By Serah Aupong – EMTV News
New species of marine life have been identified in the Kavieng Lagoon by French scientists.
While the study is at its preliminary stage, there is potentially over 1,000 new marine species that have been discovered.
This was revealed by National Fisheries College Principal, Jeff Kinch.
Kinch said 32 scientists came as a team under the French Natural Musem in 2014 and conducted a complete marine biodiversity survey of the Kavieng lagoon.
“Preliminary (reports) are suggesting maybe 700 – 1200 new species to be identified. There’s one new crab specie already been reported,” the Principal said.
The scientists visit was facilitated through the newly established mariculture and research facility that is managed by the National Fisheries College.
This year another group of scientists have utilised the research facility.
“We had a course run by the bishop museum out of Hawaii and they had people all around the pacific come and they were looking at fish reproduction.”
Currently, this facility is being taken care of by Peter Minimulu and his team. They have also started their own research which aims at enhancing marine stocks that is on the National Fisheries Authority’s priority list, top on that list is the sea cucumber; but this facility is looking specifically at the “sandfish” specie, scientifically known as the Holothurian scarbra.
Apart from this they are also researching unique clown fish that are found in the waters of Kavieng for potential trade in the ornamental fish industry.
“Ol man lo disla kain industry ol sa laikim ol rarest of all ino gat wanpla i gat. Mipla lukim igat 2 or 3 species lo hia,” Mr Minimulu explained. (People in the ornamental fish industry seek the rarest types of fish. We have seen around two to three species here in Kavieng.)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nRImBDa0vII%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
