Words and pictures by Elizabeth Fitt

Finning through coral carpeted shallows, a group of scuba divers makes their way slowly back and forth across a remote reef in the Celebes sea off the coast of East Malaysia. Every few meters they probe under corals with bleached white patches, pull out a starfish and use kitchen tongs to put it into a plastic crate. They are hunting down crown of thorns starfish in an effort to rid the reef of a deadly outbreak of this invasive species, before it is destroyed.    

Matthew Lynn one of TRACC’s Australian marine conservation volunteers, collects crown of thorns starfish for removal from a reef they are destroying in a remote area of East Malaysia

Sadly killer starfish are not the only threat currently faced by coral and marine life on this tiny palm encrusted island. Volunteers come here, to the Tropical Research And Conservation Center (TRACC), to help combat a range of anthropogenic impacts on the marine ecosystem. They hope that by rehabilitating and protecting this one little corner of the world they can develop cost effective, easily implemented methods that can be shared with other organisations and local communities.

Dynamite fishing is their biggest challenge. Beginning with the House Reef immediately in front of their camp, TRACC has been battling devastation caused by decades of dynamite fishing since 2011. This destructive method was made illegal in 1985 and is policed in these waters. But while the frequency has dropped, it is still used by some fishermen here, as the conservation volunteers at TRACC know only too well. Most days they hear and feel the distant impact of bombs 1-2km away while diving,

“You really feel it go through your body, in your gut and your bones – it goes right through you – it’s a shock” describes Matthew Lynn, a volunteer from Australia.

A Crown of Thorns Starfish feeding on a coral reef. The bleached white sections are where the starfish has sucked out the polyps, eventually resulting in death of the coral.

These explosions cause enormous damage – an area up to 5 metres in diameter is decimated. The fish either die outright, or are mortally wounded as their swim bladders rupture. The coral, blown to smithereens, dies where it falls and can then no longer fulfil its role in providing the crucial basis on which the entire reef ecosystem depends. Great empty circles of dead rubble pockmark the reef. Permanent scars in the fabric of an ecosystem, in return for a small boatload of fish.  

 “You definitely feel it emotionally as well as physically” Matthew says, “You’re scared and then sad at the same time. Because you know it’s permanent damage and that the hard work we put in here is being reversed elsewhere in a split second”

Luckily their work is not in vain. MD of the organisation, Hazel Oakley, 38, carried out initial scoping surveys in 2011, “A couple of the benthic [sea floor] surveys were 100% rubble” she remembers and describes how biodiversity surveys came back with most species numbering zero. Now the House Reef supports 245 documented fish species and 167 kinds of invertebrate, according to a 2017 biodiversity survey headed up by James Cook graduate Alia Rosedy, 27. This is a big achievement given that the reef system around Pom Pom Island was subject to such extensive bomb fishing in previous decades that it was almost entirely destroyed.

An artificial reef rehabilitation project, put together by volunteers from around the world and run by TRACC in East Malaysia

Once destruction has gone beyond a certain point, the food chain becomes so disrupted that most species cannot be supported. So they either leave or die. From this stage it is very difficult for an ecosystem to rebound. TRACC volunteers help create a healthier reef by providing stabilisation via structures made from locally available materials, such as glass bottles and concrete, designed for corals and sponges to grow on. “Coral gardening” volunteers then plant corals onto these structures to give new growth a head start. Given the right conditions, at this point nature takes over – fish and invertebrates are attracted to the structures for shelter and the food that grows on them. This forms an environment where they can breed. Greater numbers of small fish attract predators, until eventually a complete food chain has formed from the bottom up.

Diving on TRACC’s house reef there are some very good signs. Several small shark species are now permanent inhabitants and can be seen in the shallows at night – these apex predators are an indication of a complete, functioning food chain. And some not so good signs – the crown of thorns starfish (COTS) are munching their way through as many coral polyps as they can find. They are capable of killing 6 square meters of reef per year, each. And there are thousands of them. Jeeth Vendra, 24, Science Officer at TRACC leads his team of volunteer “COTS Busters” on regular culling missions, both on their House Reef and on reefs surrounding neighbouring islands.

In a balanced ecosystem, the Crown of Thorns would be controlled by its natural predators, humphead wrasse, titan triggerfish and giant triton snails. Because the reefs in this area are fragile due to dynamite fishing and exploitation of the giant triton snail for its beautiful shell, there are not enough of each predator species, so the potential for lasting damage from the crown of thorns is huge, “Managing COTS outbreaks is important to protect healthy live corals from irreversible damage” Jeeth explains. He goes on to say that they have removed over 10,000 COTS so far in 2018. “It’s a slow process as we only have one boat and are restricted by our fuel budget to reach the further islands” he says, but they are persevering and hope to join with other organisations in a region-wide COTS busting exercise early next year. 

Volunteers with TRACC work on preparing a new artificial reef for coral planting

Volunteering at TRACC is for many a life-changing experience, according to both the reviews left by volunteers and the enthusiasm of the people I encounter in the camp. 25 year old Cameron Conklin, a 2017 volunteer doesn’t know quite where to start,

“I can’t even begin to explain what my time at TRACC has meant to me, or how it’s changed and benefited me” she says. “I arrived in January 2017 with absolutely no marine science background, 17 dives and no experience in conservation work. I left TRACC after eight months with a marine science A Level, 300+ dives, a Divemaster certification and invaluable experience in coral reef restoration”

Not all volunteers stay for eight months, I meet some long termers, but there are also people who have taken 2 weeks off work to come out and help.

Island life seems idyllic, if a little rustic, from living and working among like-minded people with a beneficial and inspiring purpose, to all you can eat diving. Seeing the wonders that have now begun to inhabit the House Reef since TRACC has been working on it is marvellous. Frogfish, Mandarin Fish, Blue Ring Octopuses, thirty plus Nudibranch species, Barracuda, Cuttlefish, huge Bumphead Parrotfish, Bamboo Sharks, teeny Skeleton Shrimp and so much more. TRACC’s efforts really do seem to be having a positive effect.

TRACC COTS Removal Program

News of ecosystems in trouble is becoming ever more familiar. Many of us would like to do more to help, but it often feels almost impossible when you aren’t a specialist, a scientist, or a politician. Some try nonetheless. Sometimes this looks like taking responsibility for purchasing decisions and only spending on products that fit sustainable principals. Sometimes it looks like always turning the lights off when leaving a room, not indulging in single use plastics and carrying around a metal drinking straw and reusable coffee cup. And sometimes it looks like heading out to a tiny island in deepest darkest Borneo, to get your hands dirty creating artificial coral reef systems, experimenting with coral transplanting and maintenance techniques and hunting killer starfish. 

“TRACC is for everybody” says Hazel Oakley, 38, MD of the organisation. “People often seem to feel powerless, that they can’t do anything to help make the world a better place. But here in this small corner, you can do that”

To find out more about volunteering with TRACC, visit www.tracc.org, talk with Hazel: info@tracc.org, Or get in touch via Facebook: TRACC Or Instagram: @traccborneo

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This piece was edited and posted onto SEVENSEAS Media by Giacomo Abrusci