KUCHING: Sarawak’s reef ball laying project started in 1998 has reduced the number of dead turtles washed ashore by up to 80 per cent.

Before, at least 70 to 100 turtles annually were found on beaches, dead or dying after being caught in fishing gears.

A reef ball looks like a cement igloo with holes all over.

One weighs at least one tonne and costs a cool RM1,000.

Its purpose is to be submerged under water, becoming homes for marine life and safeguarding them from trawlers.

Around the turn of the millennium, the first batch of reef balls was submerged off the coast of Talang-Talang island.

And today there are about 2,500 reef balls along Sarawak’s shores.

The results have been dramatic.

Not only have accidental killing been reduced, but the number of turtles lying eggs at designated islands has also increased from 737 in 2004 to more than 1,700 so far this year.

In an effort to better preserve Sarawak’s treasured marine ecosystem, within the next five years, the state government plans to install a total of 100,000 reef balls.

Taking reporters out for a demonstration around Satang Island yesterday, it was shown how the reef balls are laid.

The reef balls are first shipped out to sea on barges. Two were put into position yesterday.

The reef balls are lifted by cranes, submerged, and guided by a team of divers, who go as deep as 30 to 50 feet under to locate landing points.

Experts say the reef balls have a ‘life-expectancy’ of about 500 years.

They are constructed from cement, gravel, micro-silica, and with a pH level consistent with sea water.

Within a year of being submerged, corals cover about half of its surface.

And after five years (the ones lying off Talang-Talang island have been there for over seven years), soft and hard corals have fully grown around them.

The US-originated invention is in use in over 80 countries around the world.

Some reef balls even contain human ashes in its composition, from those who prefer to have their remains ‘buried’ at sea.

Besides enriching marine ecosystem, the rough and sharp surface of reef balls are designed to damage fishing nets, thus preventing trawling activities.

Nonetheless, traditional modes of fishing are not affected.

Reef ball sites also function as research facilities and as recreational, diving spots.

With only an addition of 306 reef balls submerged yesterday, Sarawak’s goal of 100,000 is still a far away dream — for us and for the turtles.