By Marit Miners

The SouthWest Monsoon is now blowing in earnest on Batbitim, bringing cooler air and water from winter-time Australia. The North Bay is suddenly filled with millions of tiny bait fish as well as those who hunt them.

The sea eagles don't seem to be at all put off by the whir and screech of powertools - they careen headlong into the bay, flapping for an awkward moment or two on the surface of the water and then skyward again with a shiny fish wriggling in their talons. Our gang of resident baby black tip sharks has swelled to a membership of ten, none longer than my arm. We are now regularly visited by big and hungry blue fin travelly and long-toms as well. It's a joy to watch them hunting together. The long-toms launch themselves out of the water, airborne for just a second before re-entering the water smack in the middle of a swarm of bait fish. Their stealth attack panics the school.

The momentary fracture in formation is the perfect opportunity for the lurking travelly, who enters the melee with unbelievable speed and precision. And as suddenly as it started, it's already over. The blue fin travelly and long-toms retreat to deeper water, and the bait fish return to their neat formation. It's an intricate and fascinating choreography, visible every evening from the terrace of our dive shop.

flags used to mark the ends of long-lines

We're not the only ones to have noticed the seasonal arrival of big hunting fish. Since the end of May, the Southern and Eastern horizons are dotted each night with lights from long-lining fisherman. The seas have been too rough to send out our patrol boats. But two nights ago, we finally were able to intercept them. This is the other nightly dance in Raja Ampat, between illegal fishermen and our patrol boats.

(warning - there are some grisly photos further down the page.)

The MPA surrounds Batbitim, our resort island. However the villages lie just outside the perimeter of the MPA, leading to improved catches in their home waters due to spill over of increased fish stocks.  Seven additional MPAs were established in 2007 thanks to the joint efforts of Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, The Coral Reef Alliance, and the local government.

stormy afternoon

Reaching the agreement for the MPA was just the starting point.  In order to enforce the boundaries of the MPA, we patrol the area regularly. When we sent out our patrol two nights ago, we intercepted two Javanese boats laying long-lines. The waves were too big to come along side and board the boats. Bapak Mohammed, one of our staff members and a village elder who is particularly gentle and taciturn, shouted himself hoarse with rage, calling the fisherman thieves and sneaks. The fishing boat motored off into the night, and we returned the following morning to pull up the lines they had left behind. There were several giant red snappers on there, which were our bittersweet prize...

Javanese long-liner in our Marine Protected Area

Yesterday afternoon we spotted several more long-lining boats on the Eastern horizon. Another member of our local staff, Hamza, radioed back to the village and asked them to please send reinforcements, as it were. A few hours later, a speedboat arrived with members of the Indonesian Navy and Police patrol, as well as Ismael Bahale, one of the village elders. Together with the Navy and Police, our patrol approached five non-local commercial fishing vessels. We boarded two of them, both from Java. They had just started fishing, as their hulls were relatively empty. They also had a bunch of small shark fins drying on deck, which are common by-catch of long-lining.

Sadly, this wasn't an isolated event. While the SouthWest monsoon is blowing, we see the lights of long-liners on the horizon every night. We've intercepted and expelled long-liners as well as shark-finners, baiting their hooks with turtles carved up on the beach. We've pulled up kilometres upon kilometres of line with thousands upon thousands of hooks from foreign vessels. In a few nights, an outfit this size can catch more than a local fisherman will catch in an entire lifetime. And they're here because their home waters already been emptied of fish.

This will include food and wages for four to six Rangers, plus a dedicated speed boat and fuel, and a winch for pulling up lines. Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy have offered to provide training to the Rangers so they can patrol as well as collect baseline data on turtle nesting beaches, reef health, and migration patterns. The Ranger's base will be at Misool Eco Resort, and with plans to establish posts on Kalig and Gelu. These Rangers will be the vanguard of local conservation, enriching our understanding of this ecosystem while safeguarding their grandchildren’s inheritance.  

We're building our resort in the epi-centre of the world's marine biodiversity, and it is up to us to protect this spectacular area. Fisheries world-wide are collapsing - this is our chance to reverse the tide in Raja Ampat.

But it's now or never, folks. We have the support of the local villages, and we have the support of the local government. Now we need your financial support to make this happen.

view from the westernmost point of Kalig, a nearby island

To Donate:

Misool Eco Resort will forward funds to our French sister charity, Precious Planet. Click below to donate through Paypal. You don't need to have an account, and it's free!

-you will be entered into the raffle one time

If you prefer to pay by bank transfer, please contact us at MisoolRangerProject@misoolecoresort.com for details.

Fine Print:
-contest is not open to those who have already invested in Misool Eco Resort. Or employees. But anyone can donate!
-Prize is one free Reef View Cottage 10 Dive Package at Misool Eco Resort, subject to availability. Includes accommodation, food, transfer from and back to Sorong on scheduled transfer dates, and 10 Air Dives.
-Precious Planet is a French charity and subject to French law. That means that they are prohibited from soliciting donations with raffles or other incentives. Therefore, Misool Eco Resort is collecting the funds, and we will make a lump-sum donation to their organisation on August 1st 2008
-if you prefer, you may donate directly to Precious Planet by clicking here. However, you will not be entered into the raffle.