Best of our wild blogs: 18 Nov 17

Singapore got marine biologists meh?
Mei Lin NEO

Night Walk At Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (17 Nov 2017)
Beetles@SG BLOG

The haunted island in Northwest Singapore and its laird
The Long and Winding Road

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AVA investigating case of 5 hedgehogs abandoned at HDB garbage point

Lydia Lam Straits Times 17 Nov 17;

SINGAPORE - The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) is investigating a case where five hedgehogs were found abandoned at the garbage point of a Housing Board block on Nov 10.

Wildlife rescue group Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (Acres) had posted a photo of the hedgehogs on its Facebook page on Wednesday (Nov 15), alongside a photo of a single hedgehog that was found in the drain of a nature reserve last year and died soon after rescue.

Acres deputy chief executive Anbarasi Boopal told The Straits Times that the five hedgehogs were abandoned in a plastic box on Nov 10, and passed to Acres the day after. It is unclear where exactly they were found as they were handed over by a volunteer.

The hedgehogs were passed to the Singapore Zoo on Saturday as Acres does not have the permits to house exotic mammals.

Ms Boopal said Acres just attended to another abandoned hedgehog case on Wednesday morning.

"Pet abandonment is a serious issue," she said. "Online trade in illegal wildlife is rampant in Singapore, and people often buy without knowing that it is illegal, and then they do not know what to do with the animal when it falls sick."

A spokesman for AVA told The Straits Times on Friday that it is aware of the case of abandonment and is investigating the case.

This year, there were five cases where hedgehogs were kept illegally, with a total of nine hedgehogs involved, said AVA.

Meet some of HDB's exotic and illegal tenants

Last year, there were two such cases involving two hedgehogs.

There were no cases of illegal import of hedgehogs both last year and this year.

It is an offence in Singapore to illegally import or export, possess, sell, offer or advertise for sale or display to the public any illegal wildlife species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna or Flora (Cites).

It is also an offence to keep, sell or offer for sale wild animals not protected by Cites, such as hedgehogs.

Those found guilty may be fined up to $1,000, and the wild animal will be forfeited.

"Demand for such animals would fuel illegal wildlife trade. Wild animals are not suitable pets as they may transmit zoonotic diseases to humans and can be a public safety risk if mishandled or if they escape into our dense urban environment," said the AVA spokesman.

She added that mishandled wild animals may face unnecessary suffering, and wild animals that are not native to Singapore may pose a threat to our biodiversity if released into the environment.

Anyone with information on the case or other cases of illegal wildlife trade, such as photographic or video evidence, may contact AVA on its 24-hour hotline 1800-476-1600. All information shared with AVA will be kept confidential.

They can also contact Acres at acrescrime@gmail.com or call its 24-hour wildlife crime and rescue hotline on 9783-7782.

Additional reporting by Shelina Ajit Assomull

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Malaysia: Johor Sultan gives consent for straight bridge to Singapore

The Star 17 Nov 17;

JOHOR BARU: Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, has consented to the construction of a 25m-high Rapid Transit System (RTS) straight bridge across the Strait of Johor.

The ruler gave his consent at an audience granted to Land Public Transport Commission CEO Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah and several other senior officers at Istana Bukit Pelangi here last Wednesday.

The audience was granted for the submission of three options on the RTS alignment after taking into consideration the proposal Sultan Ibrahim made when SPAD officers had an audience with the ruler on Sept 19.

"The sultan granted consent for a 25m-high bridge straight across the Straits of Johor. The alignment adheres to the technical guidelines of the Malaysian Marine Department that requires a minimum 25m air draft (clearance height from water to a vessel's height)," SPAD said in a statement here Friday.

The statement said SPAD wished to record its highest appreciation to Sultan Ibrahim for his support and consent for the RTS project.

SPAD also wished to record its appreciation to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan for his leadership and guidance in the RTS project, it said.

The construction of the RTS was proposed in May 2010 as an alternative transport for the 80,000 to the 100,000 users of the Johor Causeway daily.

It is expected to facilitate travel for up to 10,000 passengers every hour between the two stations, namely Woodlands in Singapore and Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru. – Bernama


Sultan of Johor consents revised Rapid Transit System Link alignment design
Rizalman Hammim New Straits Times 17 Nov 17;

JOHOR BARU: Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has agreed on the revised Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link alignment design as proposed by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).

The ruler conveyed his agreement after granting an audience with SPAD chief executive officer Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah and his senior management team at Istana Bukit Pelangi here on Tuesday, where they presented the ruler with several options for the project.

In a statement, SPAD said these alignment options took into account the suggestions made by Sultan Ibrahim during an earlier audience that the ruler granted on September 19.

“His Majesty has agreed to the option of a 25m high bridge which will cross the Straits of Johor in a straight line, while still complying with the Marine Department technical guidelines for a minimum of 25m air draught clearance.

“His Majesty also stressed the importance of ensuring adequate traffic dispersal at the RTS Bukit Chagar station area, and SPAD will act on it,” SPAD said.

The commission said it wishes to convey its gratitude to Sultan Ibrahim for giving his full support for the RTS project, and extended its appreciation to the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan for his guidance on the project.

In August, Sultan Ibrahim expressed his reservations on the proposed design of the RTS rail track, including an elevated bridge, linking Woodlands in Singapore and Bukit Chagar, Johor Baru.

Speaking during an exclusive interview with the New Straits Times Press group, Sultan Ibrahim said while he welcomed the project, he disagreed with the overall curve-shaped design of the track, as well as the plan to build the bridge as high as 30m above water in the middle section.

He was reported as saying that the bridge would disrupt the city skyline along the Johor Straits, adding the proposed curved design of the rail link, as well as the elevated bridge, was impractical, unsustainable and potentially costly.

In September, Abdul Rahman met Sultan Ibrahim to provide details on the RTS project and the ruler had expressed his views

The RTS, which was announced by the Malaysian and Singaporean governments seven years ago, is expected to accommodate up to 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction between its terminus stations at Bukit Chagar and Woodlands.

On the Singapore side, the rail link will join the republic's Mass Rapid Transit at its upcoming Thomson East Coast Line (TEL), which will open in phases from 2019 to 2024.


Johor Sultan approves straight bridge for JB-Woodlands rail link
Channel NewsAsia 17 Nov 17

JOHOR BARU: The Sultan of Johor has agreed to a revised design of a straight, elevated bridge for the Rapid Transit System (RTS) rail track connecting Johor Baru and Woodlands in Singapore.

Malaysia's land transport authority said in a media statement on Friday (Nov 17) that Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar agreed on the revised plan proposed by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) after a meeting on Wednesday.

The earlier plan was for a curved rail track as well as an elevated bridge as high as 30m above water in the middle section.

Sultan Ibrahim in August had criticised the previous design plan, saying that besides being impractical, unsustainable and potentially costly, the curved shape and 30m height would disrupt the city skyline along the Johor Straits, according to a previous NST report.

In its statement on Friday, SPAD said: "His Majesty agreed to the option of a 25m high bridge which will cross the Straits of Johor in a straight line while still complying with Marine Department technical guidelines for a minimum 25m air draught clearance.

"These alignment options took into account the suggestions made by His Majesty during the earlier audience that His Majesty granted on 19th September 2017."

Sultan Ibrahim also stressed the importance of ensuring adequate traffic dispersal at the RTS Bukit Chagar station area, which SPAD said it will "act on it".

The RTS Link was first announced in 2010, and is expected to begin passenger service by the end of December 2024.

Singapore has confirmed that its RTS terminus will be located at Woodlands North station, along the Thomson-East Coast MRT line, while Malaysia has chosen Bukit Chagar as its main terminal for the RTS.

The RTS Link will be able to carry up to 10,000 passengers in each direction every hour. Once it begins passenger service, the existing KTMB Tebrau shuttle will cease operations.
Source: CNA/kc


Johor Sultan agrees to straight bridge
Straits Times 18 Nov 17;

JOHOR BARU • The ruler of Johor has agreed to the construction of a straight elevated bridge for a new rail line linking Johor Baru and Woodlands, Malaysia's land transport authority said yesterday.

The earlier plan was for a curved bridge for the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link across the Strait of Johor.

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar agreed on the revised route as proposed by the Land Public Transport Commission (Spad) after a meeting on Wednesday.

The ruler said in August that the curved bridge idea was impractical, unsustainable and potentially costly.

"His Majesty agreed to the option of a 25m-high bridge which will cross the Strait of Johor in a straight line while still complying with Marine Department technical guidelines for a minimum 25m air draught clearance," Spad said in a statement.

"His Majesty also stressed the importance of ensuring adequate traffic dispersal at the RTS Bukit Chagar station area, and Spad will act on it."

Asked for its reaction, a spokesman for Singapore's Ministry of Transport said: "Singapore has been in discussions with the Malaysian government on various aspects of the Johor Baru-Singapore RTS Link project, including its alignment."

The RTS link will connect Bukit Chagar in Johor Baru and the planned Woodlands North MRT station, which is part of the upcoming Thomson-East Coast (TEL) Line.

The TEL MRT line is expected to open in phases from 2019 to 2024. Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to jointly appoint an operating company to run and maintain the cross-border line's operating systems, with Singapore's SMRT Corp and Malaysia's Prasarana being invited to be part of the venture.

In August, Sultan Ibrahim told the New Straits Times in an interview that while he welcomed the RTS, he disagreed with the overall curved design of the bridge as well as building it 30m above water in the middle of the Strait of Johor. He said such a design would disrupt the Johor Baru city skyline.

The RTS, which was announced seven years ago, is expected to accommodate up to 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction between the two terminus stations.

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Malaysia: Kubang Pasu flood evacuees increase to about 1,000

ADIE SURI ZULKEFLI New Straits Times 17 Nov 17;

ALOR STAR: The number of flood evacuees in Kubang Pasu district has jumped to nearly 1,000 people this morning, an increase of one-fold compared to yesterday.

Bukit Pinang, a flood prone area in Kota Star is the latest location hit by flash floods, forcing 48 people from 13 families to seek temporary shelter at Surau Assyakirin, Kepala Batas since 10pm last night.

A spokesman with the state Civil Defence Force (APM) Natural Disaster Secretariat said all the 930 evacuees from 250 families are currently taking shelter at six relief centres in Jitra.

He said 278 victims from 72 families are taking shelter at Dewan Kampung Bata followed by another 130 from 30 families in Kampung Lahar.

"The other 222 victims from 63 families are seeking shelter at Dewan Kubur Siam, 202 from 54 families are placed in Dewan Jitra while another 50 from 18 families have been relocated to Dewan Tokong Cina in Jitra area.


Kedah flood update: Fine weather sends over 600 flood evacuees home
Zuliaty Zulkiffli New Straits Times 17 Nov 17;

KUBANG PASU: Shahrom Ali, 60, returning to check on her home in Kampung Paya Tok Teh here this morning, hopes that the floodwater will recede soon.

The elderly woman, who lives alone in a double-storey home, said her house is still inundated by water about half a metre high.

This, however, is slightly better compared to yesterday, Thursday, when the village under one-metre deep water.

"I hope the flood water will recede soon so that I can return and clean up my home," she said.

It will be a daunting task for Shahrom as she has injured herself after slipping when the house was flooded yesterday.

Despite her predicament, Shahrom, who is taking shelter at the Dewan Kampung Bata flood relief centre, is thankful to the authorities who have been helping her.

She is one of the 204 flood evacuees who are taking shelter at the relief centre.

Meanwhile the state Civil Defence Force (APM) director Lieutenant Colonel Mohd Zul Khairi Shamsudin said the situation is expected to improve today after the number of evacuees shot up to nearly 1,000 late yesterday.

He said the flash floods in Jitra were caused by a heavy rainy spell since Tuesday.

"This has resulted in the the rivers in Changlun and Sintok to overflow, triggering a flash floods in low-lying areas.

"However, we expect the situation will improve today, Friday, based on fairer weather. There is no high-tide phenomenon at the moment," he said.

Zul Khairi added that the Muda Agriculture Development Authority (Mada) and the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) are working to channel water from the river into the sea.

"We are still on alert while constantly monitoring updates from the Meteorological Department," he said when visiting the relief centres here.

He advised those living in low-lying areas to be on alert should rainfall last more than four hours.

He added that 100 APM personnel and officers from the Kubang Pasu and Kota Setar districts are on standby to help affected residents with the evacuation process.

As of 4pm today, over 600 flood evacuees in the Kubang Pasu district have been allowed to return home and more are expected to go home soon once the situation improves.

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Indonesia: World Praises Indonesia for Success with Peat Governance amid Climate Change

NetralNews 18 Nov 17;

BONN, NETRALNEWS.COM - The success of the Indonesian government in dealing with peatlands over the past two years has drawn attention of many countries in the world.

Indonesia is getting attention for being considered to have made an 'unusual leap' and achievements in peat governance, amidst the increasingly challenging threats to climate change.

One indicator is that if Indonesia has been routinely experiencing forest and land fires for decades, which mostly occur in peatlands, for 2016 and 2017, similar disasters can be addressed properly.

"We prove that Indonesia is not a lagging state [in peat governance]. Many references are taken from this conference. From Indonesia, the world learns about peatland governance," said Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya at the 23rd Conference of Party (COP 23 UNFCCC) in Bonn, Germany, as quoted from the website of the Environment Ministry, Friday (11/17/2017).

Various efforts and government policies managed to reduce the number of hotspots significantly. Based on NOAA satellite data as of November 17, 2017, the number of hotspots was reduced from 21,929 (2015) to 3,915 or 82 percent in 2016. While in 2017, the hotspots were 2,546 or decreased by 91 percent from 2015 to 2017.

The same indication can also be seen from the monitoring of the TERRA NASA satellite. The hotspots were reduced to 95 percent from 2015 (70,971 hotspots) to 2016 (3,844 hotspots). Whereas in 2017 compared to 2015, it was reduced to 98 percent (2,326 hotspots).

Another indicator is the area of burning, from 2.6 million hectares (ha) in 2015 down to 128 thousand ha in 2017. This means that the area of forest and land fires is reduced by 95 percent.

Minister Siti Nurbaya revealed in an area of 2.6 million hectares burned in 2015, there are about 900 thousand ha of peatland forest. In 2016, there was a drastic decline of burning peatlands, to only about 67 thousand ha or decreased by 93 percent. Until November 17, 2017, peatland in Indonesia is burned only about 10 thousand hectares or has been reduced to 99 percent compared to 2015.

With these efforts, Indonesia has been able to successfully avoid the forest and land fires and smoke debris in 2016 and 2017, after previously taking place for decades.

"The restoration agenda in Indonesia is driven by science and because this is the biggest global effort to restore tropical peat, it will generate new insights and paradigms in tropical peatland management," said Minister Siti.

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Indonesia smugglers stuffed exotic birds in pipes

AFP Yahoo News 16 Nov 17;

Jakarta (AFP) - Smugglers who allegedly stuffed 125 exotic birds into drain pipes have been arrested in Indonesia, officials said Thursday, as part of a bid to clamp down on a lucrative illegal trade in wildlife.

Four men have been charged after 41 endangered white cockatoos and 84 eclectus parrots were discovered squashed into plastic piping that had been cut and sealed at each end by wire.

Police said the men were arrested in four separate locations in eastern Indonesia, and are part of a suspected wildlife trafficking ring.

They face a maximum five years in prison and 100 million Rupiah ($7,400) fine if found guilty.

The vast jungles of Indonesia are home to 131 threatened bird species, according to wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC, more than any other country except Brazil.

But there is also large-scale illegal trading of birds, which sees them sold in giant avian markets in Indonesia's major cities, or smuggled abroad.

Exotic birds are usually poached and trafficked by smuggling gangs for sale as pets and as status symbols.

The Philippines may have been the destination for the birds found on Monday because the suspects are linked to "a parrot smuggling network there", said Dwi Adhiasto of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which works with Indonesian authorities to halt such crime.

White cockatoos, which are native to the remote North Maluku province, are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Their global population is estimated to be between 43,000 and 183,000, IUCN says, but is in decline because of poaching, trafficking and habitat loss.

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Fishing 'best argument for seagrass conservation'

Jonathan Amos
BBC 17 Nov 17;

The importance of seagrasses is further emphasised in a new report that looks at how they underpin fishing worldwide.

These flowering plants, which grow in near-shore waters, are under intense pressure - some estimates suggest global losses are running at 7% a year.

The grasses provide shelter and food for many sea creatures and that makes them a natural draw to fishers.

But Richard Unsworth and colleagues say this valuable resource will need better management if it is to be sustained.

"Our study is really the first to show just how important seagrass meadows are to fishing," explained the researcher from Swansea University in the UK.

"Wherever you get seagrasses, you get fishing, basically," he told BBC News.

Seagrass meadows are found around every continent except Antarctica.

The plants cycle nutrients, stabilise sediments, and - as photosynthesisers - act as a "sink" for carbon dioxide.

They also provide nursery habitat for juvenile fish, which hide from predators among the stems.

However, the scale of the importance of the meadows to fisheries has been more supposition than fact because of a paucity of data on how they are actually used, according to Dr Unsworth.

His team set about correcting this by interviewing experts - including other scientists and fisheries managers - on what they were observing around the world.

The team also took in case studies covering all regions from the Philippines to Zanzibar, Indonesia, the Turks and Caicos Islands and locations in the Mediterranean.

The picture that emerges is much the same everywhere.

Fishers actively target seagrasses because they recognise the habitats' great productivity.

This is true from small-scale recreational activity all the way through to large-scale commercial practice.

The study details the types of tools and equipment used - from spears to nets - and the variety of species taken, from invertebrates such as crabs, shrimp and clams, to popular finfish such as mullet, herring and snapper.

One critical point to emphasise from the assessment is that many hundreds of millions of people worldwide depend on the catch from seagrass meadows for their daily protein intake.

This makes their conservation and proper management all the more important, says the team.

There is a claim that a meadow area equivalent to two football pitches is disappearing every hour.

Such statements are very hard to verify, but there is no doubt that seagrasses are being diminished by poor water quality in coastal areas as a result of agricultural and urban run-off, among several threats that also include insensitive fishing practices.

Team member Lina Nordlund, from Stockholm University, said: "The ecological value of seagrass meadows is irrefutable, yet their loss continues at an accelerating rate.

"Now there is growing evidence globally that many fisheries associated to seagrass are unrecorded, unreported and unmanaged, leading to a tragedy of the seagrass commons."

Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, from Cardiff University, added: "Arguments in support of seagrass have in the past too often focused on the fluffy - such as the conservation of seahorses.

"I don't want to dismiss seahorses' importance, but the reality is that seagrasses have much higher value in supporting fisheries. And I've come across numerous occasions where fishermen have been against conservation of seagrasses because they can't moor their boats in these locations, when it's those seagrasses that support their activity in the first place.

"What we need to do is increase the level of understanding and appreciation of these habitats."

The team's study - Global significance of seagrass fishery activity - is published in the journal Fish and Fisheries.

The tragedy of the seagrass commons
SWANSEA UNIVERSITY EurekAlert 17 Nov 17;

Writing in the Journal Fish & Fisheries, Dr Richard Unsworth of Swansea University (together with colleagues at Cardiff University and Stockholm University) examine the global extent to which these meadows of underwater plants support fishing activity.

"Wherever seagrass exists in proximity to people, our research finds that it's used as a key targeted fishing habitat" said Dr Unsworth, who is based at Swansea University's Biosciences department.

"Our research is for the first time recording how globally extensive the use of seagrass meadows as a fishery habitat is. In developing countries this activity tends to have a major significance for daily food supply and general livelihoods. In developed countries the role of this activity is more for recreation or species specific targeted fisheries (e.g. clams)."

Dr Nordlund from Stockholm University added "The ecological value of seagrass meadows is irrefutable, yet there loss continues at an accelerating rate. Now there is growing evidence globally that many fisheries associated to seagrass are unrecorded, unreported and unmanaged, leading to a tragedy of the seagrass commons".

In their article, the researchers highlight that because of their nearshore, shallow water distribution in sheltered environments seagrass meadows make great places to fish in all conditions. This leads to high intensity of fishing effort often all year round.

The authors have studied seagrass fisheries all around the world from the Philippines, to Zanzibar, Indonesia, the Turks & Caicos Islands and locations in the Mediterranean. They have found many similarities in the types of fishing gear used the major animal families that are fished and the extent of effort focused in these sensitive habitats.

Even in small seagrass meadows in Wales fishers can be seen targeting shrimp at low tide and placing gill nets to catch Bass. By providing a three-dimensional structure in an otherwise barren sea, seagrasses provide the perfect hiding place for fish and invertebrates such as crabs, shrimp and clams. This abundance of animal life is what attracts fishers.

"It is important that more recognition is given to the value of these habitats for supporting fisheries as they're being damaged and degraded globally." said Dr Cullen-Unsworth (Cardiff University), one of the co-authors who is also director of the marine conservation charity Project Seagrass who are working to highlight the importance and plight of these sensitive marine habitats.



Whether for recreation or sustenance, seagrass proves vital to fishing around the globe
Brooks Hays UPI 17 Nov 17;

Nov. 17 (UPI) -- New research reveals the importance seagrass plays as host to fishing activity.

When scientists looked at seagrasses and marine meadows around the globe, they found high levels of fishing activity are constant.

The research -- published this week in the journal Fish & Fisheries -- suggests scientists need to consider how to protect and manage seagrass ecosystems in order to promote healthier, more sustainable fisheries.

"If there is seagrass and people there is most certainly fishing," Lina Mtwana Nordlund, an ecologist at Stockholm University in Sweden, said in a news release. "It doesn't matter if it is a country with high or low human development, fishing occurs. But the reasons for fishing and the target species vary."

In less developed nations, seagrass tends to host subsistence fishing. Those fishing aren't usually targeting a specific species. Instead, they're trying to catch whatever's available, whether to feed their own family or sell to their neighbors.

In more developed nations, seagrass tends to host recreational fishing. Those fishing are typically targeting specific species.

In both lesser and more developed nations, marine meadows host all kinds of fishing techniques and equipment.

"The ecological value of seagrass meadows is irrefutable, yet their loss continues at an accelerating rate," warned Dr. Richard Unsworth, a researcher Swansea University. "Now there is growing evidence globally that many fisheries associated to seagrass are unrecorded, unreported and unmanaged, leading to a tragedy of the seagrass commons."

Researchers hope their work will inspire conservationists and policy makers to take steps to better protect shallow-water ecosystems where seagrass grows.

"Seagrass meadows are being damaged and degraded globally and urgent action is needed to stem the loss of seagrass meadows," said Mtwana Nordlund. "Their importance as a key fishing ground is yet another reason why we need to start appreciating the value of seagrass."


Seagrass is a key fishing ground globally
STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY EurekAlert 17 Nov 17;

New research demonstrates that seagrass meadows are important fishing grounds all around the globe. The work highlights that there is an urgent need to start appreciating and understanding this role to be able to build more sustainable fisheries. A study led by Dr Lina Mtwana Nordlund at Stockholm University, published in the scientific journal Fish & Fisheries, examines the global extent to which these underwater meadows support fishing activity.

"If there is seagrass and people there is most certainly fishing. It doesn't matter if it is a country with high or low human development, fishing occurs. But the reasons for fishing and the target species vary" says Dr Nordlund who is based at Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Science at Stockholm University in Sweden.

In countries with a low human development index score seagrass fishery activity tends to target anything one can find that can be eaten, sold or used as bait. These seagrass fisheries have a major significance for daily food supply and livelihoods. In countries with a very high human development index score, seagrass fisheries are more commonly recreational with specific species targeted, such as clams. The research highlights that nearly every type of fishing gear is used within seagrass fisheries.

"The ecological value of seagrass meadows is irrefutable, yet their loss continues at an accelerating rate. Now there is growing evidence globally that many fisheries associated to seagrass are unrecorded, unreported and unmanaged, leading to a tragedy of the seagrass commons" says co-author Dr Richard Unsworth, Swansea University.

The researchers from Stockholm University, Cardiff University and Swansea University highlight that because seagrass is generally found nearshore in shallow sheltered environments, it creates an accessible fishing ground in nearly all weather conditions.

The authors have studied seagrass fisheries all around the world from the Philippines, to USA, Indonesia, the Turks & Caicos Islands and locations in the Mediterranean. "Seagrass meadows are being damaged and degraded globally and urgent action is needed to stem the loss of seagrass meadows. Their importance as a key fishing ground is yet another reason why we need to start appreciating the value of seagrass" says Dr Mtwana Nordlund.

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