BEST Society to conserve coastal fisheries in Kudat

BEST Society which is the non-profit foundation of Borneo Eco Tours and Sukau Rainforest Lodge will be working towards the conservation of coastal fishing ground around Kampung Terongkongan in Kudat.

This initiative will include educating the local residents there on the far-reaching impact of fish bombing, and to help restore marine life to allow it to recover from fishing bombing activities in the past. Besides that, they are also aiming to reduce the rate of poverty among the local folk there. BEST Society has offered to commit RM100,000 over the next ten years to work on conservation of the coastal reef fishing ground.

Director-cum-founder of BEST Society and also the managing director/chairman of Borneo Eco Tours Malaysia, Albert Teo said they had decided to undertake the project following a recent visit there, where he learnt about the depressing tale of rampant fish bombing in the area, from a local Rungus couple, Somuil and Norzailly who are operating their homestay outfit there.

“This method of fishing not only kills a large number of fish and other marine organisms in the vicinity but also destroys the physical structure of coral reefs. On average, a one kilogram (35 ounce) beer-bottle bomb can leave a rubble crater of approximately one to two meters in diameter, destroying 50 to 80 per cent of the corals in that area." - Albert Teo

Therefore, BEST Society is welcoming the public, other NGOs and relevant government departments to join in this effort to conserve coastal fisheries and eradicate poverty.