TUESDAY, 07 AUGUST - Our ocean is not a dumping site for people’s debris. Surplus human activities have severely affected the marine life in the oceans by releasing harmful substances such as plastic, industrial and agricultural waste, and chemical particles into the ocean.

It is a disturbing fact to know that even though people are aware of the state of marine pollution we are facing, they still continue to use plastic; the most common man-made element found in the ocean.

A recent beach clean-up programme under a joint marine conservation project between the Borneo Marine Research Institute, UMS and Sutera Harbour Resort; found that the biggest source of pollution in the ocean came directly from the land based sources.

“Based on the rubbish collected, most of the trashes are produced locally. Rubbish were thrown into the river and carried out to the ocean.

“Some rubbish will sink to the bottom of the sea, and some will be taken by the tides to the beaches or mangrove areas,” said Associate Professor Dr. Juanita Joseph during her presentation of the Beach Combing survey findings for the Sustaining Kota Kinabalu’s Marine Heritage project, here on Friday.

She also pointed out that some of the rubbish was suspected to be dumped directly into the ocean or on the beach.

“In fact, thousands of tonnes of waste and rubbish are dumped into the ocean on a daily basis,” she added.

She revealed that from the survey, for every 100-metre of the beach clean-up namely Pulau Sulug, Kampung Kibagu, Sepanggar and the public beach near Sutera Harbour Resort; the most common waste was plastic. 

“There were 6,500 plastic mineral water bottles and 8,000 pieces of styrofoams collected during the beach clean-up. We even collected 100 diapers. Plastic bottles and diapers take up to 450 years to biodegrade and styrofoams appears to last forever; it is a non- biodegradable product.

“What is really disturbing to me is that most of the plastic wastes were single-use plastics. This is something that we can change by reducing the usage of single-use plastic into more environmentally friendly reusable alternatives,” she said.

More than 130 volunteers from Jebsen & Jessen (SEA), Trash Hero Borneo, Kota Kinabalu City Hall, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and the public took part in this beach clean-up. The effort managed to remove at least 1,000 kg of litter from 3 beaches.

Meanwhile, according to Dr. Chen Cheng Ann, the Head of Marine Science Programme in Universiti Malaysia Sabah; “the earth is covered with 70% water and it is common for people to assume that all rubbish and debris will be diluted or dissolved in the water.

“But in reality that is not the case; especially with plastic, it never disappears.

“It is imperative for people to know that plastic is a significant threat to the entire marine life,” he said.

He stressed that even though the debris and rubbish dumped into the ocean are released kilometers away from land, they are washed up to beaches and coastal areas, which affect the marine biodiversity.

“Plastic pollution is one of the most serious threats to the ocean. It is harmful to the environment as it does not decompose easily and is often perceived as food by marine animals.

“Change is inevitable and we need to take action now. We need to be responsible human beings by working together to protect our oceans by beating plastic pollution,” he said.

TUESDAY, 07 AUGUST - Impaired water quality is a global issue. It is in fact a growing problem especially when there is proof of limited resources for drinking, domestic use as well as harming the ecosystems.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Teruaki Yoshida the Head of the Unit for Harmful Algal Bloom Studies (UHABS), Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah; the data findings from the water samples collected over a plankton survey at Likas Bay show high dominance of a single phytoplankton species - Protoperidinium.

“Water impairment often affects marine biodiversity. Eutrophication of the water exerts pressure on phytoplankton populations allowing the intensive growth of certain harmful-toxin producing species or nuisance blooms that may create problems in the ecosystem and public health."

“When there is a single phytoplankton species dominating in an area, it may indicate deterioration in the water quality,” he revealed the findings during the presentation of the Plankton Survey for the Sustaining Kota Kinabalu’s Marine Heritage project - a joint marine conservation project between Universiti Malaysia Sabah and Sutera Harbour Resort, here on Friday.

Dr. Teruaki further stated that it is imperative for people not to increase the release of nutrients in the water.

“Excessive nutrient input into the sea is known to trigger phytoplankton blooms. The sources of nutrients are usually derived from coastal human activities and from agricultural and industrial wastes,” he said.

When asked the level of water quality in Likas Bay, Dr. Teruaki said more studies need to be done.

“To evaluate the present water condition in Likas Bay, it is essential to monitor the changes in environmental variables and indicator species over a certain period before any concrete judgement can be made,” he said.

He also said that the water quality will further deteriorate if there are no improvements of wastewater treatment systems.

“The responsibility by the government to improve our wastewater treatment system is important.

“The discharge of inadequately treated wastewater may cause adverse impacts such as water pollutions, spread of waterborne diseases, decrease in tourism potential; just to name a few,” he said. 

Likas Bay has become a popular recreational beach after a vast area of Tanjung Aru Beach has been temporarily closed for a planned development.

TUESDAY, 31 JULY 2018 - An Accounting Research Seminar was organised by Accounting Centre, Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy (FPEP), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) with the objective to provide an avenue for UMS academic staff in the accounting field to present output from completed and on-going research.

In addition, the seminar also involved presenters and participants from a few local institutions of higher learning including Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) and Inti College Sabah.

A total of 17 working papers presentation were made by academic staff from the FPEP UMS, Accounting Centre UMS, Faculty of Management and Entrepreneurship UCSF and Faculty of Economics and Business UNIMAS.

In addition to the paper presentations, seminar participants also took the opportunity to exchange ideas as well as to create network within the accounting research field.

A total of 35 participants including the postgraduate students from FPEP UMS participate the seminar.

TUESDAY, 31 JULY - Social media was abuzz in the first week of July (2018) with yet appalling news of a dead Whale Shark reportedly accidentally caught in a fisherman’s net.

The site of the incident was a coastal village in Mukah, in neighbouring Sarawak.

Unlike other large predatory sharks, the Whale Shark is a rather gentle but generally misunderstood large vertebrate.

Described by marine ecologists as charismatic, the reason this unique ocean wildlife swim to near the sea surface is simply to feed.

Their main food is called planktons – microscopic creatures which consist of primary producers and primary consumers.

Borneo indeed has a high biodiversity of sharks and rays, with over 100 species scientifically recorded from its waters, including fresh and brackish water habitats.

A biodiversity monitoring research program spanning 20 years, conducted by Universiti Malaysia Sabah researchers, found that at present, the sharks of Sabah’s waters is dominated by bamboo sharks and coral catsharks.

According to Dr. Mabel Manjaji Matsumoto, leader of the research project funded by Save Ours Seas Foundation, these demersal or bottom dwelling sharks appear to have replaced the larger predatory coastal inshore species.

Such shift in species dominance, especially from a larger to smaller species is what is termed by fisheries scientists as a process of “fishing down the food web”.

The process describes of large predatory (fish) species as having been depleted due to fishing pressure, where the fisheries are increasingly turning to the smaller and previously rejected species.

Large predatory sharks have an essential role in keeping the marine ecosystem healthy and productive.

They do this by selectively preying on the weaker creatures and thus keeping diseases at bay.

Removal and changes in number of apex species will affect the marine food web.

Sharks are readily distinguished from the teleost or bony fishes by either having their body entirely or partially covered by rough teeth-like scales.

The internal skeleton of sharks and rays is entirely formed of cartilage.

Sharks and rays also differ from teleost in the reproductive strategy, in which the former mature at a generally larger size, and produce fewer but more developed young.

In celebration of Shark Awareness Day 2018, we invite you to consider adopting actions that impact sharks in a positive way.

At Universiti Malaysia Sabah through the Endangered Marine Species Research Unit, researchers actively and continuously conduct research projects in an effort to conserve sharks.

This includes organising shark awareness programs, outreaching primarily to elementary school children in coastal rural regions of Sabah.