Best of our wild blogs: 12 May 16

Short walk at Sungei Buloh
Biodiversity Singapore

Changi with long net
wild shores of singapore

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NEA obtains court warrant against director of Indonesia firm who failed to aid with haze investigations

The director failed to attend an interview with the National Environment Agency (NEA) after he was served a legal notice. He could be detained the next time he is in Singapore.
Channel NewsAsia 11 May 16;

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) has obtained a court warrant against the director of one of the Indonesian firms linked to illegal forest fires that caused the haze in 2015.

The court warrant was obtained after the director failed to heed the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA) notice served to him by the NEA when he was in Singapore. The notice required him to attend an interview with the NEA in relation to ongoing investigations, but he failed to turn up.

“NEA has obtained a court warrant to secure his attendance when he next enters Singapore, which is in accordance with the legal provisions of the THPA. This means that if the director enters Singapore, he can be detained by NEA officers for the purpose of investigations,” an NEA spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday (May 11). The director and the company have not been named.

In September and October 2015, peatland fires caused the region to be cloaked in haze. Errant pulp and paper companies which started fires were believed to be responsible.

In his Committee of Supply speech on April 12, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said that notices have been issued to six Indonesia-based companies. The companies were required to take immediate measures to mitigate fires and develop plans to prevent their recurrence.

Four companies did not respond, including the one whose firm missed the interview. Mr Masagos has promised that the government will "take what steps we can to enforce the THPA" in his Committee of Supply speech last month.

- CNA/le


Director of Indonesian firm linked to haze faces detention when he next enters S’pore
He was a no-show for an interview with the NEA
Today Online 11 May 16;

SINGAPORE — The director of one of the Indonesian companies being looked into by the authorities over the haze could be detained the next time he enters Singapore, after he failed to turn up for an interview with the National Environment Agency (NEA).

The director, who has not been named, had been served with a Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA) Notice for him to attend an interview with the NEA. But he did not turn up.

“NEA has obtained a court warrant to secure his attendance when he next enters Singapore, which is in accordance with the legal provisions of the THPA. This means that if the director enters Singapore, he can be detained by NEA officers for the purpose of investigations,” an NEA spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday (May 11).

Singapore has issued notices to six Indonesia-based companies that started fires or let their concessions burn, and contributed to last year’s haze that blanketed Singapore and parts of the region.

Last month, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said the director of one of the six companies had been served with a notice to provide information on how the company is mitigating fires on its land, and allow investigators to examine how the company is implementing these measures. “Should he not return, he will have violated our law and therefore, among others, we can arrest him upon entry later than the notice on which he is supposed to return,” said Mr Masagos, who declined to name the company.


NEA obtains court warrant against director of Indonesian company with suspected haze links
Audrey Tan, The Straits Times AsiaOne 12 May 16;

SINGAPORE - A director of an Indonesian firm suspected to be linked to the region-wide haze in 2015 did not turn up for an interview with the authorities here, even though he was served a legal notice to attend it when he was in Singapore.

But the director, who has since left Singapore, may be detained if he tries to enter Singapore again.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Wednesday (May 11) that it has obtained a court warrant against the director, but did not name him or his company.

"This means that if the director enters Singapore, he can be detained by NEA officers for the purpose of investigations," said a NEA spokesman, adding that the move is in accordance with Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.

Forest and peatland fires in Indonesia, widely believed to be caused by errant pulp and paper companies, resulted in haze conditions in Singapore and the region in September and October 2015.

Since then, the NEA has given notices to six of these Indonesia-based firms, asking them to explain the steps that they are taking to put out and prevent fires on their land.

NEA's latest move comes after Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli told reporters in April that only two firms had replied.

Referring to the same director who missed the interview, Mr Masagos said the director, who is from one of the other four firms, had been served a notice to give information about his firm's move to mitigate fires on its land and prevent a repeat of last year's haze.

Indonesia protests against Singapore's move to 'interrogate' company director
On Wednesday, Singapore's National Environment Agency said it had obtained a court warrant after the director failed to heed the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act notice served to him by NEA when he was in Singapore.
Saifulbahri Ismail Channel NewsAsia 12 May 16;

JAKARTA: Indonesia has protested against Singapore’s move to "interrogate" the director of one of the Indonesian firms linked to illegal forest fires that caused the haze last year.

Spokesperson for the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Arrmanatha Nasir, said Jakarta has issued the protest via the Indonesian embassy in Singapore.

“We urged for regulations in Singapore not to affect the good trade and cooperation ties that we have now, especially between our businesses," said Mr Arrmanatha during a weekly press briefing at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday (May 12).

On Wednesday, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said it has obtained a court warrant after the director failed to heed the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA) notice served to him by NEA when he was in Singapore.

The notice required him to attend an interview with NEA in relation to ongoing investigations, but he failed to turn up.

“NEA has obtained a court warrant to secure his attendance when he next enters Singapore, which is in accordance with the legal provisions of the THPA,” an NEA spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. “This means that if the director enters Singapore, he can be detained by NEA officers for the purpose of investigations.”

The director and the company have not been named.

In September and October 2015, peatland fires caused the region to be cloaked in haze. Errant pulp and paper companies which started fires were believed to be responsible.

In his Committee of Supply speech on Apr 12, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said that notices have been issued to six Indonesia-based companies.

The companies were required to take immediate measures to mitigate fires and develop plans to prevent their recurrence. Four companies did not respond, including the one whose firm missed the interview.

In his Committee of Supply speech, Mr Masagos promised that the Government will "take what steps we can to enforce the THPA".

- CNA/ec

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Malaysia: Steady landings of hawksbill turtle in Malacca

BERNAMA New Straits Times 11 May 16;

ALOR GAJAH: The number of hawksbill turtle landings at 18 spots on the beaches of Malacca have been consistent with an average of between 350 to 450 turtles laying about 25,000 to 40,000 eggs annually.

State Fisheries Department director Rosmawati Ghazali said nonetheless the number of hawksbill turtle landings at several locations in the state had dropped, among them was Pulau Upeh due to various factors.

She said the coastal waters of Malacca was the focus of hawksbill turtle to land and lay eggs and if the habitat along the beach was affected, the number of turtle landings would also be similarly affected.

"Last year, there were only 14 turtle landings in Pulau Upeh compared to more than 100 previously.

On the overall, only 418 turtles landed on the beaches of Malacca last year compared to 438 turtles in 2014.

"Global warming is among the factors which caused a decrease in the number of turtle landings apart from water quality and development near landing sites," she told reporters after a Malacca Fisheries Department programme with the Media at the Turtle Conservation and Information Centre in Padang Kemunting here. --Bernama

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Malaysia: Haze expected to return in June -- Environment Minister

The Star 11 May 16;

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is expected to experience trans-boundary haze from June until October following the hot and dry weather in Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia, says Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (pic).

However, the Natural Resource and Environment Minister said the haze might be moderate, as the La Nina phenomenon was expected to occur within the same period and would bring rainfall in some parts of the peninsula.

"Based on a study, conducted by the Singapore-based Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), the hot and dry weather (in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia) can cause peat fires and the wind will push the smoke towards Malaysia and lead to haze.

"However, rain is expected to occur within the same period and may cause floods in several states especially Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, which will help reduce the impact of the haze," he told a press conference at his office here Wednesday.

Wan Junaidi said the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Malaysia and Sumatra province to tackle the perennial trans-boundary haze issues that was signed before would not be implemented, instead the problem would be addressed through government-to-government (G2G) cooperation.

He said the ministry had accepted Indonesia's explanation to discontinue the MoU because it seemed to be ineffective, as tackling the haze problems not only required cooperation from the local government in Sumatra but also from the Indonesian government.

As such, he said a technical meeting would be held on May 30 in Indonesia to discuss the instruments needed under G2G to tackle the trans-boundary haze problems.

In the meantime, Wan Junaidi said the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) on Transboundary Haze Pollution meeting held on Wednesday in Singapore had agreed with Malaysia's proposal to conduct a study to assess the impact of the 2015 haze on the South-East Asian region.

He said the Asean Secretariat had been tasked to collect the relevant data from each member country to identify the impact of the haze on the economy, health and social activities.

Wan Junaidi said he had also informed the matter in the cabinet meeting today and all ministries or agencies affected by the haze had been asked to provide the data or information needed for further action.

"We hope that all the data and information can be collected as soon as possible, which will be submitted to the secretariat and presented to Indonesia," he said. - Bernama


Brace yourselves, the haze is coming next month
FAZLEENA AZIZ New Straits Times 11 May 16;

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia can expect to experience transboundary haze from next month until October, due to the hot and dry weather in Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia.

However, the severity of the haze is expected to be moderate due to the La Nina phenomenon, which will hit Malaysia within the same period.

Natural Resources and Environment Datuk Seri Wan Dr Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said La Nina is expected to bring heavy rainfall, thus reducing the impact of the haze.

"Based on research by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) in Singapore, the La Nina phenomenon may cause floods in some areas in Malaysia including Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang," he told reporters here today.

Wan Junaidi also said the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Malaysia and Sumatra to tackle the transboundary haze pollution would not be signed; instead the Indonesian government would address the problem through government-to-government (G2G) cooperation.

"Indonesia cannot proceed because the MoU will not be effective as the Sumatra province alone cannot tackle the problem and would require the central Jakarta government's cooperation.

“Thus, the technical committee meeting will be held on May 30 to discuss the instruments needed under G2G to tackle the transboundary haze issue, "he said.

Transboundary haze issue will be tackled govt-to-govt
MAZWIN NIK ANIS The Star 12 May 16;

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia will have government-to-government cooperation with Indonesia for a more effective way to tackle transboundary haze, instead of just working with provincial authorities, said Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

The Natural Resources and Environment Minister said this cooperation was in line with the Asean Transboundary Haze Pollution Agreement signed in 2002.

He said that during the Asean steering committee on transboundary haze pollution meeting in Singapore last week, Indonesia said that it “would not pursue the idea of Malaysia signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its provincial government.”

Malaysia had planned to sign an MoU with Sumatra on transboundary haze this year.

“Indonesia pointed out that the province alone cannot tackle the issue and help is needed from the government. That is why Indonesia feels that whatever instrument that we want to use to tackle haze must be done government-to-government, instead of with provincial authorities.

“They made a logical point there because when we wanted to provide assistance to help put out forest and peat fires, we discussed with the (Indonesian) President and my counterpart first,” he told reporters after attending the Cabinet meeting yesterday.

Environmental authorities and experts from Malaysia and Indonesia will jointly work on the framework of the co-operation, to be presented at the Asean Environment Ministers’ meeting later this year.

On another matter, the minister said the La Nina phenomenon may soften the impact of the haze expected to envelope the country from next month when it is hot and dry in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

This usually triggered forest and peat fires, and the wind blew the smoke towards Malaysia, causing haze, he said.

“But with La Nina expected to occur around the same time, we hope it can help clear the smog so that the condition will not be so adverse,” he added.

While La Nina may offer some respite, it can also cause a different type of problem – floods.

“We saw the effect of La Nina in 2014, when the water levels rose in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang,” said Wan Junaidi.

He added the relevant agencies and authorities were making the necessary preparations to deal with any eventuality.

La Nina is expected to bring rainfall to most parts of the country from July to September.

Wan Junaidi also said Indonesia has assured that the massive fires of last year, which resulted in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Brunei experiencing adverse haze condition, would not recur this year.

Haze has become an almost annual problem for Malaysia, due to forest and peat fires in Indonesia.

The problem worsened last year with the Air Pollution Index (API) breaching the hazardous level in several states.

The situation posed problems not only for the Malaysia’s aviation and maritime sectors, it also caused schools in Sarawak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Kelantan, and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya to be temporarily closed.

Major outdoor events were cancelled due to the poor air quality.

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Indonesia: Saving Bunaken from garbage pollution

Otniel Tamindael Antara 11 May 16;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Bunaken National Marine Park in the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi is renowned worldwide for its innate underwater beauty.

However, the waters of Bunaken, the worlds most beautiful marine park and home to diverse marine biota and coral reefs, continue to be littered and polluted by waste due to irresponsible human activities.

Pollution in the waters of Bunaken is currently drawing the attention of both domestic and foreign tourists who visit the marine park; hence, this should be a common concern for the local government, stakeholders, and the entire community in the city of Manado.

Formally established in 1991 and among the first of Indonesias growing system of marine parks, the Bunaken National Marine Park administratively belongs to the municipality of Manado, the center of the North Sulawesi provincial administration.

The park covers a total surface area of 890.65 square kilometers, 97 percent of which is overlain by sparkling clear and warm tropical waters.

The remaining three percent of the parks area is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain, and Siladen. Although each of these islands has a unique characteristic, it is the aquatic ecosystem that attracts most naturalists.

Hence, North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey reiterated that he did not want the waters of Bunaken to be constantly polluted by garbage as it would have a negative impact on the number of tourist arrivals.

Therefore, the governor has recently declared "Save Bunaken" and "Beach Cleaning Movement" in a bid to save the Bunaken waters from trash pollution.

"The declaration of Save Bunaken and Beach Cleaning Movement is the commitment of the governor and vice governor to develop marine tourism in Bunaken, North Sulawesi," Dondokambey remarked.

Save Bunaken and Beach Cleaning Movement will be conducted every month, and this initiative is expected to encourage the local community to play an active role in reducing pollution in the Bunaken waters and maintaining the cleanliness of the shoreline.

Involving members of the Military and Police as well as NGOs working in the field of environment, the initiative will comprise activities such as mangrove planting, beach cleaning, clean environment awareness campaign in the coastal region, and coral reef rehabilitation and transplantation.

The members of the Military and Police are also concerned about the initiative to maintain cleanliness at sea, especially given that Bunaken is a premier marine resort in Sulawesi and Indonesia.

The Military and Police will work together with the Manado municipality and North Sulawesi provincial administration to support the Save Bunaken Movement.

In addition, entrepreneurs working in Manados tourism sector are expected to support the local governments strategy to tackle the littering of garbage in the waters of the Bunaken National Marine Park.

The entrepreneurs must lend support to tackle the garbage problem that has been threatening the underwater beauty of the Bunaken marine park.

The garbage strewn across the waters of Bunaken comes not only from Manado city but also from outside, such as from the Bangka Island in North Minahasa.

Moreover, the tourism entrepreneurs in the city of Manado need to support the local government in handling the garbage as it directly and indirectly affects their businesses.

The issue of garbage pollution has frequently been raised by both domestic and foreign tourists who came to enjoy the underwater beauty of Bunaken.

Bunaken offers some of Indonesias most famous diving sites and draws scuba divers from across the world. In addition to Bunaken itself, a rather featureless banana-shaped island, the national park includes the neighboring islands of Manado Tua, a distinctive cone-shaped extinct volcano, Siladen, Montehagen, Nain, and Nain Kecil. A boat ride from Manado to Bunaken takes some 45 to 60 minutes.

Bunaken is part of the Bunaken National Marine Park, which has some of the richest marine biodiversity in the world. Scuba diving attracts numerous visitors to the island.

The waters of the Bunaken National Marine Park are extremely deep in Manado Bay but are clear, with visibility up to a depth of 40 meters and placid temperatures ranging between 27 and 29 degrees Celsius.

Seven of the eight species of giant clams in the world are found in the Bunaken National Marine Park, which has some 70 genera of corals, compared to a mere 10 in Hawaii.

Although the exact number of fish species is unknown, it may be slightly higher than that in the Philippines, where 2.5 thousand species, or nearly 70 percent of all fish species known to the Indo-western Pacific, are found in Bunaken.

The Bunaken National Park lies in the center of the Coral Triangle, which includes nearly six million square miles of ocean and coastal waters in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific.

In addition, Bunaken Island alone has a total area of 89,065 hectares, with 22 villages and a population of 40 thousand people, most of whom also sell various souvenirs, and traditional culinary specialties and beverages.

The Bunaken National Park represents Indonesias tropical water ecosystems comprising mangrove forests, seagrass, coral reefs, and land or coastal ecosystems.
(Uu.O001/INE/KR-BSR)

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Indonesia: Risk of crop failure in East Manggarai

Jakarta Post 11 May 16;

The East Manggarai Disaster Mitigation Agency ( BPBD ) in East Nusa Tenggara ( NTT ) disclosed on Tuesday that 80 hectares of rice fields in the northern and eastern areas of the regency were threatened by crop failure.

The crop failure is a result of drought in the two regions. The drought has caused a decline in water levels in local rivers.

Rice fields in Pota, Sambirampas district, north of East Manggarai regency are also at risk of crop failure because of a dam collapse at Wae Mbaling.

“Crop failures in Padarambu and Waelengga, Kota Komba district, in the eastern part of East Manggarai are also caused by the low volume of the Waekoe and Waelengga rivers,” East Manggarai BPBD head Anton Dergong told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Dergong added that the BPBD had deployed staff members to districts in the north and east to see firsthand the conditions.

“The East Manggarai BPBD has recorded crop failures in the north and east of the regency. We’ve obtained the data and are coordinating with relevant agencies, such as the agriculture and plantation office and social services agency to seek solutions in providing assistance to farmers,” he said.

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New Zealand: Kiribati atoll loses coral to bleaching

RadioNZ 12 May 16;

The largest coral atoll in the world, Kiritimati, in Kiribati, is set to lose almost all its coral due to bleaching according to scientists.

Ecowatch reports 80 percent of the coral has gone in the past 10 months and another 15 percent is likely to die.

Ecowatch puts this down to months of abnormally warm water temperatures, causing extreme stress to corals and the species that rely on them.

It reports this is the longest coral bleaching ever recorded and scientists are becoming increasingly pessimistic that the affected reefs will recover.

Julia Baum from the University of Victoria described the atoll as a "horror show" and Kim Cobb of Georgia Tech called it "a wake-up call."

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India: Climate change triggers coral bleaching

The Hindu 14 Apr 16;

Climate change caused bleaching of coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar owing to rising water temperature. In the Gulf of Mannar, annual summer bleaching normally starts by mid-April and intensifies in May, but this year it started by late March and the bleaching is already severe.

J.K. Patterson Edward, Director, Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI), Thoothukudi, said that if the present condition prevailed, the intensity would be very high in the coming months.

About 9.7 per cent of live corals on Vaan Island, 12.1 per cent on Koswari Island and 10.4 per cent on Kariyachalli Island had already bleached. Bleaching was presently taking place at a depth of 0.5 - 3.5 metres with water temperature hovering around 32.4 to 32.6ºC. Almost all varieties of corals – Porites lutea, P. solida, Favia favus, F. pallida, Favites abditta, Goniastrea pectinata – had started bleaching and most of them looked totally white on three islands in Thoothukudi Group, he told The Hindu here on Thursday.

He recalled that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) of the USA in October 2015 declared the occurrence of third global coral bleaching. The report said that “record ocean temperatures cause widespread coral bleaching across Hawaii and the Caribbean Islands. The next concern is the further impact of the strong El Niño, which climate models indicate the occurrence of bleaching on Indian and Southeastern Pacific Oceans this year”. The first global bleaching happened in 1998, during a strong El Niño, and the second in 2010, during which 10 per cent of live corals in the Gulf of Mannar died due to bleaching when elevated temperatures (32.2 to 33.20 C) persisted for four months from April.

During December 2015, the west coast of India, witnessed severe coral bleaching (70-80 per cent) in Malvan, Dr. Edward said.

There was no major bleaching in the Gulf of Mannar between 2011 and 2015. But from the last week of this March, bleaching was observed sporadically in Thoothukudi group of Islands by SDMRI Reef Research Team.

The ecosystem services of coral reefs support millions of people worldwide, especially those in fisheries and tourism sector. While corals would be able to recover from mild bleaching, severe or long-term bleaching was often lethal, he said.

Related link
‘Heart wrenching’: India’s coral reefs experiencing widespread bleaching, scientist says
11th May 2016 / Shreya Dasgupta Mongabay.com

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India's Supreme Court orders disaster fund for drought-hit zones

India's top court criticised the government on Wednesday (May 11) for failing to set up a disaster fund to help drought-hit farmers and villagers suffering crop losses and severe water shortages.
Channel NewsAsia 11 May 16;

NEW DELHI: India's top court criticised the government on Wednesday (May 11) for failing to set up a disaster fund to help drought-hit farmers and villagers suffering crop losses and severe water shortages.

India is in the grip of its worst water crisis in years, with the government saying about 330 million people, or a quarter of the population, are suffering from drought after two weak monsoons.

Acting on a petition, the Supreme Court issued a slew of orders to the government including creating a national plan to tackle the crisis, a mitigation fund and standard procedures for declaring areas drought-hit.

Justice Madan B Lokur also lashed out at the government over a lack of preparedness for the drought which has struck at least 10 states across the country.

"Evidently, anticipating a disaster such as a drought is not yet in the 'things to do' list of the Union of India and ad hoc measures and knee jerk reactions are the order of the day," Lokur said in a written judgement.

"We are also quite surprised that the National Disaster Mitigation Fund has not yet been set up even after 10 years of the enforcement of the DM (Disaster Management) Act," he also said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met recently with at least three state chief ministers over the drought, as the government comes under intense pressure to ease the crisis.

Rural Development Minister Birender Singh told parliament on Tuesday that millions in government funds have been released to drought-hit regions, as temperatures soar across the country in the summer months.

Industry body ASSOCHAM estimated on Wednesday the crisis would cost the economy US$100 billion if it continued until the end of the year.

Poor rains have prompted extreme measures including water restrictions, armed guards at reservoirs and water trains sent to the worst-affected regions.

Farmer suicides are high and some have migrated to cities and towns to work as daily wage labourers to earn money. Villagers in remote areas are being forced to walk long distances to source drinking water as local wells dry up.

Officials have forecast an above-average monsoon this year, offering hope for the struggling agriculture sector that employs about 60 per cent of the population.

Farmers across India rely on the monsoon - a four-month rainy season which starts in June - to cultivate crops.

- AFP/ec

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Chile's 'red tide' outbreak widens in threat to fishing industry

Reuters 11 May 16;

A "red tide" outbreak is widening in southern Chile's fishing-rich waters, the government said on Wednesday, deepening what is already believed to be one of the country's worst environmental crises in recent years.

The red tide - an algal bloom that turns the sea water red and makes seafood toxic - is a common, naturally recurring phenomenon in southern Chile, but the extent of the current outbreak is unprecedented.

The southern region of Los Lagos has been affected in recent weeks by the largest red tide in its history, prompting fishermen deprived of their livelihoods to angrily demand more support from the government.

Now there are signs that Los Rios, the neighboring region to the north, has also been affected, local officials warn.

"The red tide zone is going to grow, it is a changing phenomenon," Raul Sunico, the deputy minister for fishing and aquaculture, told local radio station Cooperativa.

"Highly toxic samples have been taken in the region of Los Rios, which obliges us ... to close areas of the region to resource extraction."

The red tide has caused tonnes of dead shellfish to wash up on southern beaches and paralyzed the fishing industry, which is the mainstay of many coastal settlements. Fishing accounts for about 0.5 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

Fishermen have blocked access to the island of Chiloe in protest over what they consider to be inadequate government compensation for their losses, leaving locals and tourists alike stranded.

The government initially offered 100,000 Chilean pesos ($147) to each family affected crisis, but increased it to 300,000 pesos after complaints.

Scientists say this year's El Niño weather pattern is likely a key factor in the red tide, as it warms the ocean and creates bloom-friendly conditions.

Some fishermen are blaming the local salmon industry, the world's second largest, for exacerbating the problem, citing the dumping of dead fish in March by salmon farmers after a bloom killed off much of their stock.

The government estimates some 100,000 tonnes of salmon were lost, leading to a jump in global prices for the fish.

The disruption of sealife along Chile's coast, in turn, has caused birds such as albatrosses and petrels to leave for other areas with better food sources. The bloom also was a factor in the mass beaching of whales and sea-lions, authorities say.

Sardine fisherman in the Bio-Bio region have reported an abundance of octopuses but scarce numbers of sardines. Elsewhere, enormous jack mackerel have been seen while the usual hake have almost disappeared.

(Reporting by Fabian Cambero and Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Paul Simao)

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