DILI, 20 september 2022 ( TATOLI) – Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Acacio Guterres said, so far his department has socialized the preservation and protection of marine ecosystems on coral reefs to all fishermen in all regions.
“Since 2017 until now, MAF through the Directorate of Fisheries has socialized the protection and conservation of marine coral reefs to 1300 fishing groups and more than 6000 fishermen intending to protect the marine coral reefs when fishing at sea,” Director General of MAF Guterres, told TATOLI at his office in Comoro, Dili on Tuesday.
Guterres added, that marine coral reefs must be protected to avoid strong waves and can provide a good ecosystem for fish and other marine animals and other marine resources that create the natural beauty of the sea and develop a blue economy in Timor-Leste.
Under public regulations, residents and non-residents who commit to destroying marine coral reef ecosystems will be fined from $500 – $5000 according to the amount destroyed.
In addition to socializing the conservation and protection of marine coral reefs, MAF also disseminates information on the protection of other species such as turtles, sharks, dolphins, and other protected fish species.
“This biological resource is prohibited from being killed so that it does not become extinct in Timor-Leste,”
To ensure the preservation of marine coral reef ecosystems and the killing of prohibited fish, inspections from MAF continue to monitor the activities of fishermen who conduct fishing activities in the Timor Sea to avoid destroying marine coral reefs and illegal fishing in the Timor Sea.
Coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion, provide jobs for local people, and offer recreational opportunities. They are also a source of food and new medicines. More than half a billion people depend on coral reefs for food, income, and protection.
So far the report from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSH) revealed that Timor-Leste is one of the poorest nations in East Asia representing one of six member-states of the Coral Triangle (CT), the global center of marine biodiversity (i.e., numbers of species), housing 29% of the world’s coral reefs.
However, 92% of reefs are at high or very high risk due to fishing pressure, watershed-based pollution, coastal development, and pollution from marine activities (i.e., shipping, oil and gas extraction).
While the extent of destructive fishing practices has been decreasing since the Indonesian occupation from 1974 to 1999, there are still an estimated 5,000 fishers that focus their fishing effort, without dynamite, on the narrow, productive shelf that supports coral reefs.
In addition, the report also revealed that the Fishing markets are limited to a very localized distribution given that the infrastructure for markets (e.g., refrigeration) is undeveloped.
Report also stated that, Watershed-based pollution is widespread due to deforested landscapes that lead to large volumes of unsettled sediment and pollution flowing downstream and into coastal waters. An estimated 24% of forest in-country have been lost from 1972 to 1999 due mostly to slash and burn agriculture and logging during the Indonesian occupation and because of its importance as fuel.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Nelia B.
