NELAYAN_NUSANTARA

GEORGE TOWN –   The Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (Cemacs) at Universiti Sains Malaysia has identified human activities as among factors which may have contributed to the recent deaths of thousands of fishes near the Teluk Bahang coast here. The widespread deaths were seen in the waters which turned pink due to the algal bloom – a pollutant whose ammonia content can be deadly to marine life, particularly fishes. A report on the incident has been sent to the state government, and a copy of which was shared with The Vibes by Cemacs director Prof Aileen Tan Shau Hwai. It stated that the cause of algal bloom can be from human activities such as runoffs from agriculture, dissolved chemicals introduced into water supplies via rainfall or irrigation, and effluent from sewage treatment plants, which all contribute to excess amounts of nutrients in our waterways. These nutrients are food for algae. It is important to ensure all waste is treated before discharging to the sea and to r...

While the podcast was posted on The Wall Street Journal's website on Aug 24, it referenced Mar 25, 2011, which was two weeks after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, on Aug 25, 2023. (File  Photo: Reuters/Tom Bateman) SINGAPORE : Singapore has not found contaminated food samples from Japan following the  release of wastewater  from the Fukushima nuclear plant, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on Sunday (Sep 3). The clarification was in response to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) podcast titled More Countries Ban Import of Japanese Food. The podcast, which was posted on Aug 24, said "Singapore has found radioactive contamination in vegetable samples from Japan".  "The WSJ podcast has referred to a media release by the former Agri-Food & Ve...

  GEORGE TOWN : Streaks of pink have appeared in the sea off Teluk Bahang since the weekend, arousing the curiosity of beachgoers. As of this afternoon, the pink hue is still visible in some parts. Local fishermen have expressed concerns and lamented on the death of thousands of fishes as a result of the situation, about 1 km from Muha Head until the coast off Teluk Bahang. Teluk Bahang Fishermen's Association chairman Johari Mohamad said they came across the streaks of pink about two days ago, with many dead fishes on the surface. "As a result, the sea condition was also not as nice as always. We are worried if this situation prolongs, more fish may end up dead," he said. Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, director Profesor Datuk Dr Aileen Tan Shau Hwai described the situation as the red tide bloom. She said a similar incident happened in April during the hot spell (with some rains that brought the nutrients from land to the ocean)...

  DENGAN kerja-kerja projek tambak laut Pulau Pinang Selatan (PSI) dijangka bermula hujung tahun ini, Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang turut melaksanakan beberapa kajian berkaitan marin bagi melindungi khazanah laut di kawasan tersebut. Kajian itu dikendalikan di bawah Pelan Induk Pengimbangan Ekologi (PEOM) yang sama pentingnya dengan projek tambakan seluas 930 hektar (2,300 ekar) di kawasan perairan selatan Pulau Pinang tersebut. PEOM melibatkan aktiviti seperti pelabuhan tukun tiruan dan unjam (FAD), pelepasan benih ikan dan udang, pembinaan garis pantai mesra alam di sepanjang kawasan yang ditambak, kajian kesan pencemaran bunyi bawah laut terhadap kehidupan marin dan banyak lagi. Kajian itu disyaratkan oleh Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang sebagai sebahagian daripada keperluan kelulusan projek dan komitmen pengurusan jangka panjang dalam memastikan serta meningkatkan taraf hidup golongan nelayan setempat walaupun mereka tetap boleh meneruskan pekerjaan mereka semasa penambakan. ...