Nha Trang mulls installing cameras to protect coral reefs

This was among several measures town authorities suggested Tuesday to the Khanh Hoa Province People’s Committee to stop the deterioration of the reefs.

Huynh Binh Thai, head of the Nha Trang Bay Management Department, said the cameras would keep track of vessels sailing within conservation areas.

The department also wants to install underwater cameras to track coral growth, he said, adding the cost would be around VND260 million (US$11,100).

The Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center and the Institute of Marine and Fishing Technology will also regrow corals at certain locations at Mun Island first on a trial basis and then on a mass scale depending on the results.

Nha Trang Bay, spanning 250 sq.km, is one of Vietnam’s 16 marine conservation sites and is known for its coral reefs and other rich ecosystems, which attract tourists.

But in some places the reefs are deteriorating. At the Mun Island conservation site around 10 km from Nha Trang, coral coverage fell from 50 percent to just 10 percent within seven years.

Hundreds of square meters of corals have been damaged, even bleached white entirely.

As part of efforts to protect them, diving was suspended last month at certain places in Nha Trang Bay, including Mun Island.