Another Major Goal Achieved !!!!

After 2 years of campaigning for the protection of one of the main seahorse breeding grounds the villagers of Koh Rung Samleom gathered together to place marker bouys around the area known as the Corral.

The Corral was discovered as a main area for breeding seahorses around 2 years ago, at that time more than 50 seahorses could be seen on an average 60 minute dive, over the past two years the area was targeted by illegal Vietnamese fishermen specifically looking for the seahorses and the main habitats were badly damaged. The numbers of seahorses seen dropped to around 5 to 15 in an average 60 minute dive.

In February of this year Under Secretary of State Nao Touk, director of the Fisheries Administration visited our project site to address the community of Koh Rung Samleom, Since his visit the community has felt empowered and has shown its ability to protect its areas of importance, since his visit the illegal fishing around the community designated area has all but stopped.

The New Conservation Zone encompasses both the (Corral) Main seahorse breeding grounds around the Island of Koh Koun but also stretchs out to include KC Reef another area that used to be fished illegally often by the use of cyanide and other destructive fishing techniques.KC Reef is a deep and extensive coral reef with a very rich biodiversity, with depths ranging from 30m to 14m it has a huge variety of soft corals and sponges and a huge variety of marine fish species that are seldom seen elsewhere. KC Reef has a large population of both Brown Banded Bamboo Sharks and Coral Cat Sharks. It is also home to the Black spotted Tuskfish and many other larger species not encountered on the shallower reefs. Juvenile's of many species are often seen on and around this reef, given time the protection of this reef will help to re-establish the populations of many different species.

The marking out of this conservation area as a no fishing zone is a very personal achievement for our team as this area was one of the main reasons for the whole beginning of our project.

We hope to start seeing the return of the seahorses and hope that given time these habitats that are now protected will start to regenerate and provide a haven for the seahorses and the many other species that reside there.

This is the first openly visual step towards conserving the beauty and diversity of the marine areas we dive daily and shows what community spirit, passion and a little money can achieve in a very short time.  

A Big Thank You to the chief of the village on koh Rung Samleom and all the villagers that where involved also to the FIA for their continued support in the protection and conservation of Cambodia's marine environment.