In September 2013, The Republic of Palau’s current President Tommy Remengesau announced his intention to protect 80 percent of Palau’s waters as a National Marine Sanctuary. This month National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, Dr Enric Sala, is leading key scientists and filmmakers to explore, survey and document the diversity and abundance of the marine life that will be protected by the new offshore sanctuary, reports the National Geographic.
His blogged report is here -
"The lagoon was calm as we were motoring on the German Channel, a cut blasted on the reef and dredged by the Germans at the beginning of the 20th century. The sky looked like a dreamy scene of cottony clouds, the type of picture urban people have on their office walls or screensavers. And then the sea boiled in front of us.
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| Two giant trevallies break up a bait ball and scatter fish in every direction. (Photo by Enric Sala) |
"We donned our masks and snorkels and jumped in the water. There were tens of thousands of silvery fusiliers, swimming together closely near the surface, forming a giant ball. We heard a bang, and the ball exploded. It had happened in a flash. Where all the numberless prey fish had been, there were now just two giant trevallies. That’s why these extraordinary aggregations of small fishes are called bait balls—they’re bait for ocean predators.
"The fusiliers reappeared from below us, followed by a school of fifty black snappers, each with a massive, round head and a fierce look. We had to keep kicking our fins to stay abreast of the bait ball.
"The incoming tidal current was bringing water and food from the open ocean in the form of plankton. The fusiliers and the snappers consumed that food—a collection of microscopic organisms both plant and animal, some fully grown and still tiny, others simply newly hatched forms of creatures that would one day pursue these pursuers. Soon the giant trevallies, reef sharks, rainbow runners, and dogtooth tuna showed up, hunting for the small fish.
"And then they came—two elegant ballerinas, materializing as ghosts from the darkness below, moving their giant wings gracefully. Manta rays, three meters across, were now feasting on the plankton, swimming with mouths agape.
"They looked like giant open barrels with wings, gliding back and forth, rolling beautifully and turning around, in a rhythmic dance. I was hypnotized and could not take my eyes away from them.
"Two hours passed, and the sun set. Around us, the bait ball was being torn apart by the tuna, sharks, and other predators. Another loud bang, and again the bait ball became a living underwater firework. But still all we could look at were the mantas—caught in their spell as they silently filtered the plankton.
"This is why people come to Palau from all over the world: to experience something unique, nature at its best. Our Pristine Seas expedition is exploring the wild side of Palau’s seas, but also what this means to the Palau economy.
"President Remengesau’s intention to create a large marine reserve offshore in the next few years has been welcomed by environmentalists around the world. But what will happen to the nearshore reefs people come to see?"
Read more HERE.
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