KOTA KINABALU: A research education conservation centre at the Ara Dinawan island in Kinarut, near here, is hoping to raise more awareness with its programmes next year.
Ara Dinawan Research Education Conservation Center (ADRECC) director Monica Chin said prior to the Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18, they received a call saying that a fisherman had rescued a healthy male juvenile nurse shark which was later kept at a nursery before being released.
"It is our first shark rescue since ADRECC began operations a year and 5 months ago.
"Our visits to a village near Ara Dinawan island to communicate with the fishermen have yielded results," she said, adding the team including her partner Jeffery Tsang approached them to understand their livelihood and educate them on the importance of sharks in the marine ecosystem.
Chin added that from their engagement, they learned that the local fishermen were having problems catching fish nearby as the reefs were destroyed by rampant fish bombing done by outsiders.
The villagers have to take higher risks and go out farther to have better catch.
"We have an opportunity to explain to them about the importance and benefit of sharks to the ecosystem.
"Instead of catching them (either to sell or for own consumption), we tell them that shark meat contains higher mercury which is not good for the body," she said, adding ADRECC invited them to be part of the conservation team to protect the species.
Chin added ADRECC has been working with the Sabah Shark Protection Association (SSPA) on the conservation of the species and data collection around Ara Dinawan island since Jan 2019.
"However, educating the fishing community on the importance of sharks is a very challenging task," she said.
"Due to the MCO, all our conservation projects, educational programmes, talks, workshops, training and awareness campaigns are postponed to next year."
Meanwhile, SSPA founder Aderick Chong said the main objective of the collaboration was to save and release as many sharks as possible while conserving the area as a sanctuary for them.
"Our vision is to create a shark sanctuary in Ara Dinawan to be included within the 1.2mil ha shark sanctuaries proposed by the then government a few years ago.
"While we are striving to achieve this, we hope to continue to push for the protection of sharks, as a whole, instead of protection by species due to the loopholes around these species protection," he said adding the conservation programmes also include turtles, seaweed and coral propagation among others.
For more information, visit ADRECC Research Education Conservation on Facebook or Instagram at @adrecckk.
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