Keep our island sustainable

Category: Marine Protected Area

ナマコ730個体を計測し、自然界に放流

 1月20、21日、TRCTは、College of Micronesia(COM)のCooperative Research & Extention(CRE)と共同で、これまで養殖をしてきたナマコの計測作業をサポートしました。
 3年前から、COM-CREとTRCTはタミル地区西方のメルール村の沖合いに養殖場を設置し、Sand fish(学名:Holothuria scarba)という種類のナマコを養殖してきました。養殖の初期は小さな受精卵でしたが、今では20cm前後の個体もあるほど見事に成長しました。

 2日間の作業で、730のナマコが計測のために浅瀬の養殖場から村のメンズハウスに持ち込まれました。すべてのナマコの体長と体重の計測後、村の沖の藻が生えている浅い海へ放されました。

 この調査の目的は、ナマコの成長速度を確認することです。本来ナマコはヤップの海にはたくさんいたのですが、中国への輸出を目的とする乱獲によって、絶滅寸前まで追い込まれました。
 この状況を改善することを視野に、この養殖プロジェクトはCOM-CREとサポーターのTRCTによって始まりました。

 COM-CREの専門家によると、ナマコは「海の掃除屋」と呼ばれるそうです。ナマコは陸から流れ込んできた堆積物を食べ、フィルターのように排出します。ナマコは海を健康に保つために重要な役割を果たします。十分な数のナマコがいなければ、海水が濁り、日光が届かないために暗くなります。そうなると、サンゴが育つことができません。健康なサンゴは魚や他の海の生きもののより良い生息地となるのです。

(現地ボランティアスタッフ・後藤はるか)

Over 700 Farmed Sea Cucumbers Measured and Released

On Jan 20 and 21, TRCT members supported measuring operation of sea cucumbers by Cooperative Research & Extension (CRE) of College of Micronesia (COM).

Off the beach of Meerur village, COM-CRE and TRCT set a farming area and many cucumbers, called Sandfish, or “Holothuria scabra,” were farmed in past three years. At the beginning of the faming, those were just tiny fertilized eggs, now they grew big up to 8-inch or 20-cm long.

Through the operation in two days, over 700 cucumbers were collected from the shallow farming area and were brought back to the men’s house of the village for the measurement. After checking the size and weight of all, they were released to the open water.

The aim of the research is to identify the growth rate of the sea cucumber. Originally the sea cucumbers were very common in Yap water, however over catch of those intended to ship to China made those almost extinct in the ocean.

In 2017, the project started by COM-CRE with TRCT as a partner. Sea cucumbers are called as an “ocean cleaner,” according to specialists at COM-CRE. They eat sedimentation, and discharge sand, like a sand filter. Sea cucumbers play an important role to keep the ocean healthy. Without healthy number of sea cucumbers, the ocean would be dirty and dark, and coral could not grow. Healthy corals support healthier habitat of fishes and other sea creatures.

(Reported by GOTO Haruka, student of Waseda University)

Clams are released from farming area

On Saturday, 19 October, 2019, TRCT conducted clam distribution operation with 12 children with the support of Tamil Youth Organization, TYO, and Yap Community Action Program, YapCAP, releasing 92 giant clams which were raised in farming beds for three years.

In advance to the operation, TRCT distributed 63 clams on October 7, and 92 clams on 8. In total 174 clams were released into the Marine Protected Area in the lagoon of Tamil municipality. Now we have 225 clams in farming cases.

In old days, lagoon of Yap was fully covered by giant clams, according to old persons. TRCT is now trying to recover the number of clams. From baby status with the size of thumbnail, clams grow to bigger than 220 millimeter width and it is now maturing stage. With less risk to be bitten by predicators like puffin fish, TRCT decided to release those to wide spread protected area for natural hatching process.

MCA Beacon light installation

12 beacon light has been installed within our Marine Conservation Area (MCA) on February 22,2019 , Thanks to Ridge to Reef (R2R) for the funding and also special thanks to Marine Resources and Yapcap for helping out to install.

Tamil Marine Managed Area project

Tamil-Marine-Use-and-Zoning-Map-1Now in the ocean in Tomil, Zoning and Regulations are introduced for the protection of marine resources.

“No-Take Zone” is along the edge of reef from the eastern side to the west and toward the north, or between Pelak and Wanaday Channels. All extractive activities are prohibited. Entry is only permitted by TRCT.

“Warning Zone” is 50 ft (16 m) distance outside the no-take Marine protected area. Entry allowed nut all extractive activities are prohibited.

All marine areas not included in the above zones is “Traditional use Zone.”
Only traditional and customary uses are allowed. All relevant state or municipal laws and regulation apply.

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