GEORGE TOWN: Professor Datuk Dr Zulfigar Yasin, a renowned senior marine biologist at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), has passed away at age 66.
He was involved in pioneering studies on biodiversity, coral reefs and coastal ecosystems, playing a part in advancing Malaysia's oceanographic research.
A Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (Cemacs) Facebook post said he passed away on Monday (Feb 3). The cause of death was not immediately known.
Prof Zulfigar played a key role in the establishment of Cemacs, a marine research hub.
Among his achievements was leading a Malaysian research team on a 73-day expedition to Antarctica, working with the Australian Antarctic Division in 2002 to study extreme marine environments.
Two years later, he began the ROSES (Research on the Seas and Islands of Malaysia) expedition, the largest such scientific endeavour in Malaysian waters at the time.
He was passionate about sharing knowledge and authored several books, including Inspirations (on Cemacs), and Semporna (about the Bajau Laut community).
In 2022, two new species of sea cucumber were found in the seagrass meadows of Pulau Gazumbo and Middle Bank, east of Penang island.
One, Euthyonidiella zulfigaris, was named after Prof Zulfigar to honour his work at Middle Bank since the 1990s.
Members of the marine science community said the impact of his loss would be deeply felt as he was an ardent advocate of conservation.
