Update of first semester of 2019

This is Kiluan Bay (Lampung, Sumatra). Gorgeous beyond words...

Justin my new friend kindly advised me to update my blog (“cos it’s awesome!”), so I blushingly agreed. Thank you for the reminder!

So here it is: I’ve been updating a subject on policy analysis at the James Cook University to be taken to masters level for next semester. (“oh, you do policy, Icha?” Apparently, I do… particularly when you think that environmental issues are not going to solve themselves without proper policies in place!).

In March, CETASI (Cetacean Sirenian Indonesia) received some funding from the Conservation Strategy Fund (thank you, CSF!) for conducting an economic study of dolphin watching in Kiluan (Lampung, Sumatra). The project is titled “Dolphin-watching tourism as an alternative or supplemental livelihood to marginalised artisanal fishers in Indonesia". This project will explore whether dolphin-watching tourism can generate direct or indirect employment that provides a sustainable income equal or superior to a fisheries income. The CSF grant established myself as one of the 2019-2020 Indonesia Marine Fellows of the Conservation Strategy Fund.

The US National Marine Animal Health and Stranding Response Conference (September 2016)

The Indonesian country update poster

The US National Marine Animal Health and Stranding Response Conference that I attended in early September (6-9 Sept 2016) was not the first of its kind that I attended at a national level, but it was certainly the most impressive one. My sincere thanks to International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for their generous contributions so that I could attend this event, and for NOAA for extending the invitation to me.

The conference enabled me to learn many things to apply to Indonesia’s own national marine mammal stranding network. The followings are lessons I learned during some sessions of the conference. Granted, I couldn’t attend all sessions as much as I wanted to. For instance, given my limited medical/veterinarian knowledge, I only attended some veterinary sessions that my Indonesian vet colleagues would have not missed for the world. However, what I’ve learned from the sessions I did attend was a treasure. The followings are things that I learned the most during the conference, not necessarily in the order of magnitude nor importance. 

Indonesia's National Plan of Action for the Cetaceans

Just a short post to inform you all that Indonesia (the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries) has released its National Plan of Action for the Conservation of Cetaceans. The document is still in Indonesian language. I have the English version of the earlier draft (because I was one of the authors), but we will need time (and funding, I suppose) to translate it into English. Based on the 2002-2010 Conservation Action Plan for the World's Cetaceans (Reeves et al 2003), the document contains strategies to address unsustainable anthropogenic activities (bycatch, blast fishing, direct catch, tourism in the wild, captivity, marine debris, vessel strikes, and competition with fisheries) and disturbance to cetacean habitats (coastal and riverine development, commercial and military sonar, chemical pollution, biotoxin and climate change). The national marine mammal stranding network is also mentioned as one of the action plans. Click here for the document in Indonesian language. (terjemahan bahasa Indonesia di bawah break)

New Year notes for the past semester

A Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni) we encountered off the Uluwatu Temple, Bali, November 2015

Since this is the last day of the year, I thought I’ll just write myself some pointers of what I did during the second semester of 2015. Starting with July-August where my colleagues and I were trying to set up CETASI, real pain in the admin. I have to credit Yanti Purnomo as the star in navigating the bureaucratic waters in Indonesia, but Adityo Setiawan, Jaya Ratha and Erdi Lazuardi also provided tremendous support.

August saw me returning to Bali for the Cetacean National Plan of Action (NPOA) meeting. It was a productive meeting; I assisted WWF Indonesia and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries to build up the early version of the document. So far, the document includes issues such as bycatch, tourism, seismic and acoustic, ocean noise, alternative livelihood, captivity and Marine Mammal Protected Areas. Kudos to Sarminto Hadi, Miasto Yudha and team for pulling off the meeting. We also had our first stranding training workshop for the expatriates in Bali at Seminyak with Whale Stranding Indonesia and Soul Surf Project Bali. Well, not just for the expats, for we also had local participants (and a girl flying from Sabah Malaysia just for this training!), but it was definitely the first English-speaking training that I delivered, and I actually enjoyed it. The CETASI also had our first annual meeting (at my father’s place in Bali, actually), and we carry with us a list of homework to be done... which hasn’t all been done...(palm/face).

Update on the CETASI, stranding website, and NPOA

Humpback whale, Bali, 2 Oct 2007, by Made Sujana (Tanah Lot Authority)

Where have I been for the last six months?? Sorry for the slow update... But I've been swirling inside the bureaucratic world of NGO registration in Indonesia. But anyway, after about six months of navigating the bureaucratic waters of Indonesia, I'm happy to announce that the CETASI (Cetacean Sirenian Indonesia) has been approved by the government, and we are now a registered NGO in Indonesia. Yay!

Our website is online already; www.cetasindonesia.org, but I'm planning to move it to another domain registrar because my current registrar (GoDaddy) is getting a bit too pricey. I also need to add ~ $10 per year per site (I have three extensions: .com, .net and .org) if I want my personal information (e.g., address, email and even phone number!) kept secret from the prying online world. That's too much of a price, and hence it will be byebye GoDaddy soon... 

Anyway... the second news is that we've been doing a facelift to the main marine mammal stranding website (www.whalestrandingindonesia.com). It now includes a more comprehensive database, complete with graphs and filtering system. it will also has a map, but I need to upgrade the package first, so it might have to wait for a few months. So far though, I'm very happy with our database provider (Knack). It's easy to use even for HTML-haters like me, the agents are friendly, embedding to the main website is also easy. I registered our stranding website with Namecheap (very happy about the service) and used Weebly for the web-design and hosting (again, very happy, totally recommended!). I've linked the main website with the new interface just now. The stranding website is still down by the time I post this article, but I hope in 24 hours the website is up and running again. 

The marine mammal stranding brochure and poster

Berikut ini adalah artikel tentang brosur dan poster penanganan mamalia laut yang terdampar dalam bahasa Inggris. Klik tautan ini untuk edisi bahasa Indonesia. 

After several months of delay, we are delighted to finally bring you the translated version of the marine mammal stranding brochure and poster, funded by WWF Indonesia. Special thanks to Dinda Prayunita for the design and Nimal Fernando for the editing. So far, we have no plan to mass-print this English edition. However, high-res PDFs are available upon request for individual printing. 

the brochure, 1st page

Brosur dan poster penanganan kejadian mamalia laut yang terdampar

The following is an article about the recently published brochures and posters on the handling of stranded marine mammals (Indonesian version). The English version is available here.

Setelah melalui proses desain selama beberapa bulan, akhirnya telah terbit brosur dan poster penanganan kejadian mamalia laut yang terdampar pada akhir Mei 2014 yang lalu. Pendanaan diberikan oleh WWF Indonesia, produksi dilakukan bersama antara Whale Stranding Indonesia, the Indonesian Biodiversity Research Center, dan Persatuan Dokter Hewan Indonesia Cabang Bali, serta bekerja sama dengan Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan (KKP) serta Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (LIPI). Brosur desain oleh Dinda Prayunita dan printing oleh Matoa Albarits. 

Di bawah ini adalah JPEG brosur dan poster dengan resolusi rendah. Email saya untuk memperoleh file resolusi tinggi. Brosur dicetak bolak balik di atas bahan PP PVC, poster dicetak di atas bahan art-paper. Lokasi utama stockist brosur dan poster adalah KKP (Jakarta), WWF Indonesia (Jakarta), Whale Stranding Indonesia (Jakarta), serta the Indonesian Biodiversity Research Center (Bali). 

Brosur lembar pertama

How to dispose of dead stranded whales?

Ini adalah versi bahasa Inggris dari artikel tentang cara membuang bangkai paus yang sudah mati. Klik tautan ini untuk versi bahasa Indonesia-nya.

The sperm whale stranded at Central Sulawesi on 4 Feb. Source: local govt of Central Sulawesi

Well, actually not only whales, but also dolphins, porpoises, dugongs. In general, the question of what to do with dead stranded marine mammals is a frequently received question, particularly since a few days ago when a 18m sperm whale stranded at Morowali Beach, Central Sulawesi. Naturally, dealing with small cetaceans and dugongs is easier than trying to dispose of a whale, as you would read below. But let’s start from the beginning.

Bagaimana cara membuang bangkai paus yang mati?

This is the Indonesian version of an article on dead whale carcass disposal. Click this link for the English version. 

Sperm whale yang terdampar tgl 4 Feb yang lalu, SatuSulteng

Artikel ini sebenarnya sih tidak hanya untuk bangkai paus saja, tapi juga untuk lumba-lumba dan dugong. Secara umum pertanyaan ini sering terlontarkan, terutama dalam beberapa hari ini sejak seekor paus sperma berukuran 18m  terdampar di Pantai Morowali, Sulawesi Tengah. Memang wajar jika penanganan cetacean kecil (seperti lumba-lumba) dan dugong lebih mudah dibandingkan berusaha menyingkirkan paus yang sudah mati. Tapi mari kita mulai dari awal.

Not always together: mum and calf in a mass stranding

The short-finned pilot whale mass stranding in Sabu Raijua, Oct 2012 (pic by Sabu govt and TNC)

In a mass stranding, mother and calf are not always stranded together. Some calves could also be found without the mothers in the vicinity. Check this excellent paper by Oremus et al (2013): 

Oremus, M., Gales, R., Kettles, H. & Baker, C. S. 2013, 'Genetic Evidence of Multiple Matrilines and Spatial Disruption of Kinship Bonds in Mass Strandings of Long-finned Pilot Whales, Globicephala melas', Journal of Heredity, vol. 104, no. 3, pp. 301-311.

Full paper, click here. 

Abstract: 

Mass strandings of whales and dolphins have puzzled biologists since Aristotle. Although environmental factors are often assumed to initiate strandings, social forces must also influence the dynamics of many of these events, particularly for the primary species involved in mass strandings, the long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas).

An ode to a finless porpoise

The by-caught finless porpoise in Paloh, West Kalimantan (photo: WWF Indonesia)

I have one wish at the moment. I wish I knew the ancient prayers of the Maori in New Zealand or the Native North Americans in the Arctic circles. For I would be able to chant a prayer to a particular finless porpoise who died last Sunday (13/10/13), by-caught by a fisher in Paloh, West Kalimantan. The finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides), very likely female and pregnant, was by-caught on Sunday afternoon and was about to be sold to the market when my WWF friends (led by Dwi Suprapti, DVM) intervened and asked the fisher to let the porpoise go. The fisher did, and thus we have our Code 2 carcass for the November stranding workshop in Bali.

Dwi (and her WWF team) and I (and my team) have been on alert for the last few months since I asked her assistance to obtain a Code 2 carcass for the stranding workshop. The alert went to Red level when a few weeks ago Dwi et al. obtained a finless porpoise carcass, also from Paloh. But the carcass was already Code 4, such that it would be ‘a smelly soup inside’ when opened, as my vet friend Nimal told me. Turned out, the Paloh harbour folks also agreed that the animal was already very smelly; they asked us to ditch the carcass from their fridge (er, yes, we did put the carcass for a bit in their refrigerator...). So, no carcass to examine. Not that I was sad about it, I had no intention in examining a Code 4 carcass either...

Biography Of A Blue Whale, Told Through Ear Wax (National Geographic article)

My friend Sheyka Nugraheni has a knack in collecting cool articles online. She often posts them on her Facebook. To make those articles available online for non FB users (or those who are not our, well, FB friends), I will start copy paste the articles here. Starting with this first one from National Geographic, written by Ed Yong. I'm particularly interested in this article because it shows how we can understand life history of a whale from a stranded specimen. You can also read the full article here.

Thanks a lot, Sheyka!

Blue whale earplug, extracted from a dead individual. Credit: Michelle Berman- Kowalewskic, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, nationalgeographic.com

Biography Of A Blue Whale, Told Through Ear Wax
by Ed Yong


A few years ago, Stephen Trumble contacted the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and asked if they had some earwax from a blue whale.

They did.

In 2007, a large ship travelling off the coast of California collided with a male blue whale, ending its life at the tender age of 12. It was one of three similar strikes that year. The animal’s 21 metre carcass washed up on the beach, and scientists from the local museum examined and dissected it with machetes and excavators. They collected several tissues and organs, including a 25-centimetre tube of earwax.

Earplugs are common to blues and other large whales like fins and humpbacks. They are similar to the ones in your ears, although obviously much bigger. Each is an oily build-up of wax and fats that accumulates through the whale’s life. “It looks like a long candlestick that’s been beat up a bit,” says Sascha Usenko, Trumble’s colleague at Baylor University. “It’s not appealing-looking.”

Registration form and blurbs for the 1st National Indonesian Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop

Apologies for the slooowwwhh update. August and September (make it July as well) have been impossibly busy. 

But at least now I can update you about the 1st National Indonesian Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop. The registration form is finally available here (deadline 15 October 2013). The program blurbs can be read at the Southeast Asian Marine Mammal Stranding Network SEAMMSN website. Herewith I also give you the blurbs:

Update on November workshop & stranding events

A short update for the November stranding workshop. The workshop is now titled “The 1^st National Indonesian Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop”. It’s still from Monday, 25 November to Thursday, 28 November 2013. However, 25 November event starts with dinner and opening ceremony by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries during dinner. Hence we recommend participants to arrive by Monday, 25 November late morning or afternoon, instead of Sunday, 24 November.

Registration form is still being finalised, so is the invitation letter. We hope to put the registration form online by late next week. Also, we hope to put the tentative schedule online by the end of August. The rough idea is: Day One for 1^st Responder workshop and training, Day Two for vet and bycatch lectures, and Day Three for vet lectures and necropsy demo (see below).

1st National Marine Mammal Stranding Training Workshop (Bali, 25-28 November 2013)

The 1st National Marine Mammal Stranding Training Workshop for Indonesia will be conducted in Sanur, Bali on 25-28 November 2013. The training programme is organised by the Indonesian Biodiversity Research Center, Ocean Park Hong Kong and the University of St Andrews Scotland, endorsed by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia and supported by Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong, the South East Asian Marine Mammal Stranding Network, World Wildlife Fund Indonesia and the International Whaling Commission.

The workshop will be conducted in English (with Indonesian translation), for participants from Indonesia and the Asian region.   Day One will be dedicated to 1st responder training, which will train people how to rescue live stranded marine mammals. The remaining days of the workshop will focus on the veterinary aspects and fishing gear entanglement aspect of stranding events. Hands-on necropsy demo is optional upon the availability of a Code 2 carcass (fresh dead).

Registration will be open from 1st August 2013. Funding for some participants is available (details tba). For further information, contact Putu Liza Mustika (‘Icha’) at putu.liza@my.jcu.edu.au or +62 821 4755 2611.


Update 6 August 2013:
Click this for the November workshop updates (including possible necropsy demo)

Lokalatih Nasional Mamalia Laut Terdampar I Indonesia (Bali, 25-28 November 2013)

Lokalatih Nasional Mamalia Laut Terdampar I di Indonesia akan dilaksanakan di Sanur, Bali pada tanggal 25-28 November 2013. Program pelatihan ini diorganisir oleh Indonesian Biodiversity Research Center, Ocean Park Hong Kong dan University of St Andrews Scotland. Program ini didukung oleh Kementrian Kelautan dan Perikanan Indonesia, Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong, South East Asian Marine Mammal Stranding Network, WWF Indonesia dan International Whaling Commission.

Bahasa pengantar pada lokalatih ini adalah bahasa Inggris dengan terjemahan. Peserta berasal dari Indonesia dan kawasan Asia. Hari pertama adalah tentang pelatihan 1^st responder (penanggap pertama), yaitu bagaimana menyelamatkan mamalia laut yang terdampar hidup. Hari kedua-keempat akan dititikberatkan pada aspek kedokteran hewan dan kejadian terjerat alat tangkap. Praktikum nekropsi akan dilakukan jika ada karkas Kode 2 (mati segar).

Registrasi akan dibuka dari tgl 1 Agustus 2013. Ada kemungkinan pendanaan untuk beberapa peserta (informasi menyusul). Untuk informasi lebih lanjut, silakan kontak Putu Liza Mustika (‘Icha’) di putu.liza@my.jcu.edu.au atau +62 821 4755 2611.

Kupang Marine Mammal Stranding Workshop and Training

The Kupang team in action, Lasiana Beach

The next marine mammal stranding training was conducted in Kupang, 4-5 June 2013, for East Nusa Tenggara. It was attended by about 25 people, slightly less than Bali participants. However, we received some important insights from the training. 

We didn’t get our HK counterparts to come to Kupang this time, hence Februanty Purnomo, Sekar Mira and myself became the full-time mentor. I am pleased to report that we conducted our first independent training successfully, despite the absence of Grant Abel, Lindsay Porter and Nimal Fernando (they still helped tho, with online comments). I am also pleased to report that Sarminto Hadi and Miasto Yudha of KKJI MMAF are now ready to be mentors for the next trainings. They know the drill already, and they know what it takes to play the game.

Bali marine mammal stranding workshop and training

Hands-on demo with the Bali govt and NGOs (photo: Lindsay Porter)

This post is almost a month late, but better late than never. The Bali marine mammal stranding workshop and training was conducted on 1 and 2 May 2013 as a response to the decisions made at national level that several nodal workshops and trainings should be conducted in Indonesia. Four sites are scheduled for 2013: Denpasar (Bali), Kupang (East Nusa Tenggara), Pangandaran (West Java) and Balikpapan (East Kalimantan). We have Bali on 1-2 May. I will travel to Kupang this Sunday for the 4-5 June gig. West Java will be on 3-4 July, and East Kalimantan will be 3-4 September. 

The Bali workshop and training was initiated by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. I was helping the workshop as a consultant to Conservation International Indonesia. The Ministry invited Dr Lindsay Porter from the University of St Andrews and Mr Grant Abel from Ocean Park Hong Kong to assist us with the first responder aspects. The Ministry also invited Nimal Fernando, DVM from Ocean Park Hong Kong to assist with the veterinary components of the workshop and training. On top of that, I was assisted by Sekar Mira from LIPI (the Indonesian Science Institute) and Februanty Purnomo (Jakarta-based marine mammalogist), both of whom also accompanied me to Subic Bay (see this post too). Overall, we had a good, solid team who helped each other based on our unique capacities we bring onto the table.

The Jakarta Post article on the Bali stranding workshop and training (1-2 May 2013)

Below is the The Jakarta Post article on the Bali stranding workshop and training (1-2 May 2013). Thanks to Desy Nurhayati for the article and to Pariama Hutasoit for helping us out with the media. 

The Bali team before the training (thanks to Sanur Beach Hotel for letting us using the pool)

Sea mammal rescue network established

by Desy Nurhayati on 2013-05-03 

 

The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry established a task force to address incidents of stranded sea mammals.

Tony Ruchimat, ministry director for conservation area and fish species, said establishing the network was crucial to speed up the rescue of stranded sea mammals and to ensure species were handled correctly.

“Based on previous incidents, fifteen percent of stranded sea mammals were found alive and could be saved. However, sluggish and inappropriate responses could cause the rescue effort to fail,” he said during his presentation at a two-day workshop to establish the taskforce.

“Therefore, we need a network or task force, as well as commitment from the related stakeholders to enhance rescue efforts.”

Members of the task force include individuals from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry, the marine police, navy, as well as NGOs, dive operators, life guards, marine experts, research agencies, university and volunteers.

Jakarta Expat article

It's been a busy April, such that I haven't got time to post an article. But all is for the better good, for we are going to hold a stranding workshop and training on 1-2 May in Sanur Bali. 'We' as in the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Conservation International (including myself), WWF and a bunch of other cool stakeholders. Will definitely post the news and photographs after the event is done. 

Meanwhile, if you have time (or just being curious), you can have a read at Grace Susetyo's interview of myself at the Jakarta Expat about the cetaceans in Indonesia. Click here or 'read more'  to read the whole article.

Caring for the Sentinels of the Deep
by Grace Susetyo

Much of Indonesia’s seas are being “watched over” by friendly creatures whose underwater singing and dancing never cease to melt the human heart: some 30 species of cetaceans (whales and dolphins). North Bali’s whale watching industry is reported to generate about US$4.1 million per year, or about 40% of the incomes of local hotels in Lovina. But despite Indonesia’s millions of square-kilometres of territorial waters, cetacean conservation has hardly been on top of Indonesia’s agenda.