Marine Life & Conservation
Malaysia: People are still treating the ocean like a giant rubbish bin, says underwater clean-up participant

An endangered turtle was found dead during an underwater clean-up at Sabah’s east coast Billean and Tegaipil islands.
“As we were removing a fishing net from the reef during the clean-up, it was so sad to find an adult Hawksbill turtle entangled and dead in the net,” said Dr Milena Salgado-Lynn from Danau Girang Field Centre.
The fishing net is believed to have been discarded by a fishing boat before it drifted and got entangled to the reef, said Dr Salgado-Lynn, one of the 35 participants from various organisations in the clean-up exercise.
The fishing net was among the marine debris consisting mainly of plastic drinking bottles, polystyrene lunch boxes, ropes, cigarette butts, slippers and glass bottles collected from beaches and the sea. A total of 543kg of rubbish was hauled up.
“People are still treating the ocean like a giant rubbish bin,” said Rashid Saburi from the Sabah Wildlife Department.
The Reef Guardian-organised project also involved the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and Lankayan Island Dive Resort.
The clean-up at the Billean and Tegaipil islands that come under the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area was carried out in conjunction with Project Aware. It is organised worldwide to remove marine debris from beaches and the sea.
Reef Guardian emphasises a message to turn mere awareness into action to save the ocean from further pollution and destruction.
“The public is actually aware that our environment is in the process of degradation. However, only a few are taking action to stop it,” said event manager Radzi Abdul Kadir of Reef Guardian.
He said to protect and save Sabah’s natural resources, more action was needed from everyone to recycle and not pollute rivers and the sea with harmful materials.
Source: www.thestar.com.my
Marine Life & Conservation
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Marine Life & Conservation
Spring jellyfish blooms bring turtles to UK shores

Marine Conservation Society’s wildlife sightings project asks beachgoers to share their discoveries and contribute to research
The Marine Conservation Society’s long-running wildlife sightings project focuses on two key species which arrive on UK shores: jellyfish and, as a result, turtles. Both species are vital in supporting ocean biodiversity and are indicators of climate change while being at risk from its impacts.
The charity is asking beach and seagoers to share when they spot either of these marine animals to support ongoing research.
During spring and summer, jellyfish arrive in the UK’s warming waters to feed on plankton blooms or, in fact, anything small enough to get caught. To that extent, jellyfish feed not only on plankton, but also the array of eggs and larvae of fish, crustaceans, starfish and molluscs which rely on plankton as a stage of reproduction.
With healthy fish stocks and rich biodiversity, jellyfish quickly become part of an effective food chain. Everything from tuna to turtles will feed on jellyfish of various sizes, so the population is well controlled. Supported by a rich and diverse ocean ecosystem, jellyfish link the microscopic world of plankton to larger marine animals and the ocean around them.
Jellyfish are especially appealing for marine turtles. Six of the world’s seven marine turtle species have been spotted in UK seas as a result of jellyfish blooms in spring and summer.
The largest sea turtle, and the most common in UK seas, is the leatherback which has a ‘vulnerable’ conservation status. Reporting sightings of these incredible creatures will support the Marine Conservation Society and others in understanding their movements, potential threats and how to better protect them.
Amy Pilsbury, Citizen Science Project Lead at the Marine Conservation Society, said:“For more than 17 years, beachgoers across the UK have been contributing to scientific research by sharing their wildlife sightings with us. It’s a key part of our work and plays a vital role in better understanding and protecting our ocean.”
In 2014, with partners from the University of Exeter, the Marine Conservation Society published the first paper from the survey data, confirming key information about UK jellyfish and including the first distribution maps of the surveyed species.
Since the 2014 paper, the wildlife sightings project has recorded notable events such as massive and extensive annual blooms of barrel jellyfish and several summers of Portuguese Man o’ War mass strandings.
The charity continues to run its wildlife sightings project to see what happens to the distribution and frequency of mass jellyfish blooms over time. The data will help to explore any links jellyfish blooms have with big-picture factors such as climate change.
Jellyfish can be spotted year-round in UK seas, but larger blooms are more likely to appear in spring, lasting through until autumn. Jellyfish sighting records from 2021 suggest that compass jellyfish are the most common around UK shores, making up 36% of reported sightings.
Jellyfish species | Percentage of sightings reported |
Compass jellyfish | 36% |
Moon jellyfish | 17% |
Lion’s mane jellyfish | 15% |
Barrel jellyfish | 14% |
Blue jellyfish | 9% |
Portuguese Man o’ War | 6% |
Mauve stinger | 2% |
By the wind sailor | 1% |
For more information on how to identify jellyfish and turtles, and to report a sighting, please visit the Marine Conservation Society’s website.
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