Thailand’s marine life is rebounding during Covid-19 crisis
The Marine National Park in the southern province of Trang spotted 4 dugongs, 4 dolphins and 8 sea turtles offshore near Hat Chao Mai National Park. The MNP and Hat Chao Mai National Park conducted the observation by sea and air covering the areas abundant with seagrass around Yong Lam Beach, Yong Ling Beach, and Ko Muk.
The dugong pod was seen off Yong Lam Beach and Ko Muk, dolphins near Yong Ling Beach and sea turtles were seen between Yong Lam Beach and the Ko Muk Bridge. The team said that undisturbed seagrass in the area studied have spurred a resurgence of sea life due to the absence of tourism and fishing boats due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Trang is the largest habitat for dugongs in Thailand, which has recorded a total of 261 dugongs. The news comes as a welcome change from the tragic deaths of marine mammals from plastics we (and other media) featured in the headlines throughout 2019 which helped to inspire the plastic bag ban.
SOURCE: TAT
