My Experiences at MareCet - Nur Lisa binti Mohamad

This blog was written by Nur Lisa binti Mohamad, a participant of the YELL Conservocation Programme.

Follow Nur Lisa binti Mohamad’s blog to learn about his experience as a Conservocation Programme participant.

Reflection from internship with MareCet
Being with MareCet for five months, the most meaningful aspects of this internship was seeing how research translates into real-world impact, such as guiding conservation policies or raising awareness among local communities. Learning about acoustic deterrent devices used that benefits both socially and environmentally, how acoustic devices provide a bigger path in understanding the cetaceans’ behavior! Witnessing these in real-time and being able to get on the ground and learn on-to-go with these researchers is a surreal experience.

Challenges faced in conservation work
One of the things that I’ve observed and came to an understanding is that providing the outcome of your research expedition is not a one day work. You might need an extensive amount of time and labor, only to produce a single insight, which would take up years! In that sense, highlighting another important point in observing wild animals is to always remind yourself that nature will always remain to be nature. We don't get to tailor the exact weather we want day by day, we can only predict and plan accordingly. Then again, unprecedented events could always happen. Respecting nature as a variable that you can't manipulate, it just comes with the work.

How about…your own challenge?
Of course, not everything happens out at sea. I also spent time doing data analysis, especially in photo identification and bioacoustics analysis. And even some content creation! It was office work, but it really taught me how important that part is in making sense of what we see in the field. Through bioacoustic analysis, I saw how important sound is for marine life. Because sound travels faster in water, dolphins and whales depend on it so much from foraging foods to communications, therefore learning soundscape is another key for us to understand their behavior, and how human activities, like boat noise, might affect them.

Memorable experience throughout internship
My jaw practically dropped the entire time seeing a whale with my own eyes! That being said, whale surveying has been an incredibly fascinating experience for me — one I never expected to encounter in my lifetime. Just as many others who would relate, who would’ve thought that whales exist in Malaysia? Specifically, the Bryde’s whales! To date, 27 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as dugong, have been recorded in Malaysian waters. In fact, Malaysia is home to one-third of the world's known cetacean species, a remarkable statistic that deserves far more attention. So why aren’t these incredible marine mammals more widely recognized? A lack of public exposure and limited research may be part of the reason — though efforts in marine studies are slowly increasing, indefinitely!

But…it doesn't end there!
Having the opportunity to be part of a rescue involving a critically endangered species was truly eye-opening. Witnessing such a rare creature in its natural habitat — the hawksbill turtle, was both awe-inspiring and humbling. Despite their hardened, protective shells, the particular individual we came across appeared incredibly fragile. It’s a stark reminder of how vulnerable they can be, even in the wild. Hawksbill turtles are rarely seen in Malaysian waters, and they are currently listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. Brought immediately onto the boat once we spotted it’s still alive, the hawksbill turtle–which later will be named ‘Hanyut’, was then brought to the vet to get medically checked, which was later handed over to the Datai for rehabilitation. Delivered in the good hands for the following care/treatment, we had good hopes that Hanyut is able to return to the wild again within two weeks time! All in all, encountering one in person was another unforgettable moment — also serves a reminder of what’s at stake, and how urgent conservation efforts really are.