1 00:00:02,402 --> 00:00:06,173 Indonesia. 2 00:00:06,173 --> 00:00:08,609 Home to the richest reefs on the planet. 3 00:00:12,512 --> 00:00:15,415 Warm shallow seas bloom in a kaleidoscope 4 00:00:15,415 --> 00:00:17,050 of shapes and colors. 5 00:00:21,355 --> 00:00:24,591 Plunging island walls explode with life... 6 00:00:26,660 --> 00:00:29,162 ...in this underwater oasis 7 00:00:29,162 --> 00:00:31,632 with the world's highest marine diversity. 8 00:00:34,635 --> 00:00:38,138 Indonesia's waters contain more coral species 9 00:00:38,138 --> 00:00:40,307 than anyplace else on earth. 10 00:00:41,608 --> 00:00:45,112 In some football field-sized areas 11 00:00:45,112 --> 00:00:48,548 we've been able to count up to 300 species of coral. 12 00:00:48,548 --> 00:00:50,884 Literally five times the coral species 13 00:00:50,884 --> 00:00:53,120 that you can find in the entire Caribbean. 14 00:00:57,891 --> 00:01:00,394 But Indonesia's marine rainforest 15 00:01:00,394 --> 00:01:02,696 is under threat from the ravages 16 00:01:02,696 --> 00:01:06,800 of illegal and destructive fishing. 17 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,269 Without question, bomb fishing has been 18 00:01:09,269 --> 00:01:11,338 the biggest scourge of Indonesia's reefs 19 00:01:11,338 --> 00:01:15,375 really for the last 70 plus years. 20 00:01:15,375 --> 00:01:18,745 I just feel as humans we have to take care of nature 21 00:01:18,745 --> 00:01:21,148 we can't just damage it. 22 00:01:21,148 --> 00:01:28,522 (♪♪♪) 23 00:01:28,522 --> 00:01:33,660 The fight is on to protect the Amazon of the seas. 24 00:01:33,660 --> 00:01:43,704 (♪♪♪) 25 00:01:43,704 --> 00:01:53,647 (♪♪♪) 26 00:01:53,647 --> 00:02:03,190 (♪♪♪) 27 00:02:06,226 --> 00:02:16,269 (♪♪♪) 28 00:02:16,269 --> 00:02:26,213 (♪♪♪) 29 00:02:26,213 --> 00:02:33,754 (♪♪♪) 30 00:02:33,754 --> 00:02:38,125 An ocean wanderer arrives on an Indonesian reef to rest... 31 00:02:39,292 --> 00:02:40,727 And refuel. 32 00:02:45,399 --> 00:02:48,402 This hawksbill turtle will travel thousands of miles 33 00:02:48,402 --> 00:02:50,637 in her lifetime 34 00:02:50,637 --> 00:02:53,874 migrating between nesting beaches 35 00:02:53,874 --> 00:02:56,076 and foraging grounds. 36 00:02:58,779 --> 00:03:02,682 She pokes her narrow head into each crack and crevice 37 00:03:02,682 --> 00:03:06,453 to fetch her favorite meal, sea sponge. 38 00:03:08,722 --> 00:03:10,757 Sponges are like weeds, 39 00:03:10,757 --> 00:03:14,661 they can overgrow on corals and suffocate the reef. 40 00:03:17,831 --> 00:03:21,835 This hawksbill will consume more than 1,000 pounds of sponge 41 00:03:21,835 --> 00:03:24,271 in just one year. 42 00:03:27,274 --> 00:03:29,709 She uses her sharp bird-like beak 43 00:03:29,709 --> 00:03:32,212 to prune this coral garden 44 00:03:32,212 --> 00:03:35,749 and shares her leftovers with others. 45 00:03:35,749 --> 00:03:37,651 Maintaining the delicate balance 46 00:03:37,651 --> 00:03:41,021 of one of the most productive ecosystems on earth. 47 00:03:44,424 --> 00:03:45,525 These waters are home 48 00:03:45,525 --> 00:03:48,628 to six of the world's seven marine turtle species. 49 00:03:48,628 --> 00:03:55,869 (♪♪♪) 50 00:03:55,869 --> 00:03:59,439 And 37% of the world's tropical fish species. 51 00:04:01,675 --> 00:04:06,446 No place on earth is more vibrant, 52 00:04:06,446 --> 00:04:07,681 more diverse... 53 00:04:12,085 --> 00:04:15,055 Than Indonesia's underwater rainforest. 54 00:04:19,626 --> 00:04:21,495 There's just so much going on, 55 00:04:21,495 --> 00:04:25,398 so much different form and so much different color. 56 00:04:25,398 --> 00:04:29,603 It's sensory overload to dive on these reefs. 57 00:04:32,405 --> 00:04:34,741 Marine biologist Dr. Mark Erdmann 58 00:04:34,741 --> 00:04:38,745 works to protect the diversity of marine life in these waters. 59 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,283 I started getting into coral reef fish work 60 00:04:43,283 --> 00:04:44,584 in about 2004 61 00:04:44,584 --> 00:04:46,853 when I joined Conservation International 62 00:04:46,853 --> 00:04:48,688 with my colleague Gerry Allen, 63 00:04:48,688 --> 00:04:50,724 who is one of the world's most renowned 64 00:04:50,724 --> 00:04:53,059 coral reef fish scientists. 65 00:04:54,194 --> 00:04:57,464 I've with Gerry discovered over 100 new species, 66 00:04:57,464 --> 00:04:59,733 I think it's 131 new fish species, 67 00:04:59,733 --> 00:05:01,201 which is really quite spectacular 68 00:05:01,201 --> 00:05:02,502 when you think about it. 69 00:05:05,405 --> 00:05:08,241 I've done over 10,000 dives in this region 70 00:05:08,241 --> 00:05:10,477 and I still see new things on every single dive. 71 00:05:11,578 --> 00:05:13,647 The diversity just blows me away. 72 00:05:17,651 --> 00:05:22,489 It's up to Mark and his team to defend what is now recognized 73 00:05:22,489 --> 00:05:24,691 as the richest reef on earth. 74 00:05:24,691 --> 00:05:34,668 (♪♪♪) 75 00:05:34,668 --> 00:05:35,702 Many places in the world 76 00:05:35,702 --> 00:05:38,772 claim to have the highest marine biodiversity. 77 00:05:42,108 --> 00:05:45,278 Conservation International has proven Indonesia 78 00:05:45,278 --> 00:05:47,747 to be the rightful owner of this title. 79 00:05:47,747 --> 00:05:58,358 (♪♪♪) 80 00:05:58,358 --> 00:06:01,661 In 2008, Mark's colleague Dr. Gerry Allen 81 00:06:01,661 --> 00:06:07,500 conducted a survey in the islands of Raja Ampat, 82 00:06:07,500 --> 00:06:11,738 a remote eastern corner of the Indonesian archipelago 83 00:06:11,738 --> 00:06:14,608 more than 1,000 miles south of the Philippines. 84 00:06:16,543 --> 00:06:22,382 He counted 374 species of reef fish in a single dive, 85 00:06:22,382 --> 00:06:23,750 a world record. 86 00:06:25,585 --> 00:06:26,419 That's just off the charts 87 00:06:26,419 --> 00:06:28,421 in terms of the marine biodiversity, 88 00:06:28,421 --> 00:06:30,190 there's no place on the planet like that. 89 00:06:30,190 --> 00:06:40,267 (♪♪♪) 90 00:06:40,267 --> 00:06:43,203 Coral reefs make up about 20,000 square miles 91 00:06:43,203 --> 00:06:45,538 of Indonesia's underwater landscape. 92 00:06:48,508 --> 00:06:51,378 An area the size of Costa Rica. 93 00:06:51,378 --> 00:06:57,484 (♪♪♪) 94 00:06:57,484 --> 00:07:01,288 Indonesia's reefs stretch across an expanse of ocean, 95 00:07:01,288 --> 00:07:04,524 marine biologists call the Coral Triangle. 96 00:07:07,227 --> 00:07:09,396 An area recognized as the centre 97 00:07:09,396 --> 00:07:11,531 of the planet's marine biodiversity. 98 00:07:11,531 --> 00:07:19,105 (♪♪♪) 99 00:07:19,105 --> 00:07:21,274 Indonesia's 17,000 islands 100 00:07:21,274 --> 00:07:23,476 stretch from Malaysia in the west 101 00:07:23,476 --> 00:07:26,446 to Papua New Guinea in the east, 102 00:07:26,446 --> 00:07:29,516 more than 1,000 miles south of the Philippines. 103 00:07:31,384 --> 00:07:34,554 An imaginary boundary surrounds these nations 104 00:07:34,554 --> 00:07:36,489 outlining the coral triangle. 105 00:07:40,460 --> 00:07:43,630 The Indonesian archipelago sits right in the middle of it. 106 00:07:46,766 --> 00:07:49,302 This truly is kind of the bloody beating heart 107 00:07:49,302 --> 00:07:51,304 of the coral triangle right here. 108 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,710 Indonesia's geography, 109 00:07:56,710 --> 00:07:59,379 Warm shallow seas, 110 00:07:59,379 --> 00:08:01,481 and powerful currents... 111 00:08:04,718 --> 00:08:08,254 create an ideal environment for coral growth. 112 00:08:12,359 --> 00:08:14,594 Every coral Like this staghorn 113 00:08:14,594 --> 00:08:17,297 is made up of tiny, transparent animals 114 00:08:17,297 --> 00:08:22,001 called polyps, invisible to the naked eye. 115 00:08:25,705 --> 00:08:28,341 Polyps have soft, delicate bodies, 116 00:08:28,341 --> 00:08:29,509 similar to jellyfish. 117 00:08:34,447 --> 00:08:39,285 They use the calcium and bicarbonate in seawater 118 00:08:39,285 --> 00:08:41,554 to build limestone shelters 119 00:08:41,554 --> 00:08:43,690 that encase their fragile bodies. 120 00:08:45,825 --> 00:08:48,061 Polyps connect to one another 121 00:08:48,061 --> 00:08:50,497 to create colonies in the thousands. 122 00:08:53,566 --> 00:08:59,472 Slowly these tiny engineers lay down the foundation 123 00:08:59,472 --> 00:09:01,374 of this coral city. 124 00:09:01,374 --> 00:09:08,181 (♪♪♪) 125 00:09:08,181 --> 00:09:11,418 At the reef's edge coral coats island walls 126 00:09:11,418 --> 00:09:13,653 as far down as the sun can reach. 127 00:09:13,653 --> 00:09:21,494 (♪♪♪) 128 00:09:21,494 --> 00:09:24,464 This submerged city is solar powered. 129 00:09:26,433 --> 00:09:28,368 Algae living in the polyps 130 00:09:28,368 --> 00:09:32,338 convert sunlight into the oxygen and nutrients polyps need. 131 00:09:36,543 --> 00:09:38,311 Over millions of years 132 00:09:38,311 --> 00:09:41,548 colonies of polyps expand and join others 133 00:09:41,548 --> 00:09:46,352 creating a coral reef that acts as a single organism. 134 00:09:50,390 --> 00:09:53,693 Coral reefs are the largest living structures on the planet. 135 00:09:57,297 --> 00:10:00,700 And the only living structures visible from space. 136 00:10:00,700 --> 00:10:10,743 (♪♪♪) 137 00:10:10,743 --> 00:10:17,383 (♪♪♪) 138 00:10:17,383 --> 00:10:20,186 Each animal claims its own bit of real estate 139 00:10:20,186 --> 00:10:22,322 on Indonesia's crowded reefs. 140 00:10:26,526 --> 00:10:29,596 An emperor fish tucks behind colorful coral. 141 00:10:29,596 --> 00:10:36,436 (♪♪♪) 142 00:10:36,436 --> 00:10:41,174 An alligator fish lies motionless 143 00:10:41,174 --> 00:10:43,443 camouflaged against the seabed. 144 00:10:43,443 --> 00:10:49,482 (♪♪♪) 145 00:10:49,482 --> 00:10:52,519 A six-foot long moray eel peers out 146 00:10:52,519 --> 00:10:54,587 from the shadows of its cave. 147 00:10:59,526 --> 00:11:04,063 Tiny glassfish storm the coral 148 00:11:04,063 --> 00:11:07,634 crowding between branches in search of shelter. 149 00:11:10,136 --> 00:11:12,272 Larger fish occupy the base. 150 00:11:12,272 --> 00:11:18,711 (♪♪♪) 151 00:11:18,711 --> 00:11:20,613 In this competitive housing market 152 00:11:20,613 --> 00:11:24,317 every nook and crevice is prime territory. 153 00:11:27,153 --> 00:11:30,423 Because danger is never far away. 154 00:11:36,696 --> 00:11:40,199 Larger predators patrol the foggy city limits 155 00:11:40,199 --> 00:11:42,368 in search of easy prey. 156 00:11:45,438 --> 00:11:47,240 Barracudas are built to hunt. 157 00:11:49,809 --> 00:11:53,846 A thin, long body propels them through the water 158 00:11:53,846 --> 00:11:57,150 at speeds up to 25 miles an hour. 159 00:11:58,384 --> 00:12:01,788 They are ferocious, opportunistic eaters 160 00:12:01,788 --> 00:12:05,158 willing to take on almost any fish on the reef. 161 00:12:08,595 --> 00:12:10,463 But they too have predators. 162 00:12:10,463 --> 00:12:16,603 (♪♪♪) 163 00:12:16,603 --> 00:12:21,207 A hammerhead looms in the distance, 164 00:12:21,207 --> 00:12:24,310 a powerful sight that has unfortunately 165 00:12:24,310 --> 00:12:26,479 become rare in these waters. 166 00:12:30,116 --> 00:12:32,218 It's quite difficult to go anywhere in Indonesia 167 00:12:32,218 --> 00:12:34,687 and see large sharks anymore, they're pretty much gone, 168 00:12:34,687 --> 00:12:36,389 the tiger sharks for instance are gone, 169 00:12:36,389 --> 00:12:38,625 the oceanic whitetips, most of the hammerheads. 170 00:12:38,625 --> 00:12:40,693 Many places it's very difficult to see them. 171 00:12:42,228 --> 00:12:46,432 An estimated 100 million sharks are killed every year. 172 00:12:47,767 --> 00:12:50,470 Most are killed for their fins alone. 173 00:12:52,372 --> 00:12:55,141 A growing demand for shark fin soup, 174 00:12:55,141 --> 00:12:56,643 an Asian delicacy, 175 00:12:56,643 --> 00:13:00,146 is the driving force behind illegal shark fishing. 176 00:13:01,614 --> 00:13:05,685 Each year nearly 8,000 tonnes of shark fins 177 00:13:05,685 --> 00:13:09,722 are shipped to restaurants worldwide, 178 00:13:09,722 --> 00:13:13,326 the weight of the Eiffel Tower In fins. 179 00:13:14,327 --> 00:13:15,128 For decades, 180 00:13:15,128 --> 00:13:18,264 Indonesia was responsible for 15% 181 00:13:18,264 --> 00:13:20,299 of the world's total shark catch. 182 00:13:25,304 --> 00:13:28,341 Abraham Sianipar is a researcher working 183 00:13:28,341 --> 00:13:30,643 with Conservation International 184 00:13:30,643 --> 00:13:33,513 to protect Indonesia's sharks and rays. 185 00:13:35,114 --> 00:13:37,517 Indonesia and shark have the long histories 186 00:13:37,517 --> 00:13:39,419 in terms of fisheries. 187 00:13:39,419 --> 00:13:41,521 So Indonesia in the past 35 years 188 00:13:41,521 --> 00:13:44,791 has been one of the biggest shark-fishing nation 189 00:13:44,791 --> 00:13:46,159 in the world. 190 00:13:47,260 --> 00:13:49,862 Abam and his team use remote underwater cameras 191 00:13:49,862 --> 00:13:51,764 to monitor shark populations. 192 00:13:51,764 --> 00:13:58,137 (♪♪♪) 193 00:13:58,137 --> 00:14:01,207 Basically, we drop a remote camera under water 194 00:14:01,207 --> 00:14:03,509 with a pole with a live fish bait on it. 195 00:14:03,509 --> 00:14:07,146 So hopefully we'll attract a couple of sharks species 196 00:14:07,146 --> 00:14:08,247 in front of the cameras 197 00:14:08,247 --> 00:14:11,217 and we can actually document those types of sharks 198 00:14:11,217 --> 00:14:13,486 and see how many of them actually swimming around 199 00:14:13,486 --> 00:14:17,223 those areas. 200 00:14:17,223 --> 00:14:20,159 Their findings reveal that not all hope is lost 201 00:14:20,159 --> 00:14:21,527 for Indonesia's sharks. 202 00:14:25,098 --> 00:14:27,600 We've found a couple of new records of shark species 203 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:30,136 in Raja Ampat that haven't been documented before; 204 00:14:30,136 --> 00:14:33,473 those are snaggletooth sharks and also smooth hammerheads. 205 00:14:36,275 --> 00:14:39,145 Nowadays we're being seeing the population of sharks 206 00:14:39,145 --> 00:14:40,346 bounce back, 207 00:14:40,346 --> 00:14:44,217 after being so bad in the past 10 years. 208 00:14:45,785 --> 00:14:49,322 A recent government push to protect Indonesia's waters 209 00:14:49,322 --> 00:14:50,723 is a big part of the reason 210 00:14:50,723 --> 00:14:53,426 shark populations are back on the rise. 211 00:14:56,129 --> 00:14:57,764 In 2013, 212 00:14:57,764 --> 00:14:59,565 the Indonesian government established 213 00:14:59,565 --> 00:15:03,736 the first shark sanctuary in the coral triangle 214 00:15:03,736 --> 00:15:06,506 and adopted a ban on shark finning 215 00:15:06,506 --> 00:15:09,041 within its marine-protected areas. 216 00:15:11,210 --> 00:15:14,447 Since then, the export of shark parts in Indonesia 217 00:15:14,447 --> 00:15:17,383 has decreased by nearly 50%. 218 00:15:19,118 --> 00:15:21,354 But there's still a lot of work to do. 219 00:15:25,424 --> 00:15:27,560 The movement starts from the bottom, 220 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:31,697 from the local peoples, the dive resorts, 221 00:15:31,697 --> 00:15:33,633 the tourist operators and then captured 222 00:15:33,633 --> 00:15:36,135 by the local government of Raja Ampat. 223 00:15:36,836 --> 00:15:39,639 Max Ammer is a resort owner 224 00:15:39,639 --> 00:15:43,176 and a supporter of Conservation International's cause. 225 00:15:45,278 --> 00:15:49,282 Max has been diving in Raja Ampat since 1989. 226 00:15:50,316 --> 00:15:53,386 He opened the first dive resort here 227 00:15:53,386 --> 00:15:55,154 with the goal of keeping these waters 228 00:15:55,154 --> 00:15:58,224 as pristine as they were on his first dive. 229 00:16:01,060 --> 00:16:06,065 From day one we worked on conservation 230 00:16:06,065 --> 00:16:06,866 So, we just said sorry 231 00:16:06,866 --> 00:16:09,035 we don't accept shark fining here, 232 00:16:09,035 --> 00:16:10,736 so we took all the lines out of the water, 233 00:16:10,736 --> 00:16:12,705 so they get pretty angry with us, but we didn't mind. 234 00:16:12,705 --> 00:16:14,807 we just did it. 235 00:16:14,807 --> 00:16:16,576 And it helped, 236 00:16:16,576 --> 00:16:21,447 and slowly, slowly we saw the number increasing, 237 00:16:21,447 --> 00:16:24,150 Max works with locals to patrol the area 238 00:16:24,150 --> 00:16:27,220 and ensure no illegal fishermen exploit these waters. 239 00:16:28,754 --> 00:16:31,324 His team uses speed boats for routine checks 240 00:16:31,324 --> 00:16:32,525 around the islands. 241 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:36,462 With so little water traffic 242 00:16:36,462 --> 00:16:38,831 the unfamiliar boats of illegal fishermen 243 00:16:38,831 --> 00:16:41,400 are easy to spot and intercept. 244 00:16:44,103 --> 00:16:46,539 The patrol boats are actually built here on this island, 245 00:16:46,539 --> 00:16:48,474 by local people, 246 00:16:48,474 --> 00:16:50,309 and then Conservation International, 247 00:16:50,309 --> 00:16:53,446 they train local people to be rangers, 248 00:16:53,446 --> 00:16:56,315 so that's very good because the local people know 249 00:16:56,315 --> 00:16:59,185 all the boats. 250 00:16:59,185 --> 00:17:01,687 We started protecting it a long time ago, 251 00:17:01,687 --> 00:17:04,290 about 25 years ago. 252 00:17:04,290 --> 00:17:08,794 We actually didn't even know if it made a big change 253 00:17:08,794 --> 00:17:10,730 and then all of the sudden we saw the difference. 254 00:17:10,730 --> 00:17:16,535 (♪♪♪) 255 00:17:16,535 --> 00:17:18,738 Blacktip sharks are now coming back 256 00:17:18,738 --> 00:17:20,473 to these waters. 257 00:17:25,444 --> 00:17:27,747 The species is easy to identify 258 00:17:27,747 --> 00:17:30,016 by the black tips on their fins. 259 00:17:31,784 --> 00:17:34,654 A lot of people don't know but the first black tip 260 00:17:34,654 --> 00:17:36,555 was discovered in Raja Ampat, 261 00:17:36,555 --> 00:17:38,491 it was during a French expedition 262 00:17:38,491 --> 00:17:40,593 about 150 years ago, 263 00:17:40,593 --> 00:17:44,764 so the first black tip ever seen was from this area 264 00:17:44,764 --> 00:17:46,365 but there spread all over the world 265 00:17:46,365 --> 00:17:48,167 so they are very common in many places. 266 00:17:51,103 --> 00:17:54,073 Sharks are the reef's apex predator. 267 00:17:56,475 --> 00:17:59,412 Without them, the entire food chain collapses. 268 00:17:59,412 --> 00:18:08,587 (♪♪♪) 269 00:18:08,587 --> 00:18:10,589 Sharks are efficient hunters. 270 00:18:13,659 --> 00:18:17,363 They prey on old, sick, and weak fish 271 00:18:17,363 --> 00:18:20,232 maintaining the overall health of the population. 272 00:18:24,704 --> 00:18:26,706 Sharks can detect one drop of blood 273 00:18:26,706 --> 00:18:28,708 in one million drops of water. 274 00:18:30,309 --> 00:18:32,611 And can spot small moving prey 275 00:18:32,611 --> 00:18:35,748 from as far as 10 feet. 276 00:18:35,748 --> 00:18:38,150 Something Max got to see first hand 277 00:18:38,150 --> 00:18:40,686 as the sharks returned to Raja Ampat. 278 00:18:44,156 --> 00:18:47,827 It was actually a coincidence because having a resort 279 00:18:47,827 --> 00:18:49,795 we had kitchen waste, 280 00:18:49,795 --> 00:18:53,766 and I'm specifically talking about fish waste 281 00:18:53,766 --> 00:18:55,835 so we decided why not throw it in the sea, 282 00:18:55,835 --> 00:18:57,069 the fish can eat it. 283 00:18:59,739 --> 00:19:03,242 And to our surprise, dozens of dozens of sharks 284 00:19:03,242 --> 00:19:05,111 showed up straight away. 285 00:19:05,111 --> 00:19:17,590 (♪♪♪) 286 00:19:17,590 --> 00:19:19,692 You hear the stories that sharks immediately come 287 00:19:19,692 --> 00:19:23,596 when there's blood in the water. 288 00:19:23,596 --> 00:19:25,731 It is unbelievable. 289 00:19:28,734 --> 00:19:32,471 Within half a minute there's some sharks. 290 00:19:32,471 --> 00:19:36,142 I mean I don't know where they come from. 291 00:19:36,142 --> 00:19:38,644 I know the stories but it goes fast like lightning. 292 00:19:38,644 --> 00:19:47,620 (♪♪♪) 293 00:19:47,620 --> 00:19:51,791 Years of Conservation work are finally paying off. 294 00:19:51,791 --> 00:19:53,826 So from almost not seeing a shark, 295 00:19:53,826 --> 00:19:56,128 you just have sharks everywhere, 296 00:19:56,128 --> 00:19:58,631 on every dive you'll see a few, so that's just pretty amazing 297 00:19:58,631 --> 00:20:01,300 and that's the way the reef is supposed to be. 298 00:20:02,635 --> 00:20:04,603 The reef by Max's resort now has 299 00:20:04,603 --> 00:20:07,673 one of the healthiest populations of black tip sharks 300 00:20:07,673 --> 00:20:08,707 in the region. 301 00:20:11,577 --> 00:20:14,747 I just feel that as humans we have to take care of nature 302 00:20:14,747 --> 00:20:18,250 we can't just damage it. 303 00:20:18,250 --> 00:20:21,153 You have to try to be as much as possible in harmony 304 00:20:21,153 --> 00:20:22,154 with nature. 305 00:20:27,259 --> 00:20:29,695 Humans do have their place in the reef's food chain. 306 00:20:30,863 --> 00:20:31,864 For generations 307 00:20:31,864 --> 00:20:34,433 Indonesia's fishermen have lived in harmony 308 00:20:34,433 --> 00:20:35,868 with the ocean 309 00:20:35,868 --> 00:20:38,704 catching just enough fish to feed their village. 310 00:20:42,675 --> 00:20:45,678 At least 20 million Indonesians depend on fisheries 311 00:20:45,678 --> 00:20:46,779 for their livelihood. 312 00:20:50,850 --> 00:20:53,652 Small fishing villages, like this one 313 00:20:53,652 --> 00:20:56,755 dot the world's second-longest coastline. 314 00:20:56,755 --> 00:21:02,695 (♪♪♪) 315 00:21:02,695 --> 00:21:03,696 From a young age 316 00:21:03,696 --> 00:21:06,232 children learn to make a living on the water. 317 00:21:09,835 --> 00:21:12,204 Fishermen pass on traditional methods 318 00:21:12,204 --> 00:21:14,340 and equipment to the next generation. 319 00:21:17,710 --> 00:21:20,346 They set up wicker traps on the seabed 320 00:21:20,346 --> 00:21:22,481 to supplement the daily catch. 321 00:21:22,481 --> 00:21:30,189 (♪♪♪) 322 00:21:30,189 --> 00:21:34,193 And take to the seas in wooden canoes 323 00:21:34,193 --> 00:21:36,362 as they have for thousands of years. 324 00:21:36,362 --> 00:21:44,637 (♪♪♪) 325 00:21:44,637 --> 00:21:47,106 But foreign fishermen and Indonesians 326 00:21:47,106 --> 00:21:49,608 in competition with larger vessels 327 00:21:49,608 --> 00:21:55,481 have taken a different and more destructive approach, 328 00:21:55,481 --> 00:21:59,485 one that ravages Indonesia's reefs. 329 00:22:08,694 --> 00:22:11,096 In some parts of Indonesia 330 00:22:11,096 --> 00:22:14,366 illegal fishermen drop bombs in the water 331 00:22:14,366 --> 00:22:16,535 blowing corals to pieces. 332 00:22:17,670 --> 00:22:19,338 A devastating site 333 00:22:19,338 --> 00:22:22,174 still common in unprotected waters. 334 00:22:23,442 --> 00:22:25,444 Fishing with explosives has destroyed 335 00:22:25,444 --> 00:22:28,614 as much as 80% of the reef in some places. 336 00:22:29,715 --> 00:22:33,152 Without question, bomb fishinghas been the biggest scourge 337 00:22:33,152 --> 00:22:36,755 of Indonesia's reefs really for the last 70 plus years, 338 00:22:36,755 --> 00:22:38,490 it's really been since World War II 339 00:22:38,490 --> 00:22:39,692 that they've been doing this. 340 00:22:42,795 --> 00:22:44,196 The technique is very simple, 341 00:22:44,196 --> 00:22:46,432 it's the idea that you use an explosive 342 00:22:46,432 --> 00:22:48,801 dropped in to the water to stun and kill 343 00:22:48,801 --> 00:22:51,303 large numbers of fish. 344 00:22:51,303 --> 00:22:53,272 But the blast kills far more fish 345 00:22:53,272 --> 00:22:54,807 than those harvested. 346 00:22:56,709 --> 00:23:01,013 Nearly 2/3rd sink to the bottom unclaimed. 347 00:23:03,349 --> 00:23:07,586 The effect on the reef itself is even worse. 348 00:23:07,586 --> 00:23:10,522 That's because coral takes time to grow. 349 00:23:10,522 --> 00:23:17,529 (♪♪♪) 350 00:23:17,529 --> 00:23:20,266 Like a human brain at the bottom of the ocean, 351 00:23:20,266 --> 00:23:24,069 this massive coral grows taller than the average person. 352 00:23:28,607 --> 00:23:33,812 But brain coral grows just 1/10th of an inch per year. 353 00:23:33,812 --> 00:23:37,316 Human hair grows this much in just one week. 354 00:23:41,086 --> 00:23:45,124 Branch corals like staghorn develop much quicker. 355 00:23:47,326 --> 00:23:51,363 Staghorn can grow as much as eight inches per year. 356 00:23:51,363 --> 00:23:54,400 It is the fastest-growing coral. 357 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:57,603 But it's still not fast enough to keep pace 358 00:23:57,603 --> 00:24:01,073 with the damage done by illegal bomb fishing. 359 00:24:03,509 --> 00:24:06,412 A path of destruction was left behind 360 00:24:06,412 --> 00:24:08,514 on this recently bombed reef. 361 00:24:12,051 --> 00:24:16,055 A reef needs 5 to 10 years to recover from a single bomb. 362 00:24:18,624 --> 00:24:22,094 Repeat bombing reduces reefs to rubble fields 363 00:24:22,094 --> 00:24:24,430 that takes decades to rebuild. 364 00:24:26,432 --> 00:24:28,701 But the reef does have its ways of recovering. 365 00:24:28,701 --> 00:24:38,744 (♪♪♪) 366 00:24:38,744 --> 00:24:44,450 (♪♪♪) 367 00:24:44,450 --> 00:24:46,418 Parrotfish are integral to the health 368 00:24:46,418 --> 00:24:48,554 and resilience of the reef. 369 00:24:48,554 --> 00:24:55,761 (♪♪♪) 370 00:24:55,761 --> 00:24:58,764 They use beak-like teeth to chomp on coral. 371 00:25:02,634 --> 00:25:06,772 Every bite opens up a piece of real estate 372 00:25:06,772 --> 00:25:08,640 for new corals to grow. 373 00:25:12,578 --> 00:25:13,512 More importantly 374 00:25:13,512 --> 00:25:17,383 parrotfish graze on the fast-growing algae 375 00:25:17,383 --> 00:25:21,286 that coats the reef preventing coral growth 376 00:25:21,286 --> 00:25:23,422 keeping the algae blooms in check. 377 00:25:23,422 --> 00:25:32,264 (♪♪♪) 378 00:25:32,264 --> 00:25:34,833 In just one year, each parrotfish consumes 379 00:25:34,833 --> 00:25:39,204 as much as five tonnes of coral, 380 00:25:39,204 --> 00:25:41,407 that is converted into sand. 381 00:25:44,243 --> 00:25:47,546 A small shoal of parrotfish can fill an entire dump truck 382 00:25:47,546 --> 00:25:50,182 with sand in just one month. 383 00:25:50,182 --> 00:25:56,522 (♪♪♪) 384 00:25:56,522 --> 00:25:59,358 The sand processed by parrotfish 385 00:25:59,358 --> 00:26:01,393 eventually settles to the bottom 386 00:26:01,393 --> 00:26:03,962 to create another habitat. 387 00:26:07,433 --> 00:26:10,669 For the blue-spotted stingray, it's a hunting ground. 388 00:26:10,669 --> 00:26:17,543 (♪♪♪) 389 00:26:17,543 --> 00:26:18,710 Like a minesweeper, 390 00:26:18,710 --> 00:26:23,449 the ray glides over the sand in search of crustaceans, 391 00:26:23,449 --> 00:26:24,983 a favorite food. 392 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:29,588 It uses special sensors 393 00:26:29,588 --> 00:26:31,557 to detect tiny electrical signals 394 00:26:31,557 --> 00:26:34,326 emitted by shellfish buried in the sand. 395 00:26:37,396 --> 00:26:40,566 A frenzied flutter of the wings pins down its prey. 396 00:26:42,301 --> 00:26:44,136 Unlike most stingrays, 397 00:26:44,136 --> 00:26:47,473 the blue-spotted ray doesn't bury itself in the sand. 398 00:26:48,340 --> 00:26:51,477 Instead, it flaunts its vibrant spots, 399 00:26:51,477 --> 00:26:53,512 a warning sign to predators 400 00:26:53,512 --> 00:26:56,448 that it's armed with a venomous tail. 401 00:26:56,448 --> 00:27:02,654 (♪♪♪) 402 00:27:02,654 --> 00:27:06,058 This blue-spotted stingray is missing its stinger. 403 00:27:08,427 --> 00:27:10,529 It was likely bitten off by a shark. 404 00:27:10,529 --> 00:27:16,268 (♪♪♪) 405 00:27:16,268 --> 00:27:19,671 This ray may have fended off the attacker this time 406 00:27:19,671 --> 00:27:23,475 But has forever lost its best defense. 407 00:27:23,475 --> 00:27:26,078 Its stinger will never regenerate. 408 00:27:29,715 --> 00:27:33,252 This ray will need to be extra cautious to survive. 409 00:27:33,252 --> 00:27:45,764 (♪♪♪) 410 00:27:45,764 --> 00:27:48,233 Staying alive on the reef is hard. 411 00:27:49,568 --> 00:27:53,071 Spawning, to produce the next generation 412 00:27:53,071 --> 00:27:54,306 is even harder. 413 00:27:58,377 --> 00:28:03,348 Protective parents like clownfish 414 00:28:03,348 --> 00:28:06,018 secure their eggs on coral close to home. 415 00:28:06,018 --> 00:28:13,659 (♪♪♪) 416 00:28:13,659 --> 00:28:16,295 The male stands guard until they hatch. 417 00:28:16,295 --> 00:28:23,168 (♪♪♪) 418 00:28:23,168 --> 00:28:26,204 A nearby patch of coral suddenly erupts with life. 419 00:28:29,141 --> 00:28:31,476 Vibrant fish of all shapes and sizes 420 00:28:31,476 --> 00:28:35,080 swarm together 421 00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:39,284 weaving in and out of crevices and cracks, 422 00:28:39,284 --> 00:28:41,219 they have found another fish's spawn. 423 00:28:44,222 --> 00:28:46,258 Without a parent standing guard 424 00:28:46,258 --> 00:28:49,361 eggs become an easy meal for smaller predators. 425 00:28:49,361 --> 00:29:00,572 (♪♪♪) 426 00:29:00,572 --> 00:29:04,443 These juvenile catfish are a target for larger fish. 427 00:29:08,013 --> 00:29:11,316 They hide inside the nooks and crannies of the reef 428 00:29:11,316 --> 00:29:13,051 to survive the night. 429 00:29:19,157 --> 00:29:21,693 As the sun goes down 430 00:29:21,693 --> 00:29:25,197 tracks in the sand lead to a mother 431 00:29:25,197 --> 00:29:29,701 whose ancestors have roamed the seas for 65 million years: 432 00:29:33,438 --> 00:29:35,207 A green sea turtle. 433 00:29:37,776 --> 00:29:41,246 She's dug a nest about three feet deep 434 00:29:41,246 --> 00:29:43,181 and is ready to lay her eggs. 435 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:50,155 She lays about 100 eggs. 436 00:29:52,824 --> 00:29:56,228 Over her lifetime, she'll lay several thousand. 437 00:29:56,228 --> 00:30:01,800 (♪♪♪) 438 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:03,301 She buries the eggs 439 00:30:03,301 --> 00:30:05,303 to keep them safe from predators. 440 00:30:09,808 --> 00:30:11,309 She will spend the next hour 441 00:30:11,309 --> 00:30:13,178 shoveling sand over the dugout 442 00:30:13,178 --> 00:30:16,014 to ensure her nest is well masked. 443 00:30:19,251 --> 00:30:21,319 Monitor lizards will target her nest 444 00:30:21,319 --> 00:30:23,388 for a quick, easy meal. 445 00:30:30,495 --> 00:30:31,830 But on most beaches 446 00:30:31,830 --> 00:30:35,233 turtle nests face a far greater threat: 447 00:30:35,233 --> 00:30:36,501 Poachers. 448 00:30:39,805 --> 00:30:42,174 Turtle eggs are considered a delicacy. 449 00:30:46,712 --> 00:30:48,480 Some Indonesian cultures 450 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:51,316 believe that eating eggs can increase fertility. 451 00:30:53,852 --> 00:30:54,820 Others consume them 452 00:30:54,820 --> 00:30:57,355 for their perceived high nutritional value. 453 00:31:03,128 --> 00:31:05,497 Mark and his team at Conservation International 454 00:31:05,497 --> 00:31:08,600 work with locals to protect targeted nesting beaches. 455 00:31:10,469 --> 00:31:13,572 They will patrol the beach on a constant rotation 456 00:31:13,572 --> 00:31:15,240 looking for any turtles coming up. 457 00:31:18,410 --> 00:31:21,780 If they find a nest they'll mark it, 458 00:31:21,780 --> 00:31:23,548 and they're of course also making sure 459 00:31:23,548 --> 00:31:26,785 there's no poachers coming. 460 00:31:26,785 --> 00:31:29,488 For the last decade we've been funding 461 00:31:29,488 --> 00:31:33,091 the Papua Sea Turtle Foundation and their patrol efforts. 462 00:31:33,091 --> 00:31:36,628 They have literally stopped the poaching completely. 463 00:31:36,628 --> 00:31:39,598 Year on year they're seeing 15-20% increases 464 00:31:39,598 --> 00:31:42,567 in the number of nesting females coming back to the beach. 465 00:31:55,180 --> 00:31:57,749 This mother has done all she can for her young 466 00:31:57,749 --> 00:31:59,818 and must head back into the ocean. 467 00:31:59,818 --> 00:32:10,562 (♪♪♪) 468 00:32:10,562 --> 00:32:11,596 After two months 469 00:32:11,596 --> 00:32:14,299 she's likely somewhere deep in the Pacific... 470 00:32:19,070 --> 00:32:21,740 But her young are ready to take their first steps 471 00:32:21,740 --> 00:32:24,342 under the watchful eye of their guardians. 472 00:32:28,146 --> 00:32:32,083 Instinct drives the hatchlings to make a break for the ocean 473 00:32:32,083 --> 00:32:33,585 as fast as they can. 474 00:32:37,489 --> 00:32:40,859 The young turtles are drawn to the natural light 475 00:32:40,859 --> 00:32:44,162 that peers over the ocean's horizon. 476 00:32:44,162 --> 00:32:47,199 It acts as a road map leading them into the water. 477 00:32:50,202 --> 00:32:53,638 Other cues like crests of waves 478 00:32:53,638 --> 00:32:56,141 and the natural slope of the beach 479 00:32:56,141 --> 00:32:58,276 guide them to the sea. 480 00:32:58,276 --> 00:33:00,345 Even if they do take a few wrong turns 481 00:33:00,345 --> 00:33:01,546 along the way. 482 00:33:03,682 --> 00:33:06,351 On this beach the hatchlings are protected 483 00:33:06,351 --> 00:33:08,153 from their natural predators. 484 00:33:09,387 --> 00:33:12,624 The only obstacle that faces these tiny turtles 485 00:33:12,624 --> 00:33:14,459 is their own clumsiness. 486 00:33:17,162 --> 00:33:21,066 For most hatchlings the beach is a dangerous place. 487 00:33:23,702 --> 00:33:28,306 And nowhere do they face more peril than here: 488 00:33:28,306 --> 00:33:30,175 Komodo Island. 489 00:33:32,110 --> 00:33:35,513 Home to the world's largest lizard: 490 00:33:35,513 --> 00:33:37,182 The Komodo Dragon. 491 00:33:39,584 --> 00:33:42,220 The 10-foot-long dragon forages the beach 492 00:33:42,220 --> 00:33:44,055 in search food. 493 00:33:46,791 --> 00:33:48,727 And turtle eggs are a favorite. 494 00:33:53,465 --> 00:33:55,834 When komodo dragons can't scavenge, 495 00:33:55,834 --> 00:33:57,102 they hunt. 496 00:33:58,169 --> 00:34:01,640 They aren't especially swift hunters 497 00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:05,977 but all it takes is one bite and a bit of patience. 498 00:34:08,813 --> 00:34:11,750 Toxic bacteria in the komodo's saliva 499 00:34:11,750 --> 00:34:14,319 kills large prey in a matter of days. 500 00:34:17,155 --> 00:34:19,224 Komodo dragons spend most afternoons 501 00:34:19,224 --> 00:34:20,592 lazing on the beach. 502 00:34:20,592 --> 00:34:29,200 (♪♪♪) 503 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:33,738 They're excellent swimmers 504 00:34:33,738 --> 00:34:36,141 but strong currents contain their movements 505 00:34:36,141 --> 00:34:41,780 to Komodo and four nearby islands. 506 00:34:45,150 --> 00:34:48,053 Indonesia is bound by two mighty oceans. 507 00:34:49,387 --> 00:34:51,790 The waters of the Pacific rise a foot 508 00:34:51,790 --> 00:34:54,426 above the Indian ocean. 509 00:34:54,426 --> 00:34:56,394 This discrepancy drives one of the most 510 00:34:56,394 --> 00:35:00,598 powerful currents on earth: The Indonesian Throughflow. 511 00:35:00,598 --> 00:35:09,341 (♪♪♪) 512 00:35:09,341 --> 00:35:11,710 The constant flow of water brings new life. 513 00:35:11,710 --> 00:35:18,750 (♪♪♪) 514 00:35:18,750 --> 00:35:21,286 Currents deliver larvae and eggs. 515 00:35:24,823 --> 00:35:26,658 Populating the reef 516 00:35:26,658 --> 00:35:29,227 with a rich diversity of corals and fish. 517 00:35:29,227 --> 00:35:41,706 (♪♪♪) 518 00:35:41,706 --> 00:35:44,442 Upwellings cloud the water with plankton. 519 00:35:46,678 --> 00:35:51,783 These tiny organisms and plants drift in the current 520 00:35:51,783 --> 00:35:54,386 supplying food to the reef's inhabitants. 521 00:35:54,386 --> 00:36:05,730 (♪♪♪) 522 00:36:05,730 --> 00:36:08,633 Filter feeders of all shapes and sizes 523 00:36:08,633 --> 00:36:12,537 feast on the soupy, nutrient-rich ocean water. 524 00:36:12,537 --> 00:36:19,677 (♪♪♪) 525 00:36:19,677 --> 00:36:22,680 Manta rays swim to the surface to feed. 526 00:36:28,353 --> 00:36:33,324 These gentle giants glide through the ocean 527 00:36:33,324 --> 00:36:35,660 using their wide mouths to strain plankton 528 00:36:35,660 --> 00:36:36,761 from the water. 529 00:36:42,700 --> 00:36:44,202 Down on the seabed 530 00:36:44,202 --> 00:36:46,638 competition for leftovers is fierce. 531 00:36:50,809 --> 00:36:53,711 But what these bottom dwellers lack in mobility 532 00:36:53,711 --> 00:36:55,780 they make up for in ingenuity. 533 00:37:01,086 --> 00:37:04,522 A tiny porcelain crab spreads the bristles of its claws 534 00:37:04,522 --> 00:37:07,492 to comb through plankton that falls to the seabed. 535 00:37:07,492 --> 00:37:20,305 (♪♪♪) 536 00:37:20,305 --> 00:37:24,075 A sea apple cucumber extends its tentacles into the current 537 00:37:24,075 --> 00:37:26,311 To collect passing plankton. 538 00:37:29,481 --> 00:37:32,283 Like an arm, its left tentacle bring food 539 00:37:32,283 --> 00:37:33,651 into its mouth. 540 00:37:33,651 --> 00:37:48,166 (♪♪♪) 541 00:37:48,166 --> 00:37:50,568 Those attached permanently to the reef 542 00:37:50,568 --> 00:37:53,338 have to work harder for their food. 543 00:37:56,841 --> 00:37:59,177 A sponge filters water through the walls 544 00:37:59,177 --> 00:38:00,512 of its hollow body. 545 00:38:00,512 --> 00:38:10,221 (♪♪♪) 546 00:38:10,221 --> 00:38:12,390 It will need to pump one tonne of water 547 00:38:12,390 --> 00:38:14,659 to get just one ounce of food. 548 00:38:19,397 --> 00:38:21,166 These wispy tentacles 549 00:38:21,166 --> 00:38:24,536 attached to the sea sponge are actually living organisms. 550 00:38:27,438 --> 00:38:29,674 These are feather stars 551 00:38:29,674 --> 00:38:32,343 named for their delicate tentacles 552 00:38:32,343 --> 00:38:34,345 that sway in the current 553 00:38:34,345 --> 00:38:36,514 like feathers billowing in a breeze. 554 00:38:39,517 --> 00:38:42,487 Feather stars attach to the reef to filter feed. 555 00:38:44,222 --> 00:38:47,292 They use their long tentacles to trap passing plankton. 556 00:38:51,529 --> 00:38:53,598 But they can also swim if they're spooked. 557 00:38:57,268 --> 00:38:59,571 Feather stars are one of the least-understood 558 00:38:59,571 --> 00:39:01,339 living marine organisms. 559 00:39:02,674 --> 00:39:05,176 Like a spider crawling through water 560 00:39:05,176 --> 00:39:07,579 the feather star propels its arms 561 00:39:07,579 --> 00:39:09,547 in co-ordinated strokes. 562 00:39:09,547 --> 00:39:15,553 (♪♪♪) 563 00:39:15,553 --> 00:39:19,757 Eventually, it settles on the seabed 564 00:39:19,757 --> 00:39:22,493 and searches for a safer shelter. 565 00:39:22,493 --> 00:39:36,708 (♪♪♪) 566 00:39:36,708 --> 00:39:39,644 At the surface, the plankton feast has attracted 567 00:39:39,644 --> 00:39:44,215 the biggest eater of all, 568 00:39:44,215 --> 00:39:47,619 a leviathan that rises from the deep. 569 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:50,788 The whale shark. 570 00:39:50,788 --> 00:39:57,729 (♪♪♪) 571 00:39:57,729 --> 00:39:59,597 For the largest fish in the ocean 572 00:39:59,597 --> 00:40:02,567 keeping a diet of microscopic organisms 573 00:40:02,567 --> 00:40:04,235 is a full-time job. 574 00:40:09,173 --> 00:40:12,210 A whale shark spends eight hours a day eating. 575 00:40:12,210 --> 00:40:22,720 (♪♪♪) 576 00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:26,624 It filters 1,500 gallons of water each hour 577 00:40:26,624 --> 00:40:30,461 to retain three to six pounds of food 578 00:40:30,461 --> 00:40:33,097 roughly the amount a human eats in a day. 579 00:40:38,369 --> 00:40:41,472 To consume so much food so efficiently, 580 00:40:41,472 --> 00:40:44,776 whale sharks use a technique called suction feeding. 581 00:40:44,776 --> 00:40:52,617 (♪♪♪) 582 00:40:52,617 --> 00:40:56,688 Like a giant vacuum cleaner it sucks huge gulps of water 583 00:40:56,688 --> 00:40:59,724 into a mouth large enough to swallow a bathtub. 584 00:41:02,393 --> 00:41:04,829 Its gills are like strainers: 585 00:41:04,829 --> 00:41:08,266 They remove the water and keep the food. 586 00:41:13,204 --> 00:41:16,240 Whale sharks share the bays of Indonesia with fishermen. 587 00:41:19,310 --> 00:41:21,846 Many of the fishing nets are in bad condition 588 00:41:21,846 --> 00:41:24,449 enticing these giants with a free lunch. 589 00:41:24,449 --> 00:41:38,329 (♪♪♪) 590 00:41:38,329 --> 00:41:41,099 An enterprising whale shark vacuums up smaller fish 591 00:41:41,099 --> 00:41:42,467 that escape the net. 592 00:41:44,502 --> 00:41:46,571 All this activity makes the bay 593 00:41:46,571 --> 00:41:50,375 an ideal location for the Conservation International team 594 00:41:50,375 --> 00:41:52,510 to tag these resident whale sharks. 595 00:41:53,578 --> 00:41:57,281 The whale shark in Indonesia usually congregate 596 00:41:57,281 --> 00:41:59,517 on the lift net fishermen's platform. 597 00:42:02,620 --> 00:42:05,289 They used to accidentally be caught by the lift net 598 00:42:05,289 --> 00:42:07,358 when the fishermen bring it up. 599 00:42:07,358 --> 00:42:15,466 (♪♪♪) 600 00:42:15,466 --> 00:42:18,269 A whale shark is trapped in the net. 601 00:42:19,837 --> 00:42:23,441 The researchers must move fast to attach a satellite tag 602 00:42:23,441 --> 00:42:24,509 to the animal. 603 00:42:27,378 --> 00:42:30,548 They use bolts to mount the tag directly onto its fin. 604 00:42:33,451 --> 00:42:35,720 A new strategy used by many researchers 605 00:42:35,720 --> 00:42:38,556 to ensure the tags stay securely attached. 606 00:42:43,261 --> 00:42:48,266 The dorsal fin of a whale shark has very few nerve endings 607 00:42:48,266 --> 00:42:49,834 much like cutting a fingernail, 608 00:42:49,834 --> 00:42:52,236 the procedure is painless for the animal. 609 00:42:54,705 --> 00:42:57,475 This whale shark is ready to be released. 610 00:42:58,709 --> 00:43:04,215 Its tag will transmit a ping each time the animal surfaces 611 00:43:04,215 --> 00:43:06,484 alerting the team of its location 612 00:43:06,484 --> 00:43:08,586 every 2-5 days. 613 00:43:13,724 --> 00:43:16,294 Over time conservation International 614 00:43:16,294 --> 00:43:19,063 will be able to assemble a much clearer pattern 615 00:43:19,063 --> 00:43:21,232 of whale shark movement in the bay. 616 00:43:24,502 --> 00:43:26,504 We can see that this aggregation site 617 00:43:26,504 --> 00:43:29,540 is basically a nursery areas for the whale sharks 618 00:43:29,540 --> 00:43:32,310 and this tagging has been showing 619 00:43:32,310 --> 00:43:33,377 that indications. 620 00:43:35,746 --> 00:43:39,484 So that is absolutely a revelation 621 00:43:39,484 --> 00:43:41,319 towards this populations. 622 00:43:41,319 --> 00:43:44,255 But we still have plenty work to do 623 00:43:44,255 --> 00:43:46,257 actually confirm those theories. 624 00:43:48,226 --> 00:43:51,496 For now where these ocean wanderers go 625 00:43:51,496 --> 00:43:53,731 when they leave Indonesia's bay 626 00:43:53,731 --> 00:43:55,733 remains a mystery. 627 00:44:02,406 --> 00:44:12,683 (♪♪♪) 628 00:44:12,683 --> 00:44:14,619 From the largest fish in the ocean... 629 00:44:17,188 --> 00:44:19,023 to some of the smallest. 630 00:44:21,559 --> 00:44:23,394 Indonesia's warm seas 631 00:44:23,394 --> 00:44:26,697 teem with the world's highest variety of marine life. 632 00:44:31,669 --> 00:44:34,639 The habitat diversity in Raja Ampat is just extreme. 633 00:44:34,639 --> 00:44:38,409 There's so many different special microhabitats 634 00:44:38,409 --> 00:44:40,378 as you move across Raja Ampat. 635 00:44:40,378 --> 00:44:43,414 Every thing from current swept points, 636 00:44:43,414 --> 00:44:45,283 very protected lagoons, 637 00:44:45,283 --> 00:44:46,517 massive Pacific swell 638 00:44:46,517 --> 00:44:48,419 and they're just rocky reefs that go down. 639 00:44:48,419 --> 00:44:56,093 (♪♪♪) 640 00:44:56,093 --> 00:44:58,329 Each one of those has their own suite of species 641 00:44:58,329 --> 00:44:59,163 that are found there, 642 00:44:59,163 --> 00:45:00,665 and so when you put that all together 643 00:45:00,665 --> 00:45:03,401 in all of Raja Ampat it adds up to a massive number. 644 00:45:03,401 --> 00:45:09,407 (♪♪♪) 645 00:45:09,407 --> 00:45:11,809 If I could describe all marine life 646 00:45:11,809 --> 00:45:15,146 and marine habitat in Indonesia it would be; 647 00:45:15,146 --> 00:45:18,316 amazingly beautiful, yet threatened. 648 00:45:20,117 --> 00:45:21,652 After more than 35 years 649 00:45:21,652 --> 00:45:27,525 as the world's largest exporter of shark and ray parts 650 00:45:27,525 --> 00:45:30,361 Indonesia's government is taking a strong stand 651 00:45:30,361 --> 00:45:32,830 against shark finning and overfishing. 652 00:45:32,830 --> 00:45:42,573 (♪♪♪) 653 00:45:42,573 --> 00:45:46,110 We've seen really an awakening about the need for conservation 654 00:45:46,110 --> 00:45:48,145 over the 15 years I've been diving here, 655 00:45:48,145 --> 00:45:49,680 I've been watching the shark populations 656 00:45:49,680 --> 00:45:51,515 recover and rebound which is something 657 00:45:51,515 --> 00:45:53,618 which is really reason for hope I would say. 658 00:45:53,618 --> 00:46:03,594 (♪♪♪) 659 00:46:03,594 --> 00:46:07,698 Today the country's 100-plus protected marine zones 660 00:46:07,698 --> 00:46:09,734 make up a maritime sanctuary 661 00:46:09,734 --> 00:46:13,170 that covers nearly 62,000 square miles. 662 00:46:17,274 --> 00:46:19,310 But there's still a lot of work to do. 663 00:46:21,145 --> 00:46:23,814 62,000 square miles 664 00:46:23,814 --> 00:46:27,685 represents just 5% of Indonesia's oceans. 665 00:46:27,685 --> 00:46:37,728 (♪♪♪) 666 00:46:37,728 --> 00:46:48,272 (♪♪♪) 667 00:46:48,272 --> 00:46:50,307 On this coral reef 668 00:46:50,307 --> 00:46:53,077 conservationists fight a daily battle. 669 00:46:57,081 --> 00:47:00,151 A battle that may determine the future 670 00:47:00,151 --> 00:47:03,054 of what remains for now 671 00:47:03,054 --> 00:47:05,690 The amazon of the seas. 672 00:47:05,690 --> 00:47:15,733 (♪♪♪) 673 00:47:15,733 --> 00:47:25,676 (♪♪♪) 674 00:47:25,676 --> 00:47:35,720 (♪♪♪) 675 00:47:35,720 --> 00:47:44,795 (♪♪♪) 676 00:47:44,795 --> 00:47:51,001 (♪♪♪)