Ten years! China's first tropical ocean ranch in Sanya, Hainan has achieved remarkable results

"We basically stay underwater all year round. Seeing more and more corals and fish on the seabed and the ecology getting better and better, I am very happy from the bottom of my heart." Wang Fengguo's face was full of pride when he was interviewed by reporters a few days ago.

Wang Fengguo is the manager of the Ocean Department of Wuzhizhou Island Tourism Area in Sanya. In addition, he has two other identities, one is the "undersea construction team leader" and the other is the "undersea sanitation team leader." Since he came to work at the Ocean Department in 2013, Wang Fengguo has had an indissoluble bond with the sea.

Wuzhizhou Island Tourism Area is located in Haitang Bay, Sanya City, with a total area of 1.48 square kilometers and rich seabed ecological resources. However, the long-term fishing and human impact around the island have caused visible damage to the ecology of the sea area near the island, which has also made the managers of the tourism area realize that only by paying attention to the protection of the marine ecology can sustainable development be truly achieved.

Against this background, in 2011, the Sanya Wuzhizhou Island Tourist Area launched China's first tropical ocean ranch project under the guidance of relevant government departments and the technical guidance of the scientific research team of Hainan University.

"The so-called 'marine ranch' is to 'build houses' for fish on the seabed." Wang Fengguo said that the houses they built for fish are called artificial reefs. "Artificial reefs are cement stones of various shapes. After being placed on the seabed, they can provide attachment points for coral growth and attract various marine organisms such as fish, shrimps, and crabs to forage, live, and reproduce around the reefs." Data shows that as of now, the accumulated investment in the construction of Wuzhizhou Island Marine Ranch is nearly 40 million yuan, and more than 50,000 cubic meters of artificial fish reefs and ship reefs have been invested. There are more than 120 species of corals, shellfish, algae and other biological species attached to the surface of artificial fish reefs. The number of fish species in the fish reef area is 5-10 times higher than that in the non-fish reef area. In 2019, Wuzhizhou Island Marine Ranch was awarded the title of the fifth batch of national marine ranch demonstration areas.

In addition to "building houses" for the fish, Wang Fengguo's other task is to "plant corals" on the seabed and clean up marine garbage.

Wang Fengguo and his colleagues used human intervention to cut broken branches that met the specifications from the nursery, and then transplanted them to the seabed and some artificial reefs, allowing them to grow naturally to restore the entire coral reef.

Wang Fengguo told reporters that "coral planting" is greatly affected by the weather. In windy weather and when the waves are too big in the sea, it is difficult for the human body to stay fixed in the water. A wave may push it two or even three meters away, making it impossible to transplant corals. Moreover, diving itself is very physically demanding. Staying underwater for more than four hours is more tiring than running ten kilometers. Wang Fengguo said: "Now, our team has transplanted more than 30,000 corals in the waters of Wuzhizhou Island, covering an area of more than 40,000 square meters. Although this result is not outstanding, watching these corals grow up little by little like children, you will feel joy from the bottom of your heart."

In addition, Wang Fengguo and his "Undersea Cleaning Team" often clean up marine garbage underwater, including fishing nets and plastic products. At the same time, they will also promptly clean up natural enemies of corals such as long-spined sea stars and drupe snails to protect the healthy growth of corals.

"In the next step, we will improve the 24-hour seabed monitoring system as soon as possible and explore the use of 'Internet +' technology to manage 'marine ranches'. While popularizing marine science, we will also protect the marine ecology more effectively." Wang Fengguo said.

Sea turtles have taken up residence in artificial reefs