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The next time you chance upon a Napoleon Wrasse fish in the waters of
Ihuru, take note of its facial characteristics. Like the fingerprints of
human beings, the facial features of a Napoleon Wrasse can help marine
biologists and scientists monitor its whereabouts - important
information that will go a long way in saving this ancient marine
treasure from extinction.
Extinction is real possibility as the population diminishes rapidly. The
Napoleon Wrasse is already on the red list of the
International Union for the Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). It is under constant
threat from the Asian fishing trade and has reportedly been wiped out in
several reefs across Southeast Asia. Only a few fish still exist in the
Maldives, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Great Barrier Reef and the Red
Sea.
To protect this endangered species, Angsana Maldives Ihuru has been
declared an official site of NAPWATCH - the Napoleon Wrasse
International Monitoring Program initiated by environmental
organization,
OceanNEnvironment. NAPWATCH
enlists the voluntary assistance of professional and recreational divers
to record sightings of Napoleon Wrasses.
Each
time a diver spots a Napoleon Wrasse, he or she is encouraged to take a
picture and fill in a datasheet with brief information on the fish's
facial characteristics, its size, the activity it was involved in and
the number of fish in its group. The form takes only a few minutes to
complete and the information will be entered into a database to help
marine biologists estimate the population size of the species and
monitor its behavior and movement. All data is analyzed in Australia by
a team of experts. The staff of Angsana Maldives Ihuru highlights the
program to guests before each diving trip.
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