Continue>>  Likewise, the mapping data which our volunteers spent months collecting has been projected to show the seagrass distribution on the meadow. We are struggling to complete the rest of the data processing after which, detailed findings will be published in scientific journals or seminars.  A bird's eye view of the Merambong seagrass bed The percent cover of seagrasses on the meadow. At a glance the meadow appears denser at the middle portion. Some points are removed due to fraud data.   Following the visit to a presumably ˇ§newˇ¨ seagrass bed some 200 m in front of the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in October last year, during the last two months we have started seagrass mapping. Worth mentioning is that the Port authority has taken serious effort to participate in the work - a laudable step showing their concern for the environment. We are honoured to be assisted by the Johor National Park officers and members of the Johor Branch Malaysian Nature Society.   The Port authority mapping the seagrass bed (from left: Nizam, Azam and Akim)     Derek (PTP), Dr. Ng, Dr. Lum and Zalinah (MNS) engrossed in estimating seagrass percent cover   A fairly new activity which we have started in March is seahorse and pipefish tagging. The tag is called the Visual Implant Elastomer (VIFE: see www.nmt-inc.com) which provides externally visible internal marks. This method should give a more accurate estimation of seahorse and pipefish population abundance and also details on their movement. It will be exciting to know the number of encounters with tagged individuals over the next few months!   Using a syringe, the elastomer was gently injected underneath the skin tissue       A pink coloured tag - externally visible but is internal. Previously we have ignored all other fish species caught inour net, except for seahorse and pipefish. Realizing there is no actual quantitative estimate of seagrass fish diversity from our site, it is timely that a group of UMT students carried out the survey as their mini project, assisted by UTM students - how strange. Unfortunately one of them was stung on his palm by a catfish, Plotossus sp.. Catfish has venom on their spines. Though painful but not life threatening. He was tough and recovered soon after seeing the doctor. UMT undergraduates surveying seagrass fish using a push net   Three marine education programs, focusing on mangroves and seagrass and targeting local primary and secondary school students, were successfully carried out on Feb 10 and Mac 3rd 2007. The programs could not have been accomplished without the inputs from the young creative undergraduates from the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. It took them two separate trips down from Terengganu but thankfully the outcomes were overwhelmingly satisfactory. The learning was fun and effective which we hope will inculcate the kidsˇ¦ long lasting love for mangroves and seagrass ecosystems. Many thanks to the school teachers, Cikgu Bakthiar Jaafar from the Sek Rendah Tanjung Kupang, Puan Rozilah and En. Mahadi from Sek. Menengah Tanjung Adang for their cooperation and arrangements with logistic.      Excursion to the seagrass - students and teachers from Sek. Men. Tanjung Adang Everybody lunged forward to look at some weird creature     Mangroves kids - Avicennia, Rhizophora, Sonneratia, Bruguiera kids.       Puzzled by seagrass makeover?    We are heartened to receive two donations worth RM10,000 each from Yayasan Haji Zainudin and the Ford Motor Company. Not forgeting our existing sponsors, the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation and the Project AWARE. These funds have provided both financial as well as moral support for us, propelling us to go that extra mile!We have recently added Teamseagrass, a Singapore-based seagrass monitoring team to our website. Thought Singapore has lost all its marine realms? You bet not.