KUALA TERENGGANU: The presence of whales in Malaysian waters is an important indicator that our marine ecosystem is healthy and able to support the megafauna, says the Fisheries Department.
A research officer at the department’s Fisheries Research Institute, Muhammad Amirul Siddiq Abdul Rashid, said the sighting of marine mammals, especially humpback whales in the waters of Pulau Redang last Saturday, allowed them to document their migration patterns.
“The presence of whales from this species is rare in Malaysia, unlike the Bryde’s whale. So, it provides an opportunity for researchers to document their migration in addition to providing supporting data about the biodiversity and habitats in the area.
“So far, the factors for their appearance in Malaysia have not been identified.
“However, based on the humpback whale species around the world, there is a possibility that it migrates a little farther than its usual distance from its original habitat in cold waters, such as the Arctic Sea or the Antarctic Sea,” he told Bernama.
Amirul Siddiq said the whale faced several threats within Malaysia’s ocean environment, particularly the risk of becoming trapped in shallow waters.
If this were to occur, the whale might not be able to return to deeper waters, ultimately facing the danger of being stranded and dying from dehydration, he said.
“Plastic pollution and dangerous chemicals can also affect the health of whales and their food sources, while changes in water temperature due to global warming can affect the availability of food and migration patterns of whales.
“They also change important habitats, such as areas where these species socialise,” he said.
Regarding measures to overcome risks to the animals posed by the fishing community, he said the department had organised education and training programmes on the importance of preserving marine mammals.
“The fishermen are also offered resources and tools to help reduce the impact of fishing activities on marine life.
“They are provided guidelines on responsible fishing practices, preventing bycatch and information on habitat hotspots for marine mammal species and other endangered animals,” he said.
Amirul Siddiq said that although the marine mammal did not harm humans, any interference could cause a defensive reaction.
He cited Section 27 of the Fisheries Act, which prohibits any form of interference with whales.
“The implication of disturbance for the animal is the potential of stress or physical injury. There are also species that can threaten human safety, such as the killer whale, which will become aggressive if it feels threatened,” he said.
Marine ecology and ecosystem researcher at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) Assoc Prof Dr Maizah Mohd Abdullah said that as a university that focused on marine and aquatic resources, UMT is making preparations to strengthen the blue economic framework that is compatible with the country’s maritime economic sector to ensure the sustainability of the ocean ecosystem.
She hoped that the matter would be brought up during the forthcoming Blue Economy round table discussion in Putrajaya involving industry players and stakeholders, including government representatives.
“The presence of these marine mammals motivates us to work hard researching and educating the community about ocean literacy through the Marine Endangered Species group, comprising local researchers and those abroad,” she said.
She added that they did not have enough evidence yet to prove the waters off Pulau Redang were the passageway of the whale species as it was the first time they were sighted in the area.
Therefore, she said, it was important for the sighting of humpback whales or any marine mammal species to be reported to the relevant parties to facilitate data collection to see whether there was a change in the migration pattern of the endangered marine life.
“Without complete data, it is difficult for researchers to predict whether this emergence reflects a positive situation or otherwise,” she said.
Maizah, however, cautioned anyone who came across the mammal to keep a distance of at least 100m as a basic guideline.
“Immediately turn off the boat engine and do not provoke or chase the mammal,” she said.
She said large-sized marine animals, like the humpback whale, were important to the ocean ecosystem because they could absorb an average of 30 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) and remove it from the atmosphere over centuries compared with a tree that only absorbs up to about 22kg of CO2 per year.
