(JCU MEDIA RELEASE) In a world-first study published on April 14, researchers have found that fish in the wild respond adversely to ocean acidification.

“Fish living at natural carbon dioxide seeps have abnormal behaviors similar to what we’ve observed in previous laboratory experiments,” says Professor Philip Munday, lead author of the study from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at James Cook University. He adds that these carbon dioxide levels are similar to what is predicted for the oceans in the second half of this century.

The six CTI-CFF countries have nominated a total of 13 of their most important marine protected areas (MPAs) to the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System (CTMPAS). These sites are as follows:

Using time-lapse cinematography, photographer Daniel Stoupin reveals a coral world “full of hypnotic motion.” To view, click the play button below. To learn more about this video, read Mr. Stoupin’s blog (external link).

Malaysia’s Prof. Dato' Dr. Nor Aieni Haji Mokhtar completed her six-year term on February 10 as Undersecretary of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and Director of MOSTI’s National Oceanography Directorate. In this role, she anchored the National Secretariat of Malaysia’s CTI-CFF National Coordination Committee (NCC-Malaysia). She continues to be a strong supporter of CTI-CFF in an advisory capacity, remaining involved in programs supporting the CTI-CFF Expert Working Group, CTI Women Leaders Forum, and various national and regional projects.

The Government of Timor-Leste has established two marine protected areas (MPAs) as part of ongoing efforts to safeguard the country’s marine resources.

Letters of agreement for the Atauro and Batugade MPAs have been finalized, with the Atauro MPA formally established, according to a visiting team from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Three CTI-CFF countries took significant steps this month toward ratification of the Agreement establishing the permanent CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat.

Bolstered by an emerging regional identity, the CTI-CFF member countries are making tangible progress toward long-term coastal and marine management goals, as well as the policy and management practices needed to halt and reverse destructive trends that have led to—and threaten further—fisheries and marine habitat collapse in the Coral Triangle.

Noting a largely unmet need for integrated guidelines for practitioners who wish to design marine reserves that simultaneously address objectives on fisheries, biodiversity, and climate change, a paper published in a recent issue of the journal Coastal Management (external link) presents a set of ecological considerations and guidelines for multi-objective marine reserve network design.

The total area of coral reef habitats in the Coral Triangle that are legally protected has reached nearly 8,000 square kilometers—just shy of the CTI-CFF target for 2020—but only a small fraction of these reef areas is truly effectively managed, according to a recent special edition of the journal Coastal Management (external link).

In response to priorities identified in their National Plan of Action (NPOA) for CTI-CFF, the Arnavon Islands community in Solomon Islands has taken the lead in collecting data on sea level rise to monitor changes in beach movement that affect nesting sea turtles, Henry Kaniki, Project Coordinator for the Arnavon Community Marine Conservation Area (ACMCA), reported in the Solomon Star News (external link).