Fancy fish in Coral Gardens reducing gradually after tsunami
Fred Silva Jinasena, Telwatte group corr.
HIKKADUWA: The shoals of fancy fish of Coral Gardens,
Hikkaduwa seems reducing gradually, especially after tsunami disaster
say the glass bottomed outboard motor boatmen who carry tourists to
coral gardens.
According to boatmen there were various varieties of multi-coloured
fish inhabits gethered around bottom rock reeps, but at present there
are less quantities roaming around along with ordinary fish varieties.
In the meantime, some ocean experts visiting Coral Gardens, Hikkaduwa,
especially to spend their vacations said that scattering as destroying
of fancy fish gathered in the bottom of these rocks cannot be prevented
owing to some natural causes, such as heat, tidal waves, harmful
environment etc; "Not only fish but ample amount of multi-coloured sea
weeds, shells also have been vanished out of the rock seep along with
millions of fish roe", the experts say.
Few years ago prior to Tsunami disaster some ocean experts were
engaged in planting new sea weeds along with corals fitted on to
available reep with plastic and aluminium belts and nails in order to
amalgamate them with rock reeps.
They have brought those fresh weed shells from the Weligama beach.
Those experts are in quandary about non-stop flowing of sand bars into
coral gardens. These gigantic sand bars have managed to cover up the
corals in their zone.
According to the fishermen in this area, those sand bars are flowing
into the coral gardens due to a boulder reep placed around the newly
constructed fishery harbour in Hikkaduwa.
This boulder reep was placed exactly at the edge of Northern boundary
of the coral gardens.
This fishery harbour has constructed without considering about the
natural sea current routines.
As such sand bars flowing along with sea currents cannot be stopped.
As a result those sand bars are flowing into the adjoining coral
gardens, fishermen in these areas revealed. |