SEVENSEAS Marine Conservation & Travel Issue 12, May 2016 | Page 95

Additionally, the owners of Misool Eco Resort in the southern part of the archipelago were working closely with local communities to implement no-take zones and patrol the waters for illegal fishing. Through anecdotal evidence gathered by fishermen and reef surveys, they determined these no-take zones helped replenish biodiversity in the region.

This was not a revolutionary concept, but rather one based off the traditional practice of sasi, which involves the opening and closing of fishing seasons to restore stocks and maximize the area’s yield. Sasi also emphasizes less destructive fishing techniques and practices such as limitations on removing certain species. By reviving these practices, the dive operators and village elders were not only protecting the environment and sustaining livelihoods, but maintaining an important part of local culture threatened by outside development.

Following pressure from tourism operators, conservation organizations, and local communities, the regional government declared all of Raja Ampat’s waters a shark and ray sanctuary in 2010. I witnessed the implementation of this regulation as I watched Vietnamese shark finning boat being sunk by the government with its yield still on board. The highly publicized event was meant to draw attention to government attempts to squash Raja’s illegal fishing problem, however these efforts were far from perfect. A dive on the wreck revealed the boat had been sunk with all it’s netting on board, which stretched into the current and threatened to entrap wildlife. Fortunately, we found another dive company had removed the netting the next day.

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