diving headed by its instructor Roger Sim, chairman of MNS Miri branch Iqbal Abdollah and a local scuba instructor Roy Jok Ngau.
According to Iqbal, the joint clean-up effort was carried out in partnership with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and private entities in Miri and Brunei.
“The effort was part of programmes in connection with Miri’s International Coastal Clean-up Day 2018, 55th Malaysia Day celebration and International Years of the Reef 2018. Previously, MNS Miri branch carried out similar exercise in Brunei with CRK Elite Diving on July 15 this year.
“During the underwater clean-up effort, volunteers managed to retrieve ghost fishing nets at Seafan Garden,” Iqbal said.
According to him, the nets were quite new and covered more than 3,000 square metres of beautiful coral reef such as Gorgonian Sea Fan, sea whips and other soft and hard corals.
“The clean-up effort hauled in about 50kg of fishing nets and 100 metres in length discarded by fishing trawlers that might have been fishing illegally less than 5 nautical miles from shore.
“More nets were still seen underwater and unable to be retrieved due to bad visibility,” he disclosed.
In view of that, he urged more diving centres and divers to volunteer to help retrieve ghost fishing nets before they kill the corals.