Save Our Seahorses -Port Backs Conservation

The Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) will work with Save Our Seahorses (SOS) in their bid to conserve the Spotted Seahorse, Hippocampus kuda, in the sea grass beds at the Pulai River Estuary, Johor.

PTP Deputy chief executive officer Ismail Hashim said this after visiting the sea grass beds with the Save Our Seahorses (SOS) Action Committee members on 21 August 2005.

"We believe that development can threaten marine life, and we fully support SOS in its initiative to address this issue."

"There is diversified marine life here, including the seahorses, and I believe this is an inheritance we can preserve for future generations," said Ismail.

Ismail said SOS would have to conduct surveys and let the port know the threats faced by the sea grass bed, so the future development would be carried out in a way to safeguard the seahorses' natural habitat.

He said all parties must work together with the state to make conservation a success.

Choo said he planned to ask the state to turn the conservation project into a research named the "Research, Conservation and Education Project".

He said the proposal would be finalised after a meeting with the relevant parties on how best to preserve the some 400 seahorses currently making the sea grass bed their home.

"Through the proposal, we hope to come up with a long-term plan and to introduce some volunteer programmes to help create public awareness," said Choo, adding the sea grass bed in Tanjung Kupang was the largest in Peninsular Malaysia.

Choo, who started doing research on seahorses in 2001, said it would cost RM3mil to replant the sea bed grass if it was destroyed.