Has Banda been fished out??

[FilmDork]

Hey all,

So I'm looking into doing a liveaboard through the Banda area (either Sorong-Ambon or Sorong-Bitung) following my stay in Raja this April but am now having second thoughts after being told by a very experienced DM friend who went last year that Banda has been totally fished out! Having experienced the dreaded effects of overfishing when I went to Alor a few years ago (beautiful corals but very few fish that weren't tiny aside from one site), it was a massive red flag for me, and now I'm leaning towards going somewhere else.

If any of you have been to Banda recently, could you please chime in on your experiences? I'd really love a few more opinions before jettisoning the plan.

Thanks!

 

[Indah]

How did your friend come to this conclusion?

 

[Wingy]

Not this year but in 2016 there was very very industrial longline stretching for who knows how long around Manuk. I removed what I could with my dive guide for the entire last dive...pretty disheartening to realise I'd only removed a drop in the ocean so to speak. Will see if I can rustle up the photo...this was no local Fishermans line, it had been spooled out from a mothership Another diver who had done Manuk before said "it wasn't the same Manuk".
I had not dived Manuk before so I have no personal comparison but have no reason to doubt the other divers comments as they had done Banda Sea several times prior.

 

[Steelyeyes]

 

[Fibonacci]

I dived Banda about 15 years ago when Des Alwi ruled the place with an iron fist...

Many resent him and his control over the affairs of the island he has claimed to own the entire waterfront of the town on Bandaneria and fiercely prevented any alternative dive operations to the Molanas hotel from springing up, also charging a levy on dive boats in the area while insisting that land based divers stay at Molanas hotel and pay the very high dive rates he levies.
​

I met him once, at his residence, where he was throwing what were hopefully fish bits to his pet sharks in pools... in a scene straight out of Thunderball.

Fish life in Banda in those days was incredible, huge Napoleon wrasse, cod, lots of sharks, big barracuda, tuna etc

Des for all the faults I hear of has blocked all of this activity in the past refusing environmentally damaging factory and holiday development and keeping the local population fishing with traditional sustainable methods. Anyone who has been here knows that you do not see this fish density on the reef anywhere else.​

There was no way illegal fishing around Banda would have occurred under his watch.

After his death in 2010, many divers dreaded what would happen to Bandas pristine 'protected' reefs.
Sadly it appears their worst fears are being realised.

Good article here:
Banda Islands the death of Des Alwi | Asia - South-East Asia Islands & Peninsula - Lonely Planet Forum - Thorn Tree

 

[wildbill9]

Yep,, no fish left, coral all gone, not even much water anymore. Must be the reason nobody likes to dive there anymore. I hear there are some are at quarries in Nevada tho..... Dont waste of time..... Ymmv

 

[Dan]

I’ll be there in September & will post what I see.

Here is what Arnoldus Moda post last October.


Also @CWK was there last October too & posted this video.

 

[Cali_diver]

I haven't been to Banda in the last year, but I have been to Alor recently and there are still lots of big fish there! By any chance do you dislike and avoid current?

 

[Darnold9999]

Did a Sorong - Bitung trip 4 years ago and was disappointed. A significant number of reefs outside of the park were destroyed by dynamite fishing. Around RA was excellent and in Lembeh was also excellent but between not so much.

 

[FilmDork]

How did your friend come to this conclusion?

She went on a liveaboard there last year. Said there were beautiful corals but no fish.