Manado tua Island & Manado tua Volcano,Bunaken Island Marine Nasional Park

Manado Tua or Old Manado island, together with the islands of Bunaken, Siladen, Mantehage and Nain form the Bunaken-Manado Tua Marine National Park. The Park lies just off shore from the city of Manado, capital of the province of North Sulawesi, site of the first World Ocean Conference 2009 which held in May. Covering a total of 89,065 hectares, the Bunaken-Manado Tua park is among the most spectacular dive sites in the world.
The islands are separated from the mainland by a submarine trench that reaches a depth of 1,200 meters, and keeps these waters relatively free from city garbage and silt. The reserve is protected by law from spearfishing and coral or fish-collecting, as well as from dynamite fishing.
Only one hour by motor boat from Manado town, the island of Manado Tua is distinguished by the majestic perfect cone of the extinct volcano that formed the island, which is capped with a rainforest on its summit. Around the island are underwater plateaus sloping from 5 meters to 30 meters, fringed by vertical coral walls plunging 25 to 50 meters down, and large caves with hanging coral reefs: a truly amazing sea garden. Next to Manado Tua is the more well-known island of Bunaken,Manado Tua Island is a towering extinct volcano fringed with picturesque reef drop-offs and capped with a rainforest at its summit. The island’s 3,200 inhabitants form a very tightly-knit community of farmers and fishermen who cling tenaciously to their Sangir cultural traditions. Large sections of Manado Tua’s coral reef have been reduced to rubble fields due to blast fishing activities that took place over a decade ago. With Seacology’s assistance, Manado Tua villagers have installed EcoReef modules, snowflake-shaped ceramic modules that are designed to mimic branching corals, providing shelter to fish and a surface for larval corals to build a new reef. In return, villagers have expanded their current “no-take” reef zones to include five acres of reef containing the EcoReef modules. USAID’s Natural Resources Management Project and dive operators from the North Sulawesi Watersports Association did all the coordination and installation of EcoReefs for this project.
(source:seacology.org,indonesiatravel.com)

Siladen Island,bunaken Island Nasional marine park Area

Bunaken National Marine Park.North Sulawesi offers unparalleled marine biodiversity, with a wide range of dive experience options. The Bunaken National Park is a marine park in the north of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. The park is located near the centre of the Coral Triangle, providing habitat to 390 species of coral as well as many fish, mollusks, reptile and marine mammal species. The Park is representative of Indonesian tropical water ecosystems, consisting of seagrass plain, extensive coral reefs, and coastal ecosystems. It was established as a National Park in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia's growing system of marine parks. It covers a total area of 890.65 km², 97% of which is marine habitat. The remaining 3% of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen.

COELACANTH History in Africa (komoro Island)

Many years, but life today poses numerous challenges for the West Indian Ocean coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae), the “living fossil” fish that was famously rediscovered off the coast of South Africa in 1938. The few areas in which the fish still swim face destruction from new port construction while the coelacanths themselves risk being caught up in fishing nets intended for sharks. Even climate change poses a new risk for the species.
The coelacanth already has a few protections in place—trade is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, for example—but now one more safeguard may soon be available. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposed this week that coelacanths be listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The proposal wouldn’t cover all coelacanths. Instead it would only add protection for the fish that live off the coast of Tanzania, where a genetically distinct population faces the greatest threats. The populations that live near the Comoro Islands and South Africa would not gain additional protection, nor would the separate coelacanth species that lives in Indonesian waters.
No one knows exactly how many coelacanths still live in the Indian Ocean but a 1994 survey estimated the population at between 230 and 650 fish.
According to data collected by the NMFS, the coelacanths living in the waters around the Comoro Islands and South Africa have an abundance of deepwater caves that help to keep them safe. Tanzania is a different story. The water there lacks caves; instead it has rocky terraces in somewhat shallower locations than in the other two sites. According to information presented in the Federal Register this week, this leaves the Tanzanian coelacanths less protected. At least 19 of the two-meter-long fish have been accidentally caught in fishermen’s nets around Tanzania’s coral reefs in the past decade.
Ironically enough, the planned new ports in Tanzania would be built in the newly established Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park, which was named after the very species that made the area unique. Construction would require submarine blasting and dredging and certainly destroy known coelacanth habitat. The NMFS estimated that the port “would likely disrupt coelacanth habitat by direct elimination of deepwater shelters or by a large influx of siltation that would likely result in coelacanth displacement.”
ESA protection wouldn’t have legal power to stop or modify any of this construction because it would be outside of the U.S. but it would help to raise awareness of the species’s plight, says Taylor Jones, endangered species advocate for WildEarth Guardians, which petitioned to have the species protected under the ESA back in 2013. Such a listing would also authorize the U.S. to fund and assist in any conservation programs, although the NMFS proposal makes no specific plans for such.
Government action being what it is, the coelacanth still has a long wait before any potential ESA protection could kick in. Right now the public has a 60-day window to comment on the proposal (using the Federal Register link above). After that a years-long process to assess the proposal can begin. Of course the coelacanth has stuck it out for about a hundred million years, so what’s a little government bureaucracy in the meantime? (source:scainstificamerica.blog)

Bunaken Island EXplore with seeingindonesia EXplore TRavel Guide

The beuty of bunaken marine park,north sulawesi,indonesia is one the world's best diving paradise,we invite you to explore the beuty of the island of bunaken and marine park, Visit and enjoy its beuty with us_Seeingindonesia EXPLORE Travel guide.

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Mahangetang Mounth under water volcano "banua wuhu" north sulawesi,indonesia

Banua wuhu,mount Mahangetang under water Volcano,North Sulawesi,Indonesia.

Sulawesi area is included in the earth plate’s meeting area. This geographical condition had caused Sulawesi to have marvelous biological richness, including the biological richness of Sulawesi Sea. In Sulawesi watery area, you will find many remarkable under sea scenery. Various sea biota and cluster of coral reef will serve beauty and experience you will never forget.The amazing view can be found usually in the shallow water. Sulawesi is indeed has many shallow water area, because it’s also an archipelago.
This kind of scenery can also be found in sea volcano complex in North Sulawesi Sea. Around Sangihe archipelago, you can find several under sea volcano mountains. Of course, with the volcano activity, the under sea scenery will also amaze you.

Sulawesi Sea Volcano

Watery area in North Sulawesi keeps some uniqueness. Land around this area is an archipelago. Precisely in this area, there is a meeting of two gigantic earth’s plate which are Australia and Eurasia plate. Hence, in this water area can be found several volcano mountains under the sea.
Till 2010, have been recorded 5 volcano mountains in Indonesia which located under the sea. Those mountains are Hobal mountain (in Lembata island, NTT), Emperor of China and Niuwewerker mount (in Banda sea), Mahangetang and Submarin mount (in North Sulawesi sea).In 2010, was found another volcano mountain under the sea of North Sulawesi. This mountain was found unintentionally by an oceanography research. After this, there was a sequel research about the existence and ecosystem around the mountain. Since it is located in Kawio Island (Sangihe archipelago), the mountain then named West Kawio Mountain.

West Kawio Mountain located inside Sangihe Sea, where the depth can reach to 5100 m from sea level. West Kawio Mountain itself has height around 3200 m, which the top of it is located approximately 1900 m below the sea. Some sources even mentioned that this mount is world’s highest volcano mountain.
From research result, there‘s rich ecosystem biota around West Kawio mountain and there are many solid and healthy coral reefs with various colors. So does with sea creatures, such as fish, shrimp, lobster, squid, and many others. Those creatures grow healthily and have many colors. The unique thing is the ecosystem is able to live and grow well in the sea depth with temperature till 200 °Celsius.

In height of 2000 m of the mountain, there are some kinds of smoke chimneys which expel heat (hydrothermal) from inside the mountain. Around these hot chimneys there’s also a similar ecosystem. Unfortunately, to enjoy it you have to dive using high technology submarine. But do not worry, you still can enjoy another amazing scenery of the ecosystem around Mahangetang mount.

"Banua Wuhu"

Mahangetang Mountain by local people also called as Banua Wuhu Mountain. This mount is an active volcano mount. The top of it is in 6-8 m below sea level. In this mountain top you will able to see under sea ecosystem which is really amazing.
The location of Banua Wuhu Mountain is in Mahangetang Island water area, one of islands in Sangihe archipelago, North Sulawesi. The mountain top located around 300 m southwest side of Mahangetang island, precisely at 3° 08‘ NL and 125° 26′ EL. Banua Wuhu mountain can be reached about 1 hour by sea from Tahuna city, Sangihe district or about 5 hours by sea from Manado city,At 6 m depth, you will find coral reef which expel air bubble. These bubbles are the gas which comes out from inside the mountain of Banua Wuhu mountain. In this depth, the water temperature will be a bit warm around 37°-38° Celsius. Though the coral reefs are so interesting, it’s not suggested for you to touch it, because the bubble is decrease drastically when it blend with sea water but extremely hot when it still inside the reef’s cavity. It’s suggested for you to be careful so your hand won’t get burnt.

Diving deeper, in the depth of 10-20 m, you will meet with a marvelous sea ecosystem. Clusters of coral reef are lined densely and look healthy with the various kinds of fishes and other sea creatures playing amongst the reef. This ecosystem is closely similar to ecosystem around West Kawio Mountain, where the coral reef and sea biota are so interesting with their various colors. It’s suggested for you to use complete diving equipment because the location is quite deep.
This ecosystem has been famous to foreign countries as one of world’s most beautiful under sea volcano after Caribbean archipelago,Common terms index: reef, volcanos mount under sea at sulawesi, banua wuhu mahangetang island. (sources:gocelebes.com)

The Wonderfull Bunaken island national marine park_manado,north sulawesi indonesia

Bunaken is an area of ​​8.08 km² island in the Manado Bay, which is located in the north of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Overall Bunaken marine national park covers an area of ​​75,265 hectares, Bunaken marine park has a 20 point dive (dive spot) with varying depths of up to 1344 meters. Of the 20 point dive, the 12 point dive in which are located around the island of Bunaken.

Indonesia COELACANTH (Latimeria Manadoensis)

Coelacanth (Latimeria Manadoensis) ancient fish are endangered,found manado bay.

Justification:

Latimeria menadoensis is only known from three locations in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia and very few specimens have been seen. It is thought to be naturally rare with a population of less than 10,000 mature adults. This is a slow growing species with low fecundity, and therefore is naturally susceptible to over-exploitation. Major threats are bycatch in deep set shark nets and hook and line fishing for deepwater groupers. There is no population information available and nothing is known about current trends. Due to small number of localities known, and the life history, suspected low population size, and threats from bycatch, Latimeria menadoensis is listed as Vulnerable under criteria D2 and C2a.
Geographic Range,Range Description:
This species is known from the Celebes Sea, north of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It is only known only from three localities. The first two specimins were caught on Manado Tua in September 1997 and July, 1998. Another was caught in Manado Bay in May, 2007. The third site is northern Suluwesi near Dondo Bay, slightly to the east on Tanjum Kandi. The animal from the Dondo Bay site was observed in the Jago submersible in November 1999. The Tanjum Kandi sighting was in June 2006 from the Fukushima Aquamarine Aquarium ROV.

Population:

The population status of this species is unknown. It is believed to be a naturally small population (suspected to be less than 10,000 mature adults) and rare. A population study has never been undertaken and the species is very rarely caught by fisherman. One experienced fisherman informed that during his life as a fisherman this species was caught no more than 30 times, or not more than one or two times per year (M. Erdmann pers. comm.). The growth of its population is likely to be very slow, similar to Latimeria chalumnae. The shark fishermen at Menado Tua Island generally catch 1-2 individuals of L. menadoensis once every 5-10 years as bycatch (Erdmann and Kasim Moosa, pers. comm.). In northern Sulawesi, all fishermen are aware of this species and would report it if caught.

Habitat and Ecology:

This is a demersal, non-migratory marine species found in deep water between 150-200m depth. It lives in water temperatures from 17-20°C. It is presumably found in rocky slopes and caves. Fricke et al. (2000) observed two specimens of 120 and 140 cm length in a deep carbonate cave at a depth of 155 m (water temp. 17.8-20.1°C). Latimeria menadoensis is presumed to be very slow growing and long lived, with very low fecundity (maximum of around 50 for congeneric species), similar to sharks. Females produce large, orange-sized eggs which hatch within the oviduct before the female gives birth to live young. The autopsy of the Sulawesi Coelacanth that was caught in May 2007 in Bunaken National Marine Park, showed that in fact the fish was pregnant. Scientists in Indonesia, France and Japan are currently conducting research to better understand the reproductive biology of this fish.Though scientists have never observed coelacanths feeding in their natural habitat, analyses of stomach contents of captured specimens have shown that their diet includes cuttlefish, squid, and various small to medium-sized benthic fishes – including lantern fishes, cardinal fishes and deepwater snappers.
Coelacanths can weigh up to 100 kg, though an average size is closer 30 kg.They may live to an age of at least 22 years.There are many unanswered questions about the ecology of Latimeria manadoensis.A unique combination of morphological features suggest that the coelacanth lineage is close to the origin of the evolution of early terrestrial, four-legged animals (tetrapods) like amphibians. The most remarkable of these features is the presence of seven lobed fins, unique among the living fishes. The paired fins move in an alternating fashion which resembles a horse in a slow trot. Other interesting features include a small secondary "epicaudal" lobe on its tail, an oil-filled notochord instead of a backbone, an intercranial joint which is thought to allow them to widen their gape when capturing prey, and a unique electrosensory rostral organ that may be used to detect prey. While their morphological features lead many scientists to believe the coelacanth lineage was the direct link to tetrapods, recent molecular evidence suggests that lung fish might be more closely related to tetrapods (University of California Museum of Paleontology, website).

Major Threat:

Latimeria menadoensis has a very low population size and its life history makes it a species with higher extinction risk due to slow growth and low fecundity. This is not a commercial species and has no food value, but is caught as bycatch by deep shark nets and by hook and line targeting deepwater snapper,This species is an extremely sought after aquarium fish, although no specimen has ever been successfully kept alive for aquarium display.

Conservation Actions:

This species is protected locally by Indonesian regulations and internationally by CITES, which includes all Latimeria species (CITES Appendix I, since 2000).
This species needs further research in all aspects of its ecology and biology and to determine the extent of its distribution, population size and trends. However it is an extremely difficult and expensive animal to study due to it's habitat time and deep water living.Shark nets were outlawed in Bunaken National Park which includes Manado Tua where the first individuals were caught.
(sources:Iucuredlist.org)