The event, held on April 10th, was organised and sponsored by the local government (OPD) and a number of companies and organizations including Omsin Bank, Chumphon Marine Conservation Group, Coral Resort (who provided the scuba tanks) and Kig Travel Company (who provided the boats). The objective was to clean the trash off the coral reefs surrounding two small local islands before the Songkran tourist rush, I was fortunate enough to be invited along.
- The team
- Nylon fishing line being cut off the reef
- Bag it and bin it
- Marine live still thrives despite all the crap in the ocean
- Never too young to learn about marine conservation
A great effort was made by all and a lot of trash was removed from the reef, an estimated 95% of it came from fishing boats and consisted of nylon fishing line, ropes, lead weights and nets. Some nets were up to 50 meters long and the coral beneath it had all died, we had to cut the anemones out and reposition them elsewhere.
Sadly as long as the Thai fishing community continues to abuse the ocean and reefs this problem will never be resolved, however with initiatives like this one we hope we can make a bit of a difference in the right direction.
More photos:
http://bangsaphanguide.com/forum/viewto ... ?f=3&t=457
