Report of the Second Workshop on The Biology and Conservation of ...

<strong>the</strong> last ten years, many rain forests along andupstream <strong>of</strong> main rivers and bays in Sabah andSarawak have been logged and transformed intocultivation lands, such as large-scale palm oilplantations (Jaaman 2000b; Jaaman et al. 2000a,b). Effluents from <strong>the</strong>se areas are polluted asa result <strong>of</strong> excessive use <strong>of</strong> insecticides andfertilizers; <strong>the</strong>y also contain many drifting logsand o<strong>the</strong>r debris, especially during <strong>the</strong> rainyseason (November – February) Jaaman (2002). Insome areas that are left cleared, <strong>the</strong> rain depositssediment into <strong>the</strong> rivers and bays and increases<strong>the</strong> turbidity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> water, <strong>the</strong>reby decreasingwater quality. The development <strong>of</strong> Sandakanand Tawau in Sabah, and <strong>of</strong> Tanjung Manisand Muara Tebas in Sarawak, into some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>most industrialized regions in East Malaysiamay affect <strong>the</strong> natural habitat <strong>of</strong> Irrawaddydolphins. Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, a causeway across <strong>the</strong>Santubong River completely cuts its flows to<strong>the</strong> ocean, and a barrage in Pending limits <strong>the</strong>flows <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sarawak River to <strong>the</strong> ocean (throughMuara Tebas). Such impediments interrupt <strong>the</strong>natural movements <strong>of</strong> estuarine cetaceans intoand out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Kuching River system. Althoughlittle documentation exists regarding fish stocksthroughout Malaysia, <strong>the</strong>y are believed to bedeclining due to cumulative effects <strong>of</strong> pollution,poor recruitment, and overfishing. Many inshorefishermen and local villagers interviewed in Sabahand Sarawak have expressed concern over <strong>the</strong>poor quality <strong>of</strong> water and lack <strong>of</strong> fish in traditionalfishing areas (Jaaman 2000b; Jaaman et al. 2000a,b).Directed catchesExcept for one record <strong>of</strong> dugong hunting atKampung (village) Pendas Laut, Johore in <strong>the</strong>1970’s (Mansor et al. 2000), no direct exploitation <strong>of</strong>marine mammals is known to occur in PeninsularMalaysia. In Sabah, dugongs have been huntedtraditionally (Jaaman 2000b). The local BajauLaut community has long regarded <strong>the</strong> dugongas a traditional food item (Jaaman and Anyi2002b). The animals are hunted using speciallymade harpoons and usually with <strong>the</strong> help <strong>of</strong>indigenous medicine men called pawang. Besidesfamily consumption, dugong meat is sold too<strong>the</strong>r villagers in secrecy. A kilogram <strong>of</strong> dugongmeat is reported to fetch between RM5 and RM10(US$2.63), and a whole dugong can be sold for upto RM400 (US$105). Several dugong parts, suchas <strong>the</strong> teardrops and tusks, are also highly soughtafter for <strong>the</strong>ir traditionally held medicinal value. InSarawak, dugongs were hunted in <strong>the</strong> Limbang,Lawas, and probably Sematan areas by localsbefore <strong>the</strong> 1980s (Jaaman et al. 2000a). Dolphins,on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, are reportedly hunted for foodonly by <strong>the</strong> Bajau Pelauh (immigrant Bajau Laut) inSemporna, Sabah (Jaaman and Anyi 2002b). Thetwo main dolphin species that are hunted are <strong>the</strong>bung saelo (bottlenose dolphin, species unknown)and bung saeso (probably spinner dolphin). Atwo-inch cube <strong>of</strong> dolphin meat costs about RM2(US$0.53). According to Jaaman (2000b), mostfishermen and local villagers interviewed inSabah admitted that <strong>the</strong> numbers <strong>of</strong> dugongs anddolphins have declined significantly over <strong>the</strong> yearsand almost all catches nowadays are accidental,although some fishermen probably continue to goafter dugongs opportunistically.By-catchesGillnets, which include set, drift and trammel nets,are widely used by traditional fishermen in shallowcoastal waters <strong>of</strong> Malaysia. Incidental catches<strong>of</strong> dugongs and small cetaceans, particularlyIrrawaddy dolphins and finless porpoises, areknown to occur regularly in gillnets and kelong(fish traps), and to a lesser extent in trawls(Jaaman 2000b; Jaaman et al. 2000a, b; Jaamanet al. 2001a). According to Jaaman (2002), aconsiderable number <strong>of</strong> cases have been reportedannually since 1996. Usually <strong>the</strong> caught animalshave died. In <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> dugongs on <strong>the</strong> eastcoast <strong>of</strong> Sabah, <strong>the</strong>y have been slaughtered for48 CMS Technical Series Publication Nº 9 - 2005