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February
18th, 2011
The Experiment that is Junkyard Reef!
Almost
two years ago the first box of ‘junk’ was deployed just
off the coast in Mae Haad. It was in a previously sandy, relatively
barren stretch of Mae Haad Bay that was home to a few families of
Clark’s Anemone fish, some random sea cucumbers and the occasional
school of passing Trevally.
One of our signs on entry into Junkyard
Since
that day, the Dive team from Crystal Dive Resort and Eco Koh Tao
‘Eco Team’ have been adding structures to the area,
and life & diversity have quickly followed. Using old furniture
and unwanted household items the area quickly grew in size and ‘Junkyard
Reef’ was born.
Junkyard
has many aims which have not changed since its inception.
On Koh
Tao, many things do not get recycled and end up as landfill on our
very overcrowded hillside. To this end we wanted to show that putting
some of this stuff in the sea may not be such a bad idea.
"Central Station" is one of our central structures at
Junkyard and a testament to its success
As an
example of productive recycling disused, non-polluting items have
been placed underwater to provide structure to the featureless bottom.
Old shelves from the dive school, currently known as ‘Central
Station’ were one of the first things to go down. Unwanted
gym equipment, awnings from sunken long tails, and cement chairs
and tables helped to fill out the first round of structures.
Since
then we have used non-recyclable biscuit tins as templates for cement
blocks as weight for other structures, we have experimented with
artistic expression developing a number of structures out of PVC,
rope & wood. There is currently a karaoke station, a replica
of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and some towers and tents providing
home to juvenile Sweetlips, Porcupine Puffers and countless Emperors.
These structures may corrode, but we are using it as an experiment
to see if encrusting organisms may overgrow and thus insulate the
structures from corrosion and break up.
Our coral nurseries are an important research element of our Junkyard
Reef
It was
developed as an artificial reef for use as a training site for Crystal
Dive Resort, as well as any other Koh Tao Dive Centres who wished
to get involved. Introducing many divers to the marine world is
a credit to the business model but if taught inconsiderately could
be considered a big negative for the environment. With a commitment
from management and staff alike the site has been a regular haunt
of Crystal Dive courses and fun divers. The site has developed into
such an interesting site that has not only become an alternative
site but a preferred dive destination for many of our divers.
Taking
beginners to new sites like these gives them an opportunity to perfect
their buoyancy and dive skills in the comfort of an environment
which, to a certain extent can be bumped into, as divers learn how
to manage themselves underwater. Taking new divers to alternative
sites with both environmental and scientific aims also introduces
entry level divers to our responsibility when it comes to protecting
the marine environment. It shows people some of our current environmental
programs and prompts them to ask questions that also illustrates
our eco focus in regards to diver training.
These new nudibranchs are a great new addition to the variety of
life at Junkyard Reef
Finally
there’s the science behind the experiment. Initially we were
interested to see what would migrate or prosper at a totally new
site. Early on many species of fish – Rabbit fish, Emperors,
Bream, a few groupers, puffer fish – crowded around the structures.
As the site has developed new invertebrates have joined the ever
increasing variety of fish life – Filefish, Sweetlips, Tiger
Cowry Shells are all permanent residents. The occasional very large
sea snake, a rare sighting of a turtle and a regular great barracuda
simply add to the lustre.
Coral
nurseries help us develop the site into a true coral reef. Analysing
which species grow well in the surrounding areas is a vital tool
in promoting future reef restoration projects in light of deteriorating
water quality and global climate change.
More recently
an enormous amount of macro algae has proliferated on the sea floor
around Junkyard. This large, unpalatable plant like organism is
usually regarded as bad news for the coral but this story has a
twist. An entirely new nudibranch (new for Koh Tao that is) Aplysia
Kurodai has shown up amongst the algae at Junkyard. At the moment
we are trying to work out what its relationship with the algae is
- is it eating it? Using the chlorophyll to colour itself? The answers
are difficult all the more interesting as Junkyard Reef continues
to delight.
For 2011
we hope to continue adding to the underwater structures, develop
new ones for our budding corals in the nursery and hopefully taking
ever increasing numbers of beginners to our little experiment in
Mae Haad.
For more
information see:
Website:
www.ecokohtao.com/proart.html
Pictures: www.facebook.com/album.php?id=297553941945&aid=178556
Video: www.youtube.com/user/ecokohtao#p/a/u/1/83dnQAR5H6c
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