CAPTURING ILLEGAL BLAST-FISHING ACTIVITIES.

Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, are hugely dependent on fisheries resources as the main protein source where the average consumption has been estimated to be twice the amount per capita of fish protein consumed by nations in the western hemisphere. With the increase in demand, most fisheries in these developing countries have operated at unsustainable levels as they resorted more and more to using destructive methods that are environmentally damaging. In the past two decades, fishers in Sabah Malaysia and the neighbouring countries have resorted to cyanide and dynamite fishing as means of landing near-term good harvest at the long-term expense of damaging coral reefs and driving valuable marine species to extinction. Dynamite fishing is typically carried out using home-made bombs of fertilizers and fuse-caps inserted into beer bottles. Each of these dynamites is capable of flattening two to three meters of reefs; effectively destroying coral formations that consequently limits recolonization process.

One of the more evident effects of ‘bomb’ fishing is the absence of fishes belonging to the entire spectrum of ecological niches on the reef. Blast fishing would render the reef devoid of scavengers, plankton feeders and micro-benthos feeders. For example, the presence of triggerfish Balistidae would normally keep the sea urchin population in check. But with the removal of triggerfish through ‘bomb’ fishing, the sea urchin populations are allowed to expand and in turn denude the reefs through their grazing activities. . This will lead to a rapid depletion of grazing materials which are crucial in the life support system for a host of other marine communities on the reef. Denuded coral reefs will no longer serve well as nursery grounds for juvenile fishes and other vulnerable stages of reef communities that are usually sheltered and protected by the complex living composition and physical structure of the reefs. Many reefs have been converted to underwater quarries and the study found out that many species are already locally extinct.

Without rapid significant change in the human impact pressures, the coral reefs of Sabah will soon cease to function as providers of extractable marine resources for human use. A study of several coral reefs along Sabah eastern coasts indicated the intensity of damage caused by fish bombings where more than 90 percent of the reefs surveyed were pockmarked with hundreds of such bomb blasts (Ghazally Ismail et al. Marine Biodiversity Conservation in Sabah: Moving Past the Rhetorical Stages. In Biodiversity Conservation in ASEAN: Emerging Issues and Regional Needs Eds Ghazally Ismail & Murtedza Mohamed ASEAN Academic Press 1998). The study concluded that dynamite fishing for food fish and cyanide fishing for the live fish trade occur nearly everywhere and 99% of all reefs surveyed had significant damage to reef community.

Laws and regulations against destructive fishing practices have existed for a long time in most Southeast Asian countries but enforcement has been problematic and frustratingly inadequate. Malaysia has banned dynamite fishing but is unable to enforce the ban. The inherent difficulty and ineffectiveness of law enforcement to curb these fishing practices have been recognized as the primary stumbling block in the protection and management of our coral reefs that are of paramount importance to the future fisheries and tourism industries of Malaysia. The reefs most at risk are often in remote locations, where it is difficult for governments to bear the cost of extensive and effective surveillance. This same situation is experienced in many other countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia.

Indeed there is an urgent need for a new methodology and an advanced real-time monitoring, detection and notification system for capturing illegal blast-fishing activities. The production and availability of an effective and viable detection and notification system will be able to counter the illegal and unsustainable practice of blast fishing using dynamites in these areas. With the rapid advancement of both telecommunication and information technologies today, it would not be impractical to envisage the invention of a new intelligent sensor that can serve as a real-time monitoring device for monitoring, detection and notification of illegal blast fishing as carried out in the coral reef environment. The production of this new monitoring and detection system will provide, for the first time, an effective capability to counter illegal blast fishing. This in effect will result in the protection of many marine species from extinction and preserve the integrity of our threatened coral reefs from fish bombing activities. It will also help in preserving pristine eco-tourism assets crucial for promoting Malaysia as SCUBA diving destinations and other recreational activities.

To date, we are not aware of any such device that has been specifically designed to combat illegal blast fishing. Without any exception, all governments in the Asia Pacific and South American regions have recognized the menace and potential calamity that might accrue from the loss of their coral reef habitats. Yet their common predicament is the failure to effectively curb destructive fishing activities that have surged over recent years despite the existence of persecutory laws and regulations decreed by respective countries. The use of monitoring device will be more effective and practical compared to the current procedures of random surveillance and after-the-fact investigation. The investment incurred in the research and development of this device would not only prove cost-effective but also in a very short time result in a far more superior means of marshalling and preservation of our coral reefs in their intact natural state. This technology when developed in Malaysia could provide an opportunity for export to other countries experiencing the same problems with destructive fishing methods in the coral reefs.

It is also envisaged that various fishery agencies within the country and also in several tropical countries will be interested in the device to monitor or detect other disturbances in the marine environment. This would be plausible because the technology used in the development of this device is generic in nature and thus can be translated to useful products for monitoring and detection of other pollutants and disturbances within our marine environment. The technology may also be improvised and further developed to benefit other industrial sectors in Malaysia such as marine engineering and the construction of environmental monitoring device for other applications.

Theoretical and empirical derivation of the characteristics of typical underwater explosions as caused by illegal blast fishing activities need to be determined. Sensors will be derived to respond to such mechanical and visual activities. Detection, actuation and reporting activities will be integrated and controlled by a software to be developed and hardwares; most of which are intended to be customized from existing commercial products so as to save cost.

Engineers and university researchers will work on different aspects of the development simultaneously. The first phase involves determining the characteristics and properties of the phenomenon; deriving a workable sensor design; and, producing a feasible overall solution on paper. This project entails research work and development effort integrating electronic communications, information, energy and advanced material technologies. It is a challenging task which will entail and incorporate research and constructions from mechanical engineers (Dynamics, Advanced Materials, Design and Control Systems); electrical & electronics engineers (System Electronics and Bus, Integrated Circuits, Electrical and Power Systems); communications engineers (Data Communication, Signal Processing and Wireless Communication); computer software engineers (Programming and Logic); and, industrial engineers (Packaging). Such project presents an opportunity for Malaysian engineers and university researchers to work on a challenging case of multi-disciplinary Systems Integration – a nascent technology focus.

Thes project involves electronics, energy technology, IT, telecommunication technology and application of advanced engineering knowledge and is envisioned to spur and spawn a substantial amount of interesting research topics. It is a three-phase project that will produce an advanced system comprising of a network of self-powered, temper-resistant, two-tiered monitoring and sensing device that is capable of detecting underwater blasting and thence, relaying the location and event back to a central monitoring station.

Phase 1: An innovative methodology in conjunction with a conceptual model of the new device will be derived - which will enable N number of the new device to be placed optimally in the open sea to monitor, detect and report on illegal underwater blasting.

Phase 2: Prototype development and testing of the device and software will be conducted.

Phase 3 : A complete system integration will be conducted and a small-scale deployment of the system in the open sea for design verification will be demonstrated.

The milestones to be achieved would include the following:

1^st Milestone: A conceptual model of the new device will be derived that will be able to monitor, detect and report on illegal underwater blasting.

2^nd Milestone: Development of the prototype

3^rd Milestone: Result of the testing of the device and software .

4^th Milestone: Result on the small-scale deployment of a complete system integration in the open sea