Asian Diver and Scuba Diver Issue 7-2016 (88) | Page 8

#briefing
ANTARCTICA TO
HOST THE WORLD’S
LARGEST MPA

One of the world’s most
pristine marine areas has
been granted protection,
but only for the next
35 years.
The Ross Sea, an area
of the Southern Ocean
around Antarctica, south
of New Zealand, is home
to orcas, Weddell seals,
Adélie penguins, emperor
penguins and Antractic
petrels. This is one of the
most studied regions of
the Southern Ocean, and
here, top-level predator
populations are still intact.
The new MPA should
come into force in
December 2017, granting
protection to 1.55 million
square kilometres of ocean,
72% of which will be a notake zone. This will become
the world’s largest marine
protected area.

WORDS
OF WISDOM

I’m a
storyteller;
that’s what
exploration
really is all
about. Going to
places where
others haven’t
been and
returning to
tell a story they
haven’t heard
before.”
JAMES CAMERON

The ocean is a
central image. It is
the symbolism of
a great journey.
ENYA

Wherever you
go, go with all
your heart.

SIGNPOST

CONFUCIUS

WHERE?

LOSING LAOS’
IRRAWADDY DOLPHINS

WWF has reported that there are now
only three Irrawaddy dolphins (also
known as Mekong river dolphins) left
in Laos, declaring the population to be
functionally extinct. This population has
halved since surveys earlier in the year
recorded six individuals. “Functional
extinction” means that there are too

6 SDAA

few breeding pairs to ensure the
survival of the population.
The use of gill nets in the
Irrawaddy river have had a
significant role to play in the demise
of this species, along with habitat
loss. The use of gill nets in the
Mekong is prohibited in Cambodia,
where a small population of Mekong
river dolphins still survive.