Five kilos of trash collected during research dives.
The St. Maarten Nature Foundation is conducting a wide-scale environmental research project within the Mullet Pond section of the Simpson Bay Lagoon.
"In order for us to show the importance of the Mullet Pond area, which includes some of the last remaining unspoiled mangrove and seagrass habitat in the Simpson Bay Lagoon we need to have the information to back us up with," commented Tadzio Bervoets, Manager of the Nature Foundation. Research was conducted on the different types of fish and other marine life, plants and seagrasses and also the human pressure on Mullet Pond. "Although Mullet Pond is very healthy compared to other areas of the Simpson Bay Lagoon we still recorded and removed about five kilos of trash, which shows that there is significant pressure on the area. With the results of the study we hope to appeal to decision makers to protect one of the most important fish nurseries, bird areas, and mangrove sites on St. Maarten," said Bervoets.