Incidence of ghost nets in the Tioman Island Marine Park of Malaysia

Abstract

Ghost nets are major contributor to ocean pollution with extensive social, economic and environmental impacts. Ghost nets trap marine life, build up sediment, and smother and damage sensitive bottom habitats such as coral reefs and seagrass beds. Data on ghost nets are widely available for many coastal locations but there has been very limited information from Malaysia specifically Tioman Island. In 2015, Reef Check Malaysia started training local islanders to locate and remove ghost nets from reefs and beaches around Tioman Island. A reporting hotline was set up to gather information on ghost nets. Once vital information was gathered, the local islanders retrieved them and recorded the ghost nets and sent them for proper disposal. A total of 145 ghost nets weighing over 21 t were retrieved from Tioman Island from 2016 to 2022. The volume of ghost nets retrieved showed an increasing trend and were often found in March, April and September. The ghost nets originated from fishermen operating illegally inside the marine protected area (MPA) and legal fishermen operating outside the MPA. Ghost nets find their way to Tioman Island with strong currents and monsoonal winds. Most of the ghost nets retrieved were inside the MPA and on the western side of Tioman Island. Higher human population, shallower waters, shoreline morphology, dominant coral growth design and reef rugosity on the western side of Tioman Island are reasons for higher ghost nets sightings, thus retrieval and management efforts should focus on this side.