Assessing the scale and ecological impact of derelict and discarded fishing gear across Thailand via the MARsCI citizen science protocol.

South-East Asia is among the least studied regions for the growing issue of marine debris pollution, despite being a major contributor towards global marine debris. In the present study, we provide the preliminary results from the MARsCI project, a survey protocol designed to utilise citizen science to facilitate data collection on the ecological impact of discarded fishing gear (DFG) in Thailand. Over a three-year period, 103 surveys were carried out across Thailand, resulting in impact assessment of 606 pieces of DFG.

Spatiotemporal variations in marine macro-litter pollution along the shoreline of Koh Mun Nai, an uninhabited island in the Gulf of Thailand.

Despite a recent ambitious plan to improve waste management in Thailand, few studies have monitored the impact of these policies on beached marine litter. Here, we assessed weekly the amounts and composition of stranded macro-litter (≥2.5 cm) on five beaches from an uninhabited island in Thailand during one year.

A cup half full: the first assessment on the distribution, ecology and need for conservation of the threatened Neptune's cup sponge, Cliona patera, in the Gulf of Thailand.

The Neptune's cup sponge is an iconic species found in marine soft sediment habitats in the Indo-West Pacific, with a history of overharvesting and extreme population declines. Access to SCUBA diving surveys has allowed for its rediscovery at Singapore, its type locality; however, with fewer than ten living individuals documented in the twenty-first century, the species is believed to be in need of conservation. Here, we share the results from surveys across the Gulf of Thailand, allowing for a documentation of 29 additional individuals, with information on their ecology and distribution.

DNA-based species identification of shark fins traded in thai markets.

Unlabelled: Shark fins are among the most highly prized seafood products in the world with massive consumption in Asia over the past several decades. The demand for shark fins is a major driver of the enormous population declines of elasmobranchs that are generally vulnerable to overexploitation. This study aims to better understand the species composition of shark fin products in Thailand and their conservation statuses by using DNA-based species identification.

Status of Southeast Asia's marine sharks and rays.

In Southeast Asia, elasmobranchs are particularly threatened. We synthesized knowledge from the peer-reviewed and gray literature on elasmobranchs in the region, including their fisheries, status, trade, biology, and management. We found that 59% of assessed species are threatened with extinction and 72.

Contrasting coral community structures between natural and artificial substrates at Koh Tao, Gulf of Thailand.

Concrete cubic frames and decommissioned steel naval vessels have been deployed in Thailand liberally to act as artificial substrates for coral restoration and marine recreation. We assessed recruitment at such substrate types at Koh Tao, Gulf of Thailand, and compared the community structure of scleractinian corals between artificial substrates and nearby natural reefs. Our results from a sample of 2677 recruits from nine sites highlighted significant differences in community structure between both reef types.

An updated inventory of sea slugs from Koh Tao, Thailand, with notes on their ecology and a dramatic biodiversity increase for Thai waters.

Improved access to field survey infrastructure throughout South-East Asia has allowed for a greater intensity of biodiversity surveys than ever before. The rocky bottoms and coral reef habitats across the region have been shown to support some of the highest sea slug biodiversity on the planet, with ever increasing records. During the past ten years, intensive SCUBA surveys have been carried out at Koh Tao, in the Gulf of Thailand, which have yielded remarkable findings in sea slug biology and ecology.