Coral Transplantation in Makassar Leads to Increasing Fish Population

TheIndonesia.id - A coral transplantation program carried out in Makassar waters is reportedly working wonders to restore fish habitat and leads to a healthier marine population.

The program, initiated by state-owned electricity company PT PLN, sought to restore the underwater nature of Makassar Strait, and a coral activist said there have been improvements made since the program first kick-started.

“The underwater view is vastly different from poor the condition in August 2021 in which it was sandy with broken and dead reefs,” activist Mudasir Zainuddin said on Tuesday, June 7, after diving in Samalona island, South Sulawesi province, as reported by Antara.

The coral transplantation started in September last year when PLN for the South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, and West Sulawesi regions granted Rp149 million (US$10,500) for coral reef conservation in Samalona island, Makassar, South Sulawesi, to the Global Geosains Indonesia Scuba (GGIS) community.

According to Zainuddin, prior to the program, the area was sandy with dead reefs, but it has been gradually improving with the percentage of coral growth of up to 70 percent. From 1,640 coral seedlings transplanted in Samalona island, about 1,148 of them successfully grow.

“Now, there are many fishes at the location that feed and take shelter, and there are also many fishers in the location,” he said.

In the long run, the transplantation is also expected to create economic impacts since diving can become a great potential as the natural beauty keeps improving and support local tourism.

The corals that grow upon the transplantation can also be harvested to support more and more transplantation efforts, and as a result, the ecosystem can be expected to grow even more massively.