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Marine Life & Conservation

Tulamben, Bali: USAT Liberty, Bumpheads and Bargibanti

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The smell of stale pee hung like a miasma in the still early morning air over the entry point to the USAT Liberty Wreck in Tulamben. It was still dark at 5.45am when we crept out of our beautifully cool veranda villa in the Mimpi Boutique Hotel Resort for our eagerly anticipated Bump Head Parrot fish encounter. We walked along the sea wall that protects the beach front resorts from the ravages of the ocean, crunching over the black stone volcanic rubble in our sandals as the sky lightened and the sea began to glow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tulamben is a small resort village in the East Coast of Bali, nestled against the towering Mt Agung, one of Bali’s three active volcanoes. It depends almost entirely on divers for its income who come to explore the wreck of the USAT Liberty, a deliberately beached WW2 ship that was landlocked for 20 years until 1963 when the volcano erupted, killing over a thousand people and finally sinking the ship. It now lies in a depth varying from just 6m down to 28m of water, wedged against the undersea slope.

With natural disaster always lurking in the background, and an active volcano to propitiate, the Balinese practice a very active form of animist Hinduism in their daily lives. They surround themselves with well tended gardens and natural beauty. Even the most humble dwelling often has an exquisite pot or planting on the pavement, and almost every family has a temple, or sacred place. Daily offerings are made to the gods of earth, wind, water and fire. It is almost as though the Balinese are afraid their environment will suddenly disappear, so they make everything beautiful while they can, asking help from their gods to keep their world safe.

There are divers swarming over the wreck from 7am when the porters arrive to carry the tanks to the ocean side, until 10pm when the last night divers surface. Incredibly, where every dive entry point we visited had gear washing facilities, ablutions and loos, this one with the most diver traffic has only a few bamboo platforms to kit up on, hence the stench of pee. All the gear is carried from the resorts on the heads of the staunch Balinese women porters.

35 year old Nengah carries 2 sets of kit on her head

Ages range from 24 to 50 years old, and most of the women are married with children. They move in a circuit, from kit-up and ablution area with full kits to entry point returning with empty cylinders. They are paid by the dive Operators through the Dive Guides and most have worked for the 11 years since the system’s inception.

We met Parman, our personal dive guide, at the restaurant rendezvous and he was on his cell to a friend with a motorcycle to organise for our gear to be transported the 200m to the entry point, as it was too early for the porters. We strapped on our weight belts, picked up our fins and wearing our Rockies over our booties we stumbled across the stones and boulders to the entry point. After 30min, no gear, the sun was showing and the dive boats had arrived, depositing 20 divers onto the wreck.  By 6:30am it was clearly too late for the parrot fish encounter, but the gear arrived and we kitted up anyway.

The Bump Heads sleep in the wreck and we had seen one on our night dive the previous evening, sleeping under an overhang. They leave at sunrise to disperse across the reef, grazing on the coral and trying to convert the black volcanic silt to white coral sand with their droppings. A single Bumphead consumes 5 tonnes of coral in a year. You rarely find them in the wreck after sunrise. Surprisingly Parman finned away from the Liberty. We soon saw why. As we reached the 11m coral line, 43 Bumphead Parrot fish arrived for breakfast. Like a bovine herd, they hung beside us, benignly sleepy-eyed, the little ones pushing and shoving at each other while the gigantic herd bull tried to maintain order. He had an enormous bump, so big there was room for a tenacious remora, which clung optimistically to the edge of it.

Side on they are huge, but they are almost two dimensional, as they are very narrow creatures. As young fish they are a drab grey, but as they get older and bigger, their colour lightens to an exquisite turquoise blue with rich blue fin outlines. When the dominant male in an area dies, the largest female changes her sex and gains the stature and ponderous gravitas of an elder statesman, taking over the role of herd bull. There can be only one male in any area.

We headed back to the Liberty and plunged straight down to 34m, where Parman expected to find the exquisite minute pink pygmy seahorse. At this depth our bottom time was limited, so we had 8 minutes to find him. As the deco warnings on our computers began to flash Parman’s rattle sounded, and there he was. Minutely exquisite, clinging tenaciously to his Gorgonian Fan, we saw the Pink Pygmy Seahorse, (Hipocampus Bargibanti) and then to top off a perfect dive, the Dragon Shrimp ((Phyllognatha ceratophthalmus).

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ascended through the wreck, passing stunning hard and soft corals, Catfaced Rock Cod, dozens of unfamiliar butterfly fishes, two relaxed Regal Angelfish and a huge Malabar rock cod. There were several beautiful Oriental Sweet lips relaxing on the sand against a fallen boom, with hungry goatfish burrowing in the sand around them. A patch of garden eels waved in the slight current as we ascended, and to complete a perfect dive, a huge school of kingfish circled us overhead, hoping we would stir up a meal for them at the 3m mark.

We trudged back for breakfast through an oregano field filled with grazing goats, and were stunned by the ancient wisdom of a nation that had the foresight to pre-season its meat. Every meal we had in Bali was deliciously seasoned, elegantly served by exquisite Balinese hostesses and the most expensive dish, pre-ordered Bali Roast Goose was around £2.50 per person, for 3 courses.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Words: Jill Holloway

Images: David Holloway

Copyright: Ocean Spirit www.osdiving.com

Jill Holloway lives in Mauritius and at Sodwana Bay Isimangaliso Wetland Park in South Africa. A PADI qualified Nitrox diver with over 1,500 dives, she is a passionate observer and preserver of the marine environment, and has a database of over 35,000 fish pics and hundreds of Gopro videos on fish behaviour, which she shares with her readers.

Marine Life & Conservation

New report shows simple measures needed to cut beach plastic pollution

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The Marine Conservation Society has launched its annual State of our Beaches 2023 report, highlighting the need for less single-use plastic items and more refillable options.

The charity’s beach cleaning programme, now in its 30th year, asks volunteers to record all litter that they find within a 100-metre stretch of beach. By gathering vital data from across the UK and Channel Islands, the charity creates change for cleaner seas and a healthier planet through policy and industry change. Last year, over 148 kilometres of beach were surveyed by volunteers, who removed 17,208kgs of litter from our coast.

Using data collected by over 14,000 volunteers, the State of our Beaches 2023 report shows that half of all litter collected came from public sources – either dumped, blown or washed onto our beaches.

Drinks-related litter, such as plastic bottles, caps and cans were one of the most found items, with an average of 16 found per 100 metres of beach surveyed. This figure is up 14% compared to the charity’s 2022 report.

Plastics caps and lids were recorded on 89% of surveys, with over 30,000 found in total. Plastic bottles were also commonly collected, with 73% of surveys finding this single-use item – a 4% increase compared to 2022. The charity’s inland litter pick survey, Source to Sea, also reported finding plastic bottles on 92% of cleans.

However, the charity’s State of Our Beaches 2023 report also indicates that some types of litter are on a downward trend. Although still in the top 10 litter items, disposable plastic cutlery, trays and straws were found on 5% fewer beaches across the UK, showing that bans on these plastic items between 2022 – 2023 could be working. The presence of plastic cotton bud sticks also dropped by 14%.

Lizzie Price, Beachwatch Manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said, “Half of the litter found on our beaches originates from public sources, underscoring the pressing issue of single-use plastic. Evidence shows that refillable alternatives and litter return schemes effectively reduce rubbish, as demonstrated by the decline our data has shown in items like plastic bags and disposable cutlery.

“Urgent and decisive action from UK governments is needed to accelerate our shift towards a circular economy, where we reuse, repair and recycle. The public needs greater access to refillable products and systems need to be implemented in which manufacturers are responsible for their waste.”

Governments across the UK have committed to delivering deposit return schemes from October 2025. However, the proposed scheme in England does not include glass items, despite glass being found on 52% of beaches in 2023. The charity is calling for governments across the UK to introduce compatible all inclusive deposit return schemes as soon as possible. This would see aluminium cans, and plastic and glass bottles have a 20p deposit which would be returned when recycled which would reduce drinks-related pollution.

Businesses are, however, starting to take refillable and reusable options into their own hands. Supermarket chain, Aldi, the largest corporate funder of the charity’s 2024 Beachwatch programme, is already leading the charge in refillable items by trialling refillable options for cereals and porridge oats in their stores over the past 5 months.

Plastics and Packaging Director, Luke Emery, from Aldi, who are running 4 beach cleans for staff and volunteers in 2024, said, We are continually working to reduce single-use plastics and packaging, and making unpackaged product options more commonplace for our customers is a key part of this. We are really pleased with the uptake of our refillable range so far by customers. Not only are we making sustainable shopping more accessible, but we also offer refill products for a better price than the packaged alternative, helping our customers save money.”

Marine litter is one of the biggest threats to our seas, with plastic breaking down over time into microplastics and threatening marine life which can ingest or become entangled in them. The Marine Conservation Society is urging the UK Government to move faster on its policies to cut down plastic waste and prevent items from reaching our seas.

To find out more about the charity’s beach cleans and how to get involved, please visit mcsuk.org/beach-cleans

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Guarding Against Coral Invaders

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Protecting (Dutch) Caribbean Reefs from Unomia stolonifera

Recent reports highlight the concerning spread of the invasive soft coral, Unomia stolonifera, currently devastating Venezuela’s marine ecosystems and detected in Cuba. With the potential threat of its expansion to the (Dutch) Caribbean islands, urgent action and awareness are essential to safeguard marine biodiversity and local economies from possible catastrophic consequences.

Invasive species are animals or plants from another region of the world that don’t belong in their new environment. These species can have major ecological effects by decimating native flora or fauna. They can also cause large economic losses and impact human health. Invasive species also pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems worldwide, including the Dutch Caribbean. Among these invaders is the octocoral species Unomia stolonifera or “Pulsing Xenia”, originally from the Indo-Pacific. With its rapid growth and lack of natural predators, this species can outcompete native species and disrupt fragile marine habitats such as seagrass beds and coral reefs.

Background

The invasive soft coral U. stolonifera was first identified in 2014, off the coast of Venezuela. It is believed to have been introduced via the illegal aquarium trade.  Since this species can reproduce sexually and asexually (or fragment), even small pieces can regenerate to spread.  Once introduced it quickly took over shallow reefs and hard substrate at depths of 0-50 meters, outcompeting local corals and seagrass for space.  Follow on surveys found that this coral species exhibited average percentage cover as high as 80%, vastly outcompeting native corals. In highly colonized areas, fish are disappearing due to loss of habitats.

In 2022, during a survey conducted in Cuba by the University of Havana, an unknown octocoral was discovered which was later identified as the invasive Unomia stolonifera. It is suspected that the coral larvae arrived in ballast water from fossil fuel ships originating from Venezuela, as nearby sites adjacent to Venezuelan ports have been heavily affected by the invasion.

How to help

Prevention through continuous monitoring, particularly in high-risk areas such as marine harbors and oil facilities, is paramount. Early detection plays a pivotal role in mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera.

The public’s involvement and awareness are also vital. Local communities, recreational divers, tourists, and all stakeholders are urged to participate in early detection efforts by reporting sightings (photo, location and date) of this invasive coral to their respective Protected Area Management Organization (PMO’s)- the Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA)STINAPA BonaireCARMABI Curaçao Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF)Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM) and St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA). If an invaded area is confirmed, follow the recommendations by the local PMO’s.

Keys to Success

Despite the challenges, early detection is key to mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera. With continued vigilance, research, and community engagement, there is hope for containing this potential issue before it becomes a major threat.

About the DCNA

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) supports (science) communication and outreach in the Dutch Caribbean region by making nature related (scientific) information more widely available through amongst others the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database, DCNA’s news platform BioNews and through the press. This article contains the results from several scientific studies but the studies themselves are not DCNA studies. No rights can be derived from the content. DCNA is not liable for the content and the in(direct) impacts resulting from publishing this article.

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