(3/2/2012)
A non-governmental organization dedicated to preserving the ocean’s ecosystem, the Coral Triangle Center (CTC), is urging the government to list the enormous Mola-mola fish as a protected species.
The Mola-mola is a rare Oceanic Sunfish – the world’s heaviest bony fish that can grow up to 3 meters in diameter and weigh more than 350 kilograms.
The CTC is asking that this huge fish, a seasonal visitor to the waters of Nusa Penida Islands, a short distance off Bali southeastern coast, be registered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to prevent people from selling and buying the aquatic behemoth.
As reported by Beritabali.com, Marthen Welly, the manager of CTC, declared that it is now time for the Mola-mola to be protected because of its very limited remaining population and the limited area in the Nusa Penida Islands where the fish is still found.
Welly also praised the fish's value to tourism due to the Mola-mola's ability to draw drivers from around the world to Bali and Nusa Penida, hoping to dive these waters and see the large but relatively reclusive fish.
According to Welly, there are five diving locations know in Nusa Penida where the Mola-mola can be seen between the months of July and September.
Related Links
[Something of a Fish Story]
[Bali Discovery Diving: Day Trips to Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Penida]
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