AfricanDiver.com

I was referred to this article, written by Alan Straton of MyPE, by my friend Rainer Schimpf and which I’ve reproduced in full.

Boaters and the public, in the Eastern Cape, between Plettenberg Bay and East London, are being asked to keep a close eye out for the adult female Humpback whale that is entangled in netting and is expected to be in this area accompanied by her approximately 1 month old calf. Attempts made to try to free the nets off the whale, on Friday, in Plettenberg Bay, by volunteers of the SA Whale Disentanglement Network, were suspended, on Friday, after the adult whale appeared to get agitated by the rescue teams presence. Appeals were made to boaters and the public to be on the look-out for this whale (and her calf) but no sightings have been reported (by Sunday afternoon). Mike Meyer, SA Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) says that they are hopeful that these two whales will be sighted and reported.

Whale calf swimming alongside her mom. Picture courtesy of Graham Anley.

On Saturday morning an SA Air Force (SAAF), 35 Squadron, Dakota (fixed wing aircraft), returning from East London to her base in Cape Town, volunteered to search for the whales while she flew overhead of the area where we expect these two whales to be (between Port Elizabeth and Plettenberg Bay) and although two whales were spotted by the 35 Squadron crew it was confirmed by them, on closer inspection, that these were not the same whales.

Only the adult female has netting wrapped around her torso, tail fin and dorsal fin (and not the calf).

Any sightings of these whales should be reported to the SEA RESCUE EMERGENCY NUMBER (EASTERN CAPE) 041-5071911.

SA Whale Disentanglement Network volunteers in Plettenberg Bay, St Francis Bay and Port Elizabeth are on high alert to respond to any reported sightings. SAWDN are urging boaters and the public not to try to attempt to disentangle the whales themselves as an operation of this nature is extremely dangerous due to the size and the unpredictable behaviour of these animals. The volunteers of the SA Whale Disentanglement Network are trained in these types of rescue operations and use specialised equipment. It is suspected that the fishing nets around this whale may be Tuna Purse Seine Nets not normally found in SA waters and SAWDN suspect that she may have gotten fouled in these nets further North beyond SA’s borders. (This is SAWDN’s suspicion and unless they recover the nets they cannot confirm this!).

The adult whale presently does not appear to be debilitated by the gear (nets). The effect of the drag of the net, on its migration South, is presently not known.

Source: mype on Sunday, August 29 @ 16:05:32 SAST

Here’s something very close to my heart; Dugongs. Our resident Western Indian Ocean Dugongs are in terrible danger from habitat destruction, gill netting and other forms of human-induced disturbance. The Endangered Wildlife Trust though, is doing something about it. I had the opportunity to meet Karen Allen of the EWT’s Dugong Emergency Recovery Project recently and she sent me this mail. Please have a read, download the attached pdf document and enter the competition to help the EWT raise funds to implement their project. It’s a minimal amount and your help will go a long way.

“Dear fellow ocean lovers, divers, and conservationists

Following a successful field trip to Mozambique’s idyllic Bazaruto Archipelago; home to the Western Indian Ocean’s last remaining viable Dugong population – I’m happy to report that their presence remains detectable! I spent a considerable amount of time spotting them from the air, and at close-range from a boat last week.

The unfortunate reality is that measures for their effective protection through law enforcement remain largely ineffective. The Endangered Wildlife Trust is endeavoring to resolve this, and to recover the Bazaruto Dugong population- which is estimated between 100 and 200 animals. THE DUGONG EMERGENCY RECOVERY PROJECT also aims to reduce the likelihood of entanglement in Gill nets, and alleviate human-induced disturbance on the endangered mammal and its habitat by partnering with local, regional, and National Government, other NGO’s, and International Conventions.

Bazaruto’s Dugong’s need your help, and the Emergency Protection Project needs your support.

Kindly find a raffle ticket attached which I’m encouraging you to circulate on your databases. Proceeds from the sales will fund implementation and operation of the 5-year Protection Project.

Dugongs are on the verge of extinction. SUPPORT critical conservation efforts to stabilize their numbers and protect their habitat.

Purchase a raffle and win.
Prize: A 3-NIGHT STAY AT MARLIN LODGE ON BENGUERRA ISLAND, INCLUDING RETURN FLIGHTS.

The Dugong Emergency Protection Project is a 5-year research, protection and community development programme that will rehabilitate the LAST REMAINING
VIABLE Dugong population resident to the Western Indian Ocean.

HOW TO SUPPORT AND WIN
Step 1:   Attached please find the Dugong Emergency Protection Project Raffle form. E-mail the competition answers to karena@ewt.org.za
Step 2:   Donate R100 to:     Endangered Wildlife Trust
Bank: First National Bank
Branch Name & Town: Rosebank, Johannesburg
Branch Code: 25 33 05
Account Number: 50371564219
Swift Code: FIRNZAJJ
Reference Number: EW024
Step 3:  IMPORTANT: Before your entry is considered, you will need to reference your deposit as: EW024, and either fax or email proof of payment.
Fax: 011 486 1506
Email: karena@ewt.org.za

The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) is one of southern Africa’s leading non-Governmental, non-profit, conservation organizations.  “Conservation in Action” lies at
the heart of all the EWT’s operations. Our dedicated and expert field staff strive to conserve threatened species and ecosystems by initiating practical research and
conservation programmes, implementing projects that mitigate threats facing species diversity and supporting sustainable natural resource management.  Please
visit our website for more details about our project www.ewt.org.za

Join us in our commitment to conserving our rich natural heritage for future generations.

Your support in this endeavor is appreciated. Kindly contact me should you require any further information.

Karen Allen
Dugong Emergency Recovery Project
Endangered Wildlife Trust
Tel: 002711 486 1102
Mobile: 0027 82 7286564
www.ewt.org.za”

Click here to download the entry form and then follow the steps as outlined by Karen above.

I’ve been calling around to find out what people are up to on International Coastal Cleanup day – the 25th of September (you can read more here). Seems some dive operators are doing their bit on the 18th of September (more on that to follow).

But here’s something really innovative and committed. Sandton Scuba, based smack-bang in the middle of the city of smoke (Johannesburg) are taking a long-term view to coastal cleanup. Now we all know that what we do inland, ends up in the sea via our rivers and streams but there seems to be very little that gets done to clean up our rivers. Sandton Scuba, with the Braamfontein Spruit and Jukskei River on their doorstep have undertaken to do a cleanup on their patch of the rivers.

They plan to have a jam-packed day with their clients doing what we all should be doing anyway. What’s even better is that they’ve registered their cleanup operation with PADI’s Project Aware so their efforts will be recorded.

If you’ve got nothing planned on Saturday the 25th, why not pop down to Sandton Scuba and lend a hand and meet some new people. Here are the details:

Sandton Scuba

Date and time: 25 September · 10:00 – 13:00

And here’s what they say: “Support Project Aware ! Bring your kids , friends and family and every little bit of litter that we collect will make an impact! Gloves and Bags supplied on the day! Bring and Braai after the cleanup!”

Marine debris, Red Sea.

Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup day is scheduled for 25 September and is held in partnership with Project Aware, among others.

According to the Project Aware website, last year, more than 30,000 AWARE Divers and volunteers from 92 countries documented and removed harmful litter surfacing with more than 91,000 plastic bottles and nearly 79,000 plastic bags. In total, the weight of all debris collected equaled the weight of 44 Orca whales or 222 small cars.

Also from the Project Aware website, here’s a list of 10 actions you can take:

Combat Marine Debris. What You Can Do:

1. Remove debris you see during every recreational dive or shoreline visit.
2. The number one item found in cleanups is cigarette filters. Always dispose of them properly and never overboard.
3. Reduce, reuse and recycle.
4. Avoid buying plastic products.
5. Be aware of everything you buy and avoid excessive packaging.
6. Demand improved and increased number of recycling facilities for your area.
7. Properly dispose of all pieces of fishing line, net or other associated litter.
8. Keep plastics and rubbish off the ground and the ocean floor.
9. Keep storm drains and shorelines free of rubbish.
10. Get involved in underwater and shoreline cleanups with Project AWARE year-round or during September’s International Cleanup Day events.

For more information visit Project Aware or Ocean Conservancy’s websites.

If you know of any cleanups being held in Africa, please let us know and we’ll post them here.

The SA blog awards is a showcase of the very best of South African blogs.

We will endeavour to bring South African bloggers to the forefront of peoples attention, both locally and internationally, increasing exposure for South Africa’s great bloggers; and in the end reach out and touch people who are outside the realm of blogging and have them discover what they are missing.

The 2010 SA Blog Awards is scheduled for its annual process of nominations and voting this year are as follows:

• Nominations Phase:2nd August 2010 to 27th August 2010
• Voting Phase: 1st September to 17th September 2010
• Winners announced on 25 September 2010 at the annual awards ceremony provisionally at the One & Only hotel, Cape Town.

Please click here and have a look at rules with which the awards will be run this year.

Click here if you would like to nominate AfricanDiver Blog

It is said that Coffee Bay got its name when a ship carrying coffee beans ran aground in the vicinity. Apparently this was in 1893. It is also rumoured that some of the stranded coffee beans took root and grew into small coffee shrubs but failed to mature owing to the salt content in the soil. All of this is a great pity because there’s nothing I like more than a great cup of coffee to start my morning.  And today, I needed that coffee. Sometime during the previous night the weather Gods had turned the tables on us and blew up a stormy, grumpy and wave-filled sea. White horses stretched to the horizon and interestingly shaped waves crashed onto the launch beach.

With more than a little anticipation in our hearts and lumps in our throats we launched into the waves and headed out to sea. Leaving the shelter of the bay we headed south for a few kilometres to get some photographs of the famous and iconic Hole-in-the-Wall. The afternoon sun had settled behind the structure the previous day, which made for dull and uninteresting photography. So, our mission this morning was to photograph the Hole from the seaward side.

Hole in the Wall from the other side

This was the last time the cameras saw any light as the swells and rough sea had us all holding on to pontoons, foot straps and tank-racks as our intrepid Kamikaze Kaiser skipper navigated his way to Port St Johns.We weren’t the only ones having a hard time though. Gannets, Skua’s and Petrels flapped aimlessly against the wind and eventually settled to float in the swelling and moving sea.  We forced the Kaiser to stop for lunch and dined on cheese and tomato sandwiches while bobbing in between swells. Although the ride to Port St Johns was rough it was exciting and a good reminder of how lucky we had been with the weather the previous days. The other good thing about this ride was that it meant the last day of dining on cheese and tomato sandwiches; a regular lunchtime fare.

Port St Johns

Port St Johns river mouth

Port St Johns was a welcome sight and it took very little motivation for our crew to load the boat onto its trailer and ensconce ourselves in our hotel for the night. Well, if only for an hour or two … just before sunset we raced to the Port St Johns airport (airfield) to catch the sunset and quaff a few celebratory beers before heading out to dinner at the famous Delicious Monster restaurant.

Sunset at Port St Johns airfield

Celebration time

Delicious Monster restaurant

We’d travelled some 600 or more kilometres by sea from Port Elizabeth to Port St Johns. Along the way we were privileged to share the sea with:

• Bottlenose Dolphin;
• Common Dolphin;
• Brydes Whales;
• Southern Right Whales;
• Humpback Whales;
• Cape Gannet;
• Skua;
• African Penguin; and
• one cargo ship.

We’d planned this trip on a whim and in order to explore the marine diversity of the Eastern Cape and Transkei coast and we were not disappointed. The marine diversity is staggering and the off-shore encounters legendary. The people we met along the way were friendly and welcoming and there is no doubt in our minds that we South Africans must do everything in our power to protect, preserve and treasure the oceans that run along our coastlines and sustain us.

Download the October issue of African Diver for the full report and more images.

South Africa’s newest dive attractions – two artificial reefs – have been established near Cape Vidal in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. This places South Africa’s first World Heritage Site in the company of Australia’s Woongarra Marine National Park which boasts the Cochrane Artificial Reef.

Says Andrew Zaloumis Park CEO, “The iSimangaliso Authority seized the opportunity to turn what was a disaster into a tourism and marine research possibility for South Africa’s first World Heritage Site.The two rugby-field-size dumb barges, named DAR1 and DAR2, scuttled late last year just south of Cape Vidal are already attracting plentiful marine life in their new role as artificial reefs.”

Click here to read more

african diver magazine issue 3

Diving in Benin – Benin? Where’s Benin you may ask. But worry not Mike Markovina explains all. Want to help tag whale sharks? Nimu Njonja is looking for help in Kenya to tag whale sharks this February. Interested in freediving? Trevor Hutton takes us on his journey to re-conquer Badgat’s deep hole and the AfricanDiver team takes lessons in freediving to find out for ourselves. We take a look at the Natal Sharks Board and travel back in time to discover Natal’s whaling history. We’ve covered Malaria and now we look at Dengue fever – another mosquito borne disease to watch out for. We hope you enjoy our 3rd issue as much as we do.

Download Now

The news filtered through the village, in disbelieving whispers that a dugong”nguva” had been caught in one of fishermen gillnets. There was a palpable but restrained sense of excitement in Kiunga village. Then fishermen confirmed and identified whose nets had caught the dugong there was a pandemonium in the otherwise sleepy village.   Everyone who could walk (mostly women and children) made a beeline to the fish landing site to wait for the mysterious and extremely rare dugong.  Click here to read more.

great white shark, african diver, durban

Gareth Morgan sent us this image from one of his dives in December on Nevs Ledge at a depth of 24m.  Visibility was 10 metres and the water temp was 24 degree’s.  The shark size was estimated to be 2.5 metres.  AfricanDiver has had reports from numerous divers of increased shark activity on the Eastern coast of South Africa and Mozambique.  AfricanDiver is currently investigating these reports as this type of activity is unusual.  The findings will be published in a forthcoming issue of AfricanDiver.

sodwana bay, african diver, underwater photography

Bryan Hart sent us these images from his recent trip up to Sodwana Bay.  Click here to see the images.

At 77 square kilometers and an average depth of 13 meters, Lake Sibaya is the largest fresh water lake in Southern Africa and adjacent to Sodwana Bay.  Previously connected to the sea the lake is host to several endemic fish species found nowhere else in the world.

When diving at Sodwana it is worth visiting the lake.  These images were taken by Bryan Hart on his recent visit to Sodwana.

Regular blog contributor Bryan Hart sent us this report on the diving, or lack of it, in and around the Durban area.

The diving season is going to plan…. Dec and Jan are usually great, and Feb is traditionally not…..

This means that the water is very warm but dirty, due to all the rivers dumping their sediment into the sea. And then just when it looks like it is clearing up, a big old cyclone pulls in!

This can be a very tough time of the year for any diver - low viz and cancelled launch’s and that feeling of going to work on a Monday that you have missed out on something….tensions at home run high – spouses get irritated by having you home on the weekend and you generally end up fixing something around the house or mowing the lawn……it also results in very uninspired newsletters like this!!

However April is coming, and looking at all the public holidays in this month, it appears that the ANC wants us to dive with less working days in that month than ever than before!! Fantastic as this also coincides with a calm clean ocean!!

It appears that sharks are still in the lime light this year. There has been another Great White sighting off Umdloti – unfortunately this was of a dead Great White that had been caught in a FAD (fish attracting device). Fisherman build these fish attracting devices, and anchor them out at sea which they then visit in order to fish. The picture below was taken during the recovery of the drowned Great White.

great white shark

tiger sharks

Bryan Hart’s posting about Dull days in Durban contained an item about a great white that had drowned after being caught in a fish attracting device (“FAD”). The Natal Sharks Board’s Geremy Cliff gave us some additional information about the incident:

“We received a call from NSRI late Sunday morning with the news that a large white shark had entangled itself in a FAD off Umdloti. Yesterday (Monday) morning we went out to investigate. The GPS co-ords indicated that it was about 4 nm offshore. We couldn’t find anything at the spot but did find another 2 FADs closer inshore. Apparently there are at least 3 FADs in the area; presumably deployed by local skiboaters to improve catches, esp. Dorado. The positions of each one are well known to the local anglers. One of the anglers who saw the shark estimated that it was about 4.5 m long, but I don’t think it was anywhere near that, probably about 3.5 m.

I jumped in on both FADs, but only saw small triggerfish and tiny kingfish. The one has tassels of strapping case bands as an attractant, the other horizontal strips of material.

I suspect that the weight of the dead white shark, which appeared to be very fresh on Sunday morning, must have pulled the FAD down below the surface. It is difficult to work out exactly how a white shark would have entangled itself, unless it already had a trace in its mouth, which then snagged the FAD.”

Geremy added “we did hear that an angler had removed the head, presumably to take out the jaws, which is illegal in that white sharks are fully protected species.  EKZN want to remove these FADs, which like all others are illegal”

Tunas and other pelagic species are often attracted to floating objects such as coconuts, logs, seaweed, and plastic bottles. These are often found at current boundaries and up-wellings, which are areas of the ocean that are usually very productive and therefore good places for tuna to search for food. Local fishers generally know about such areas, but current boundaries, and the fish that feed around them, are never stationary. Fishers may have to search a large area to locate them, in order to take advantage of the good fishing. FADs are floating objects that are specifically designed and located to attract tunas and pelagics, and therefore allow fishers to find them more easily. No one understands exactly why tunas are attracted to FADs, but the ropes, floats and the other materials used presumably mimic the build-up of driftwood and seaweed found naturally in the sea. A FAD comprises a large anchor (up to 1mt), a heavy-duty mooring chain (usually about 30m in length) and mooring rope, with about 50 purse-seine floats strung at the surface. The ropes and chain are joined using various shackles, rope connectors, splices and thimbles. A flag-pole is attached to facilitate finding the FAD. FADs may be placed in shallow (50-100m) or deep (500- 1,500m) waters. Deep-water FADs attract or aggregate Skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), Yellowfin (Thunnus albacares), and Bigeye tunas (T. obesus) and also sharks, Dolphin-fish, Rainbow-runner and other smaller fish. FADs anchored a few kilometers off the coast, and in depths of over 500m are generally more successful in attracting schools of tunas than shallow-water FADs. FADs aggregate the smaller tunas (Skipjack and immature Yellowfin, for example) at the surface and larger tunas (such as mature Yellowfin and Bigeye) at depths of 300-400m. A key point to recognize is that FADs do not increase the biomass of fish (i.e. they do not increase size of a fish population). All they do is aggregate them in one place, making them easier to catch. Schools of tuna never actually ‘live’  under FAD’s, but they associate with it for a few days or weeks, often ranging some kilometers away searching for  good, before moving on. Fishing captains have reported finding individual schools of tuna that exceeded, 500 mt in total weight and may hold more than a million individual fish.

by Bryan Hart

I always look at the prop wash in order to get an indication on what the water is doing when launching from Durban. On Saterday it looked like we had plotted a course into the Umgeni River mouth…. However – just as we were about to cancel the whole show, a decision was made to go have a look see……

I have to admit, I didn’t expect much, and was already groaning at the prospect of  having to put my wetsuit in soap afterwards to get all the mud stains out of it! As we descended down the shot line, the viz was none existent – until 5m, the water opened up into 10m of viz. The water temp dropped to 18 degree’s though but still I could tell we were going to get in a long awaited dive!
We dropped the shot line on Nevs Ledge – there have not been too many dives on this reef as of yet so the area on top and further down the ledge are still unfamiliar to the group making each dive interesting.
Nevs Ledge  that at its highest point, drops off approximately 6m onto the sand. There is an old danforth anchor and a rudder on the sand. This reef is best dived on Nitrox with a nice 30 percent mix giving you a good 30min on the bottom. Scattered around this area are pieces of pipe / metal – one can only speculate how something like a rudder and all this metal could could come to rest here.
There was a slight South to North current that was running, and the horizontal viz was an acceptable 10m.

As we hit the bottom, we were engulfed by approximately 200 plus spotted grunters. They were swimming in rapid bursts and I really expected to see the GW again!! The Grunter were all very large at around 60cm – As far as Iam aware there is no Grunter run that would explain why we saw this large shoal of grunter. The fish also appeared to be “slapping” one another on the sand – very interesting. There were also a few rays scattered around as well as a very large ship that came over us during the dive – nothing out of the ordinary really for NO.1!!!
.

February is traditionally a non event in terms of diving off Durban as this coincides with the rainy season. However Iam sure all that dived on Saterday with us will take it and back me up in saying….

you only know if you go….

Expedition 2009 is off to a flying start. With 15 eager participants, a filmcrew from the Nation and a KWS team on board the anticipation was high as they all set off. Volker and I were both wide awake at 5am too excited to sleep.

I watched them set off wondering how the day would turn out. Whale sharks were spotted on 20 Feb by divers and we have a microlight as air support (I can hear it droning overhead as I write this) so all the signs were good. But you never know! And I can never relax until I get the call from Volker -

”WHALE SHARK TAGGED!!!”

Less than an hour into the first expedition they found a whale shark, everyone swam with it and it was tagged with Kenya’s first acoustic tag. This tag was sponsored by Philippa Gibbon (Gwili from the Colobus Trust’s mum). Philippa sponsored our first 2 acoustic tags as presents for Gwili’s dad and uncle.

So a BIG thank you to Philippa – her acoustic tag is finally deployed and well done to Volker and everyone on the expedition.

This is the mournful picture of Volker’s fins from the acoustic expedition we did in April last year? No sharks were spotted and Volker didn’t get a chance to even get in the water!

We are already a far cry from that and we’ve only just started!!!!!

Please donate and help us keep the expedition going.

Another cracking day with 3 sightings and 1 tagged.

I have wonderful sponsors lined up for our 3rd tag and 4th tag, after which it’s anybodys game so please help us by sponsoring a shark! Professor Dan Reinstein and the London Vision Clinic have sponsored the next tag. Thank you so much Professor Dan! And Camp Kenya and Camps International have sponsored the 4th acoustic tag we put out.

Thank you so much Camps!

As promised here are some pictures of the whale shark tagging expedition 2009. This is the microlight.

This is the flight crew. Alexis is the pilot and he is in the middle, his girlfriend Emma and Chris the cameraman on either side of him. The team fly for 3 – 4 hours per day and do an amazing job helping us!

This is the boat we used called Melia (daughter of Neptune). It belongs to Southern Cross Scuba. SXS has several dive bases, one of which is at Aqualand Watersports Centre next to Pinewood Village Hotel on Galu Kinondo beach where we meet each morning at 10am.

And here are the lucky people swimming with the biggest fish on the planet! An experience you will never forget

We have circled the shark for you. They are not as easy to spot as you think! Best is when they are swimming over a sandy patch like in the picture here.

Meet Bumble, adopted by Peter and Philipa Gibbon, Kenya’s first acoustically tagged shark. May he bumble on peacefully for many years to come and enjoy a long and happy life.

It is the start of a new week and we hope we will see more sharks than we did last week! The sightings have been very poor with no sharks seen for 6 days. We don’t really know why but we suspect it may be due to the unsettled weather we have been experiencing. The sea is a lot rougher than it should be at this time of year and the wind direction keeps changing. Climate-wise nothing is really as it should be but then isn’t that true of so many parts of the world these days.

Despite the disappointing number of sharks, we remain positive. We will keep trying and the huge numbers of people interested in our work keeps us motivated. We have had full boats every day. The media interest has been immense and we have 4 different film crews in the past few days. Reuters, AP, KTN and The Standard have all covered the expedition.

Last night the film crew from Australia and our lead scientist Dr Rachel Graham arrived. We are set for a good weeks worth of work here in Diani. If we don’t see sharks here, we will move the expedition further north where there have been sightings.

We are carrying out the longest and most coherent aeriel survey ever to be done for whale sharks in Kenya. Whatever happens we will learn something and continue to work hard for whale shark conservation in Kenya.

This week the boat is booked exclusively for the Australian film crew to film for their documentary. We are so excited that they are here! Volker gets the opportunity to work alongside one of the top underwater videographers in the world. From Friday the boat is fully booked over the weekend and the last weekend of the expedition is almost fully booked as well. We continue to be amazed and encouraged by the number of people who come and support our work. We are determined and 110% committed to see it through.

I will keep you posted as the week progresses.

iSimangaliso boasts riches beyond measure in its protected estuary and ocean, and anglers are often amazed at what they pull out of the waters. This “monster” brindle bass was caught in the shallow St Lucia estuary by Mtubatuba resident, Innes Minnie, who fought for almost 2 hours to bring it in. Before being release it was measured at 1.7m and probably weighed around 100kg

Brindle Bass, African Diver

Out at sea, other magnificent giants include a familiar whale shark spotted by diver Sam Bester at Sodwana Bay.
On 18 December 2008 after a spectacular dive on Stringer reef we were visited by an eight metre male whale shark on the surface at Stringer.

Whale shark, Sodwana, Stringer Reef, African Diver

When I saw the visible scarring on the left gill area, I knew immediately that this was an animal encountered and photographed twice before in Sodwana Bay.  The first recorded sighting was on 8th January 2006 followed by a repeat sighting on 4th January 2008.

“This whale shark is the seventh individual identified and re-sighted at Sodwana Bay in the last 24 months,” said Sam.

Loggerhead turtle, Sodwana, African Diver

A further excitement recorded by Sam was a repeat sighting of a Loggerhead turtle released by uShaka Marine World on 12 May 2008.  “Bob” had spent in excess of 15 years in captivity at Seaworld in Durban, and then subsequently at uShaka.

Bob was transported from uShaka with a hands-on team of scientists and staff to Sodwana by vehicle.  Once in Sodwana he was tagged, medicated with antibiotics and measured before being loaded on to the boat and taken to sea.  He was successfully released at Anton’s reef on southern 2 mile and was monitored before being left to enjoy his freedom.

On the 28th  December 2008, Sam Bester – who was part of the Release Team – had the privilege of a visit from Bob on Wayne’s World, at northern 2 mile.

The ministry of fisheries and agriculture has extended the moratorium on reef shark fishing to cover the territorial waters of the Maldives, as part of a historic move towards a total ban on both reef and oceanic shark hunting.

A ten-year moratorium was imposed in 1998 to cover the seven atolls where tourism had been established on the assumption that many tourists visited the Maldives to see sharks.

But with the spread of tourism to almost all atolls in the country, the ministry has decided to expand the ban to encompass all reef shark fishing across the Maldives within a 12 nautical mile radius.

Marie Saleem, a reef ecologist at the marine research centre and one of those at the forefront of the campaign to ban shark hunting, said she was both “excited” and “relieved” to hear that the efforts of those who had been pushing for a ban were “finally fruitful”.

Reef shark populations would now need to be monitored as a matter of urgency in order to observe the effectiveness of the ban, she said.

Total ban

Abdullah Nasir, permanent secretary of the fisheries ministry, has said: “The fisheries law clearly tells us that we can protect any marine species if we feel that it’s threatened or endangered for any reason.”

Although oceanic shark fishing is yet to be prohibited by law, Nasir said the ministry was “working towards that” and had set itself a target of banning the export of shark products, both oceanic and reef, within one year.

“We have taken very strong action against the protection of sharks simply because they were protected worldwide and are very important for tourism.”

As sharks reproduce at a slow rate their populations cannot handle large-scale fishing pressure.

Speaking to Minivan News in December, Guy Stevens, senior marine biologist at Four Seasons resorts, said: “It takes decades and decades for the shark population to recover, but it doesn’t take long to wipe out.”

NGO Shark Alliance estimates tens of millions of sharks are killed globally each year either as by-catch or intentionally. The lucrative market for shark fins in Asia, where shark-fin soup is considered to be a delicacy, is believed to be increasing each year.

Livelihoods

One of the hurdles faced by the ministry is the need to find alternative livelihoods for the 100 or so fishermen whose incomes depend on shark fishing.

“We need to work with the fishermen to identify alternative livelihoods and to compensate them,” said Marie.

“I feel that the tourism industry should play a large role in this change and take the responsibility of compensating the fishermen as they are the ones reaping the benefits out of the loss of fishermen.”

Nasir said the government was in the process of finding other means of income for these fishermen.

Robert Tomasetti, a marine biologist at Banyan Tree resort, has said that as shark fishing is not a traditional fishery, the ban should be easier to enforce than the ban on turtle hunting.

“I think that there are only about 100 to 200 shark fishermen and it’s mostly seasonal; other times of the year they will be fishing tuna. Whenever we take something away, we have to provide another source of income.”

Enforcement

Tomasetti stressed the importance of making the leap between “rhetoric and reality”. He said although the move showed live sharks were more valuable for tourists than dead sharks, the ban on sea turtle hunting had proved ineffective.

“I think it’s a success but I just hope it will be followed through with action. This government seems to be very environmentally friendly.”

One of the ways in which the ban will be enforced is by monitoring exports. But, said Tomasetti, “It’s difficult unless you are a specialist or trained well, to tell the difference between fins of some species and another.”

He said it was possible fishermen would hunt reef sharks and palm them off as another species, which is why a total ban was essential.

“Ocean fishery is generally less targeted because of the cost of fuel but maybe they will shift towards these sharks because they can’t fish reef sharks.”

The extension to all atolls will help the ministry of fisheries check and control reef shark hunting, said Nasir. He added the responsibility of enforcement would need to be shared by atoll offices and the police as well as the ministry.

The ministry would ensure customs staff received further training so officers could learn to spot different shark-related products, he said.

“Tremendous”

A recent report by Stevens noted nationwide whale shark excursions were responsible for generating around US$10 million annually while shark hunting produces about US$100,000 a year.

Mohamed Sim Ibrahim, the secretary general of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry, said the effect of the ban on the tourism industry would be “tremendous”.

The long-term effect on the revival of the shark population would need to be monitored along with its impact on tuna fisheries.

Crudely put, observations have shown a positive link between shark and tuna populations, he said.

“Instead of reducing these species or hunting them to extinction, we are thinking positively about conserving them and keeping them, adding more value to the tourism experience.”

According to Sim, around 30 per cent of tourists visit the Maldives for its underwater marine life and in addition to manta rays, sharks would be “their number one priority”.

After almost 2 weeks with zero sightings, yesterday at almost the end of the expedition Rob our pilot spotted a whale shark opposite the Barclays shopping centre. He said he had to look twice and nearly fell out of his seat he was so surprised! We have searched solidly now for 2 weeks with no joy and Rob was coming in to land when we spotted this shark. Quick as  a flash Rachel tagged it with our 3rd acoustic tag and the boat full of kind expedition members danced with joy!

With sightings so low we have had to keep our researcher and film crew busy. One of the things we did was to put down an acoustic receiver in Nyuli which is a deep site further south with the kind assistance of Harm and Selina from Pili Pippa. Harm and Selina run a fantastic snorkelling and diving dhow trip. They will be in charge of the receiver station and work together with us and with Rachel at the WCS to gather and analyse data. We all got some great footage of the Nyuli receiver being put down and I will put some pictures up soon. I had the opportunity to film it with my new video camera. Filming underwater is not as easy as Volker makes it look that’s for sure!! I really enjoyed it but have a lot to learn!

Another thing we did with the Australian filmcrew is take them up to the Shimba hills – Kenya is one of the only places in the world where you can swim with whale sharks in the morning and have sundowners with elephants in the afternoon! Quite a claim to fame and one that will feature in the documentary being made.

We have also been kept busy with local film crews doing stories on the whale sharks. We have had no less than 3 different crews from Nairobi alone. As always the huge interest in our work is so encouraging even when we don’t see any sharks! The boats have been full every day and people are so supportive of what we are trying to do. When they don’t see sharks they all look on the bright side and we haven’t had a single complaint if they don’t see sharks! People understand that whale sharks are wild and free (thank God) and if they don’t show up there’s nothing much we can do about it. But we have seen hundreds of dolphins each day which is always very special. We are learning more each time we take the boat out and put the plane up. This expedition is one of the longest aerial surveys of Kenya’s south coast ever to be carried out. It’s amazing what you can do with community support and interest from the public – we are acutely conscious of that and very grateful to everyone who has supported us.

This shark we tagged yesterday has been adopted and sponsored by London Vision Clinic and is to be called Eagle Eye. Thank you so much to Professor Dan Reinstein and the London Vision Clinic for their kind and constant support to our project. It is through Professor Dan that we met world renowned concert pianist Katya Grineva who you might remember visited the project last year to do some fund raising concerts. It is also thanks to Professor Dan that Katya, my dad and I all have eagle eye vision!

Cape Town – South African authorities have seized a Taiwanese fishing boat accused of violating limits on shark fishing.

Inspectors confiscated 1.6 tons of dried shark fins from the vessel and said it was “the biggest alleged illegal consignment during recent years.” The boat’s permit was valid for just 100kg of shark fins.

The environment ministry said the amount of dried shark fin suggested that the vessel had caught at least 30 tons of sharks, nearly 15 times what the crew claimed to have caught.

In a statement on Saturday it said the vessel would remain in Cape Town pending criminal proceedings and would be blacklisted worldwide.

Shark-finning is fuelled by big profit margins with shark fins estimated to fetch between $400-$700 per kilogram.

- SAPA

Here are some pictures of the whale shark we tagged on Sunday 8 March. It was a small juvenile male of about 4 metres tagged by Rachel Graham of the WCS. This shark has been adopted by London Vision Clinic and is called Eagle Eye.

Whale Shark, African Diver

You can see the tag clearly in the picture just below the dorsal fin.

Whale Shark, African Diver

Rachel has been with us for over a week now and this is the only shark we have seen. We are planning to go out again this weekend and Rachel has extended her stay so that she is here for the last 2 days of the expedition! Her enthusiasm abounds and she is firing up her satellite tags in anticipation of the Saturday expedition even as I write this blog so she is obviously hopeful.

Critically endangered hawksbill turtles are no longer being sold as tourist souvenirs in the Dominican Republic after a powerful government campaign cracked down on shops illegally trading such items. More than 99 percent of these souvenirs have been withdrawn or confiscated the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC reports.  Click here to read more.

The water from the big rains are still silting up from the dams up in the Midlands. However it appears that water levels are starting to drop and the rivers are slowing down….
All these things are major contributors to the water quality off Durban.

Sunday was the better of the two days to be out on the ocean, with no swell and lending itself to pleasant diving conditions….
There is still a bit of sediment in the water, which reduced the viz to a respectable 10m on Nevs Ledge. NO.1.

If you are an experienced diver that has been there, dived that and looking for a bit of inspiration / change in terms of diving – then perhaps you need to look at a dive on either Nevs ledge , Bat Reef or Raggies on NO.1… you will be challenged in all aspects of your diving skills – bottom time management, air consumption management and buoyancy/ ascent rates. At a maximum depth of 30m – these reefs are tantalizingly out of reach for the average diver…The scenery/ drop-offs  will have you watching your depth and air in order to stretch every last bit of bottom time out of the dive. No.1 is not for every one – but it is not just anyone that we want to dive it with!

As most of us have not dived for a while – it was nice to just get our bearings together underwater – yes the reef is still there!
We also made a decision to raise a rudder that we have been pondering over for the past two years – would be interesting to try and find out from where it came.
There is also a old Danforth anchor there as well and a bit of structure scattered around the area?

Otherwise it was a great day out in the ocean, and we look forward to some further reef exploration on NO.1, now that the water is starting to clean up.

At this stage – we are looking forward to some SW winds during the week with a light easterly due on Friday and Saturday ….. so hopefully see you Saturday!

April is also coming and we intend to ramp up the diving activities over this month.

Cheers for now!

Bryan Hart

African Diver, underwater photography, scuba diving, freediving

Senegal, the Maldives, Dahab and Sodwana Bay; all parts of Africa and its surrounding islands that feature in this issue of African Diver. The Moving Sushi expedition alerts us to the serious state of Senegal’s fisheries and Christopher Bartlett reminds us of the perilous state of the ocean’s shark stocks. Rowan Duvel lightens the mood with his article on freediving with Mantas in the Maldives while Morten Villadsen enthrals us with his experiences of freediving the Blue Hole in Dahab. Paul Hunter takes us on a personal visit to Sodwana Bay and DAN advises on altitude diving. Enjoy this fourth issue and don’t forget to visit our blog.

We were lucky to meet Matt Potenski who came from Mafia Island to visit us during the expedition. He has sent the following report and pictures showing the work he has done in Mafia. Rachel our scientist from the WCS gave him some receivers and tags to put out so that we can all work together. It is a very exciting start for Mafia as you will read below!! Many thanks for the info Matt – at least we now know where all the sharks are!!!

EAWST Blog – Cooperation with Tanzania

To all the EAWST friends, greetings from Tanzania.  My name is Matthew D Potenski, and I run a research program on whale sharks in Mafia Island, Tanzania.  Over the last few years, some data has been collected to suggest that whale sharks may use areas of both Kenya and Tanzania.  This year I had the pleasure to come up to Kenya to meet with members of the EAWST and head out into the field with Dr. Rachel Graham.  Upon discussion with both Dr. Graham and the EAWST, we were able to look at some data and agree to collaborate on projects in the future.  In that vein, I have just completed my season of field research at Mafia, and have a number of interesting things to report.

Last year I made observations of a tagged shark off Mafia Island.  This is not remarkable as I tag the sharks there, but this shark had a tag that was not like the ones I put out.  After some effort, I was able to remove enough algae from the tag to decipher a number.  The tag read K001, and I rightly guessed that the tag’s origin was in Kenya.  I contacted members of the EAWST and they confirmed that it was a tag they put out.   In the past few months, I have re-sighted this shark numerous times.  At the last count, I have encountered this shark six times over a span of three weeks.  All the sightings have been made in the waters immediately to the west of Mafia Island.  Shark K001 was seen on January 27th and 29th, and February 1st, 2nd, 9th, and 23rd.  The identification of this shark was confirmed by spot-pattern analysis.  Please see below for a spot ID picture taken of shark K001 on January 27th.

whale shark, african diver, tanzania, mafia

I am also happy to report that in cooperation with the EAWST and Dr. Graham, I have been able to deploy automated telemetry equipment at Mafia Island.

african diver, telemetry equipment

This means that Tanzania has joined with Madagascar, Mozambique, and Kenya in forming acoustic arrays for whale shark detection.  On March 20th-22nd I managed to deploy the eight transmitters I received from Dr. Graham.  Seven male sharks ranging from 3-6.5 meters and one 5m female were fitted with a Vemco V16 acoustic transmitter.

whale shark, african diver, tagging

On the 23rd, a small team helped me deploy two Vemco VR2W acoustic receivers.  This involved diving on scuba and pounding iron bars into the sand.  We then attached the units both to the bars and to 150 kg cement blocks as a preventative measure.  There is some net fishing in the area where these receivers are located and the cement block should be heavy enough to keep the units from being pulled up in a net.

african diver, mafia

The important point is that the deployment of this equipment is completely reciprocal with transmitters and receivers deployed by the EAWST.  This automated telemetry equipment may give further insights into the actual amount of migration by whale sharks between Kenya and Tanzania.  Sharks tagged with transmitters in one location can be detected by receivers in another location.  The actual residence time or amount of time a whale shark spends in a location with each receiver will be measured.  This means that data on both local movements and migrations between receiver arrays can be collected.  The receivers will spend several months in the water before they are retrieved and their data downloaded.  I know I am very excited to see what data we will be able to get with this technology, and I look forward to comparing data with the EAWST so that we can get a more accurate picture of the behavioral patterns of whale sharks in East Africa.

Special thanks to Volker, Nimu, and all the volunteers at the EAWST and to Dr. Rachel Graham of the Wildlife Conservation Society for their friendship and support.   I look forward to more whale sharks in both Kenya and Tanzania in 2010.

News24.com

Cape Town – The skipper of a Taiwanese fishing vessel has paid a R1.5m fine for contravening permit conditions, the department of environment affairs said on Monday.

This was the highest fine ever imposed for such a transgression, the department said.

The Chien Jui number 102 was seized in Cape Town harbour two weeks ago, and law enforcement authorities confiscated more than 1.6 tons of dried shark fin and 5.1 tons of shark carcasses from it.

The fine was for contravening permit conditions for foreign vessels entering the South African exclusive economic zone.

The number of fins did not match the number of shark bodies, and the discrepancy was beyond “tolerance” limits.

Department officials also arrested a man early on Monday morning near Hermanus after more than 5 000 perlemoen (abalone) were found in the vehicle he was driving.

He was expected to appear in the Hermanus Magistrate’s Court later this week.

Killers whales have been spotted and photographed in False Bay in the Western Cape over the weekend.

Chris Fallows managed to take some stunning photos of the whales hunting conning dolphins, and we thought you would like to see these.

To read more click here

Thomas P. Peschak who is an award winning photojournalist and marine biologist based in Cape Town, has a 15-page article in Africa Geographic.  The article covers the history and impact of shark nets along the KwaZulu Natal coastline.  Thomas is also the chief photographer for Save Our Seas Foundation.  Click here to download the PDF article, it is well worth the read.  There is also a video about the shark nets on the Save Our Seas Foundations website.

Cape Town – Thirty-three people were arrested in a dramatic boat chase in the sea between suspected perlemoen poachers and police outside Cape Town on Wednesday morning, police said.  To read more click here.

Saatchi & Saatchi, Cape Town, the internationally recognised, multi-award winning ad agency responsible for our Rethink the Shark campaign, and assisted by Lesley Rochat of the SOS Shark Centre, have come up with another unique campaign, The Oceans Speak Out. The campaign consists of specific elements (see below), each a direct appeal for help from those who find them while walking on the beach. The aim of the campaign is to educate the public about the alarming decline in marine life by literally giving the ocean and its inhabitants a voice. The campaign will roll out over three days from 24 May on Muizenberg Beach in Cape Town, South Africa.

To read more click here!

African Diver magazine really is a labour of love. The June edition is due out on Monday and we have to work through the weekend to get it ready for the website. All’s not bad news though as we’re working on the sundeck at Ponta Mamoli, as you can see from the photograph below.

Ponta Mamoli is hosting the Boundless Southern Africa expedition led by Kingsly Holgate and we were fortunate enough to be invited to attend. So, laptops and cameras in hand we headed off to Mozambique. Diving conditions have not been great but we managed to dive this morning. 3 metre visibility and plenty of surge made for an interesting dive. But our diving hosts: Frank and Sheldon more than made up for the disappointing conditions.

The June issue of African Diver features the 10th anniversary of the Sodwana shootout (held last week) and a collection of destinations from Mozambique – Pomene, Ponta d Oura and Ponta Mamoli. Look out for DAN’s article on marine animals injuries and news from the Moving Sushi team who are in North Africa.

Visit the website on Monday to download the June edition.

In another step towards becoming environment-friendly, the cabinet unveiled plans yesterday to designate three whale shark habitats in the Maldives as protected areas.

Cabinet members allocated Baa atoll Hanifaru, Baa atoll An’gafaru and Alif Dhaal atoll Maamigili as protected areas to commemorate World Environment Day and World Ocean Day on the 5 and 8 June respectively.

“We welcome the whale shark sanctuaries,” said Ali Rilwan, executive director of environment NGO Bluepeace today. “We don’t need paper parks, we need monitoring and more research in these areas.”

In March, the ministry of fisheries and agricultures extended the moratorium on reef shark fishing to cover the whole of the Maldives as part of a move towards a total ban on both reef and oceanic shark hunting.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Ibrahim Naeem, director of the environment ministry, said the main objective of the project was to protect the areas’ megafauna, namely whale sharks.

He explained the areas will be divided into various zones, in which different activities will be permitted. While diving and snorkelling would still be allowed, a set of guidelines would be provided to instruct on how to deal with encounters with whale sharks.

Further, boats will be subject to speed limits in certain areas, he said.

Naeem said the reaction of local residents was “very positive”. “They actively wanted this to happen and this won’t impact any of their activities so they have nothing to lose from this,” he said. “That’s the findings of the consultation.”

He added the decision would have a “global significance” and the areas were among the few in the world where whale sharks could be spotted.

The polka-dotted whale shark is the largest fish on the planet, but very little is known about their existence, according to the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme’s website.

While it is known they swim potentially vast distances across the ocean, eating only plankton, tiny fish and squid, how long they live or where they reproduce remains a mystery.

Guy Stevens, a marine biologist at Four Seasons Resort, said it was crucial to establish a set of guidelines to counter the impact that the growth of tourism would have on whale sharks in future years.

At present, it is estimated that whale shark excursions generate US$10 million annually.

According to Stevens, researchers have spotted 115 whale sharks in the Maldives, although the real number was probably higher.

“Some of these areas are important feeding grounds,” said Stevens. “And out of all of them, there are only two females, so the animals are only spending part of their lives here.”

He added the designated areas would also protect other animal species such as manta rays in Hanifaru and reef sharks in An’gafaru.

As part of its efforts to mark World Environment Day and World Ocean Day over the coming week, the government will also be introducing seven awards in recognition of efforts to go carbon neutral and launch two campaigns: “Walk to School” and “Back to Bicycle”.

NGO Bluepeace will be also hold an event to celebrate World Environment Day this Friday: a beach clean-up at Hulhumale’.

AfricanDiver magazine

It is June and here is the 5th issue of African Diver. This issue finds us experiencing the magic of Mozambique once again. From the paradise of Pomene to the serenity of Ponta Mamoli and the party venue of Ponta d’Oura we lose ourselves in the uniqueness that is Mozambique. We hope you will too. We bring you the 10th anniversary of the annual Sodwana Shootout with images that will have you packing your gear and warming up the 4×4. Mike and his Moving Sushi team take us to Mauritania and the Western Sahara where we learn of the poor state of the fisheries there. DAN, Rocky Bay, Save Our Seas Foundation and a new book on the marine life off the Cape Peninsula round off this issue. Enjoy the read.

great white shark, african diver, durban

Predation is one of the most fundamental and fascinating interactions in nature, and sharks are some of the fiercest predators on Earth. However, their hunting pattern is difficult to study because it is rarely observed in the wild. As a result, shark predatory behavior has remained much of a mystery. Now, researchers from the United States and Canada are using geographic profiling — a criminal investigation tool used to track a connected series of crimes and locate where serial criminals live — to examine the hunting patterns of white sharks in South Africa.

To read more click here

Blacktip Shark

South Africa’s so-called Big Five will soon become the Big Seven, when the whale and the shark are officially added to this tourist attraction, SABC news reported on Tuesday.

Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said the department had decided to add the two ocean predators to the current Big Five, which are the lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo, reported the public broadcaster.

The government’s news agency, Bua News, quoted Sonjica as describing this as “a very significant move for tourism as we will become the only country in the world to boast a Big Seven”.

“We can offer tourists, among other things, a shark dive in Gansbaai. We will be marketing these animals – sharks and whales – to the whole world. It will have a significant impact on tourism,” she said.

Sonjica said South Africa had significant numbers of species in the top ocean predators such as the shark and the whale.

“On that basis we will add these two species to the Big Five and then have a resultant Big Seven.”

Reef scene Red Sea

Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at FAU Pledge to Cooperate on Oceanographic Research and Education–Scientists will work jointly to advance marine research in the Red Sea.

Click here to read more

Sardine run 2009 - Paul Hunter

I have just returned from Port St John’s and the sardine run.  What an experience.  I saw everything from dolphin, seal, Bryde’s whales, Humpback whale, Great white shark and much more.  I will be doing an article for our magazine which is due at the end of this month.  Keep an eye out for it.

The regulating of whale watching and shark cage diving businesses will begin this month. The Environmental Affairs Department has said it will begin issuing permits in accordance with the two boat-based activities gazetted last year.

A fee of R8 249 which will be required with each application will be non-refundable.

Under section 13 of the Marine Living Resources Act, the permits will be allocated for a maximum period of one year and re-allocated each year for five years from the date of the initial allocation.

“(The policies) are aimed at providing and improving regulatory and compliance frameworks in each sector, growing both sectors through the allocation of a greater number of permits and transforming the industries.”

White shark cage diving will be restricted to Seal Island in False Bay, Dyer Island in Gansbaai, Quoin Rock at Quoin Point, Seal Island in Mossel Bay and Algoa Bay while boat-based whale watching will be allowed in 27 different coastal areas.

Sardines

The Greatest Shoal on Earth, less prosaically known at the Sardine Run, has been an annual event along the east coast of South Africa for decades. What was simply a natural resource that provided an easily accessible protein source for local inhabitants and an income for fisherman has become a tourist event, classified with the Serengeti Migration and Iceland Atlantic Puffins as “Must See Nature Sites“.
The Sardines
The sardines, which are more correctly known as the Southern African Pilchard (Sardinops sagaxis), are the most fished species in South African waters, although not the most valuable industry. The pilchards are harvested on the Agulhas Bank, a broad, shallow part of the continental shelf which extends 250 kilometres (160 miles) south of Cape Agulhas, the southern most tip of Africa. The meeting of the warm Indian and cold Atlantic oceans fuels the nutrient cycle for marine life, resulting in one of the best fishing grounds in South Africa.

Click here to read more

There is further confirmation that endangered southern right whales are returning to calve and nurse in Tasmanian waters.

Southern right whales calved and nursed their young in large numbers in Tasmanian waters until the early 1800s, when they were hunted to near extinction.

Two weeks ago a biologist photographed a mother and her calf in sheltered waters off Swansea, on Tasmania’s east coast.

Now biologist David Pemberton says a Victorian whale expert has confirmed the calf was born one or two days before the photo, and that the mother had been in the area for at least three days.

Mr Pemberton says an abalone diver has also seen a southern right whale give birth off Tasmania’s wild west coast.

“There’s some neat little bays hidden there and these animals go so close to shore when they are birthing and nursing that they find these little quiet spots – and that’s what we’re after,” he said.

Click here for source

The practice has been banned in the Mediterranean since 2003, yet a large fleet of driftnets – fishing nets up to 14km in length that drift with the tide or current and catch almost anything in their path – continues to operate business as usual in Morocco, targeting swordfish for the European market.

This illegal fishing is likely to have caused the accidental deaths of as many as 20,000 dolphins and more than 100,000 sharks in the past five years alone, says WWF.

Fisheries experts from WWF recently visited Morocco where they were told by driftnet fishermen that no changes in the fishing activity of this illegal fleet had occurred in the past few years – despite international prohibitions.

“Fragile ocean life is still being destroyed by widespread driftnet fishing – against the law – in Moroccan waters,” said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean.

“This lack of compliance by Moroccan fleets not only undermines the credibility of the international fisheries management governance system, but also takes an unacceptable toll on marine biodiversity.”

“Thousands of dolphins and sharks – and loggerhead turtles, an endangered species – are caught up in these walls of death in the Mediterranean every year,” continued Tudela. “WWF demands action by those responsible for sustainable fisheries management in the region to stop the slaughter.”

Fishing with large-scale driftnets has been internationally banned by the United Nations since 1991. In 2003, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) adopted a more rigorous regulation, banning the use of any driftnets, irrespective of size, for capturing large fish in the Mediterranean Sea.

In 2003, WWF released the results of a field study that showed the presence of at least 177 driftnet vessels in northern Morocco that used large-scale gears and targeted swordfish for export to the European market. The study also estimated an accidental catch by driftnets of 4,000 dolphins every year in the Mediterranean Sea alone.

Since 2003, Morocco has repeatedly promised to phase out its driftnet fleet, but has still not done so. According to UN and ICCAT resolutions, this fishery thus fully qualifies as illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing.

And in January 2010, the European Commission’s Regulation on IUU will enter into force, which prohibits the importation of fishery products obtained from IUU fishing into the European Union (EU).

The EU has even made available to Morocco a total of € 3.75 million for the phase-out of driftnets, and WWF urges the European Commission to demand reports from Morocco on its use of EU public funds for the specific purpose of phasing out its driftnet fleet.

“The current illegal driftnet fishery in Morocco, targeting swordfish for the European market, is a test-case for the credibility of the EU’s determination to fight illegal fishing,” continued Dr Tudela.

“WWF urges the European Commission to send a strong signal to Morocco about its political commitment to stamp out illegal fishing – or fully apply the IUU Regulation in January 2010.”

Click here for source

Bryan Hart sent us this report and images from his recent trip to Mozambique. Click here to read more.

Humpback Whale - Jean Marx

Written by Coordination marée noire

Rescue workers in Madagascar were battling to save a group of humpback whales beached on the southern tip of the island, where a fuel spill from a Turkish freighter threatens an ecological disaster, local media reported Thursday. The MS GULSER ANA, bound for India with a cargo of 39,000 tonnes of phosphates, had to be abandoned by its 23-strong crew on August 26 a few kilometres off Cape Sainte Marie on the vast Indian Ocean island.

Environmentalists and vets are trying to save a number of beached whales, whose blowholes had become blocked with diesel and oil and were close to death.

The cause of the accident to the 189-metre long, 30-metre-wide ship is still unclear. But a statement from Prime Minister’s Monja Roindefo’s office on Thursday said the ship’s cargo comprised far great quantities of diesel and oil than initially thought.

This protected part of Madagascar’s coast is famous for its rich coral reefs, rare species of tortoise and the migrating humpback whales that pass by at this time of year en route to their breeding grounds off Reunion Island.

Fish have also been washing up dead on beaches in the area, which is home to around 2,000 people living in four villages who rely on fishing for an income. The government has announced the suspension of all fishing in the area.

Some 800 people, including nine foreign experts in marine pollution with specialist equipment, have been sent to the remote area to treat the oil slick and clean up the beaches. The prime minister and four of his ministers have also travelled to the remote area by plane from the capital Antananarivo.

The government of the impoverished island has threatened to sue the ship’s owners over the spill.

The ship was reportedly on a blacklist of ships banned from European Union harbours.

Clean-up operations following the grounding of a Turkish-flagged vessel off the coast of Madagascar have started and damage to the environment should be limited, the ship’s operator said in a statement received by AFP Saturday.

The MV Gulser Ana grounded off Faux Cap, on the southernmost tip of the Indian Ocean island, on August 26, damaging its bunker tanks and releasing fuel oil in the sea, the Mardeniz Denizcilik company said.

“The owners, … pollution clean-up experts, are carrying out beach cleaning operations to remove any bunker oil residues arising from the initial escape,” the statement said.

“Anti-pollution experts are working with local residents who are receiving training, equipment and payment in order to assist with this task and we would like to thank them for their hard work and efforts,” it added.

The operator said the ship’s cargo of 40,000 tonnes rock phosphate — a kind of fertiliser — did not pose a threat to the environment.

“Sea currents are carrying any fuel oil to the east and away from the Cap Sainte Marie Marine Reserve and the coral reef, which should avoid any long or medium term environmental damage to the area,” it said.

The operator obviously is not only ignorant but also lying in the public statements, saying: “Over-flights of the area have not shown any evidence of whales or other sea mammals in the area having been in any way affected.”

The operator added that the ship’s 23 crew had been rescued by the Madagascar coast guard and were ashore.

The island relies heavily on tourism and is home to two percent of the globe’s total biodiversity. The majority of its animal and plant species are found nowhere else on Earth.

Rescuers battle to save whales – sapa
Rescue workers in Madagascar were battling to save a number of humpback whales that have beached on the southern tip of the island, where a fuel spill from a Turkish freighter has caused extensive pollution, local media reported on Thursday.

The MS Gulser Ana, which was bound for India with a cargo of 39 000 tonnes of phosphates, has leaked several hundred cubic metres of diesel and oil, as well as its cargo, since running into trouble on August 26 a few kilometres off the vast Indian Ocean island. The ship has since completely sunk.

The 23-member crew was rescued unharmed from the 189-metre-long ship, from which smoke was seen billowing at the time of the rescue. The cause of the incident is still unclear.

Several kilometres of the coastline, famous for its rich coral reefs, rare species of tortoise and the migrating humpback whales that pass by at this time of year en route to their breeding grounds off Reunion Island, have been polluted by the spillage.

Close to death
L’Express reported that veterinarians were trying to save a number of beached whales, whose blowholes had become blocked with diesel and oil and were close to death.

Fish have also been washing up dead along the coast.

The ship was reportedly on a blacklist of ships banned from European Union harbours.

Some 800 people, including nine foreign experts in marine pollution with specialist equipment, have been sent to treat the oil slick and clean up the beaches.

The government of the impoverished island, where fishing and tourism are key employers, has threatened to sue the ship’s owners over the spill.
Regional analysts presume foul play to be at the core of the tragedy, since the owner wanted to get rid of the vessel anyway and some believe its straight insurance fraud.

Source

Foreign fishermen are continuing to hack the fins off sharks in South African waters and toss the animals back into the sea while they are alive.

Most of the butchered sharks drown, starve or are eaten by other predators because they are no longer able to swim or hunt.

“Finning” is illegal in South Africa, but Richards Bay and Mossel Bay anglers have produced photographs of at least two sharks that survived despite crippling wounds.

Millions of sharks are believed to die in this way each year because of the growing demand for shark fin soup, a delicacy at Chinese and other Far Eastern weddings and banquets.

Because sharks are heavy and their meat has a fairly low commercial value, shark-finners find it more convenient to chop off the highly valued fins and dump the crippled animals back in the sea.

The fins are believed to fetch between $400 (about R3 000) and $700 a kilogram.

The crew of three foreign fishing vessels have been fined in South Africa this year for removing shark fins and related offences.

In an article in the latest edition of an Oceanographic Research Institute, Durban, bulletin, senior scientist Bruce Mann published photographs of two sharks whose fins had been removed.

“That these animals survived is quite remarkable because most sharks that are finned and tossed back in the water are likely to die a slow and painful death,” he said.

“This barbaric practice is banned in South African waters and these photographs are evidence that it is still taking place, probably by illegal longliners.”

Mann urged fishermen who found similar evidence of finning to help stamp out the practice by alerting the authorities.

A definned shark was caught earlier this year at Danabaai, south of Port Elizabeth. Its dorsal fin and both of its pectoral fins had been chopped off.

A second mangled animal was caught by angler Barry Tedder about 30km north of Richards Bay. Tedder said there was clear evidence that the fin had been cut off cleanly with a knife. The shark seemed to have survived by relying on its tail for propulsion.

Tedder said he was a regular visitor to Mozambique and had seen abundant evidence of widespread finning by fishermen in the Vilanculos area.

Peter Knights, of conservation group Wildaid, said demand for shark fin soup was high in the East.

This article was originally published on page 1 of The Mercury on September 11, 2009

A bulk vessel called SELI 1 ran aground just after midnight in Cape Town last Monday after gail force winds and massive swells. It was reported by the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) last Saturday that there may be some oil leakage.

“Given that the bulk carrier sustained significant structural damage when she ran aground, it can be expected that some residual oil may be released as a result of bad weather and sea conditions affecting the structural integrity of the vessel,” said Samsa in a statement.

All 25 of the Turkish crew were rescued safely with only one of them being treated for mild hypothermia

Even thought the oil tanks were in tact, a ship to ship fuel recovery started last Friday with Ocean Pride and by the Saturday  60 tonnes of the fuel had been transferred. Another vessel, the Kuswag IV was then on hand to begin recovering the remaining fuel. “The fuel removal operation continues in good weather and sea conditions,” said Samsa

On Saturday, the authority said the Department of Environmental Affairs’ pollution patrol aircraft Kuswag 9 continued to fly over the area, “reporting no oil in the vicinity at this time.”

Booms were also deployed to safe guard the mouth of the Milnerton Lagoon from any possible oil spill.

A committee has been formed to deal with the situation, including:
Representatives of SAMSA,
Department of Environmental Affairs,
SMIT Salvage,
SANCCOB,
City of Cape Town – Disaster Management, Robben Island Museum, Transnet National Ports Authority

Stellenbosch, South Africa: Fishing industry leaders and WWF have committed to improving the sustainability of South African fisheries in a first-time partnership that will ensure long-term marine conservation in the region.

WWF South Africa, together with four major fishing industry players, namely I&J, Oceana, Sea Harvest and Viking, have launched the Responsible Fisheries Alliance (RFA). This is the first alliance of its kind in the history of South African marine conservation. The Alliance is a bid to achieve the common goal of ensuring the implementation of an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) management in South Africa’s fisheries.

An EAF seeks to protect and enhance the health of marine ecosystems on which life and human benefits depend. The approach depends on balancing the diverse needs and values of both present and future generations.

“Fishing companies and environmental NGOs are often perceived to share little common ground. But in reality, responsible fishing companies that are committed to a long-term business view have a great deal in common with rational environmental NGOs that are committed to sustainable development goals,” said Dr Samantha Petersen, Manager of WWF’s Sustainable Fisheries Programme. “It is against this background that the concept of a Responsible Fisheries Alliance (RFA) was borne.”

The goals of the Alliance include promoting responsible fisheries practices, influencing policy on fishery governance, skills development to enable the implementation of an Ecosystem Approach and facilitating high quality ecological, socio-economic and governance related research to inform the implementation of an EAF.

The RFA was created on the basis of a strong ecological, market, operational and governance case agreed upon by both the fishing companies and WWF. The many years of good working relations between WWF and the key Alliance partners has already resulted in the development of a number of projects including the development of the responsible fisheries training programme, various bycatch assessments such as seabirds and vulnerable finfish amongst others.

Statements issued by the founding members of the Alliance regarding their involvement in this important step in South Africa’s marine conservation efforts, all highlighted the fact that long-term sustainability from both an ecological and business point of view was a priority.

“Sea Harvest has been in existence for over 45 years; and we intend to fish for many more – for our children’s children” said George Bezuidenhout, Managing Director of Sea Harvest. “We are proud to be a founding member of the RFA which will become one of the important interventions enhancing responsible and sustainable fishing.”

I&J Operations Director, Suleiman Salie said “I&J is committed to continue to be actively involved in promoting sustainable and responsible fishing practices for the long term. Collaborative initiatives such as those that will be championed by the Responsible Fisheries Alliance will undoubtedly enhance our efforts to achieve this goal.”

On behalf of Viking, Director, Tim Reddell, said “Viking is proud to be a founder member of the RFA; it highlights Viking’s commitment towards ensuring that future generations will also be able to experience the pleasures and biodiversity that the world’s oceans have to offer”.

Francois Kuttel, CEO Oceana Group Limited added that “environmental sustainability is one of the 3 pillars of the Oceana Groups corporate sustainability framework. Oceana is committed to a policy of fair dealing and integrity in the conduct of its business. The sustainable utilization of marine resources, and support for the responsible management of these resources is fundamental to this commitment”.

The launch of the RFA also received public support from Dr Valli Moosa, former Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and former President of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

Dr Moosa said that the formation of this Alliance was significant because for the first time a forum has been created in which civil society and the private sector can effectively and strategically engage on the mutual objective of a sustainable fishing industry.

“The RFA will facilitate the support of the regulatory framework by sharing the responsibility of the wise management of our oceans and providing additional resources to furthering the World Summit for Sustainable Development Goal of implementing an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management by 2012”, said Dr Moosa.

Click here for source

Issue 7

So here it is, our first anniversary issue. We can’t believe it’s been a year already. Where has the time gone? 7 issues have gone by in a blur. We hope you enjoy the magazine as much as we have enjoyed putting it together. We have a fascinating article by Gordon Hiles on filming great white sharks in the early days. Andrew Woodburn takes us to his favourite dive spot at Pomeme, Mozambique. The Moving Sushi team educate us on fishing regulations in the EU and Dr Lynne Hepplestone de-bunks the medicinal myths of shark cartilage. DAN medical and DAN research offer fascinating insights into diver safety. And as usual we feature stunning photographs. Enjoy the read.

Click here to download

Maldives - Rowan Duvel

Ministers in the Maldives have taken diving lessons ahead of an underwater cabinet meeting that will highlight the threat global warming and rising sea levels pose to the low-lying atoll nation.

President Mohamed Nasheed will chair the meeting on October 17 ahead of the world climate change summit in Copenhagen in December, a spokesman said from the islands’ capital, Male. He said the 14-member cabinet were taught scuba-diving basics over the weekend. Nasheed was not present as he is already a certified diver.

“The cabinet will don wet suits and scuba equipment and dive to a depth of six metres, where a special meeting of the cabinet will be convened,” the spokesman said. “They will then ratify a pledge calling on other nations to slash greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the Copenhagen meeting.”

Cabinet members will communicate using whiteboards and hand signals. The Maldivian archipelago is on the front line of climate change. In 2007, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that a rise in sea levels of 7 to 23 inches by 2100 would be enough to make the Maldives virtually uninhabitable.

With fish darting amongst them in a blue lagoon, the Maldivian president and his top team have staged an elaborate stunt to publicise climate change.

Billed as the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting, President Mohamed Nasheed and 11 ministers, decked in scuba gear, held a meeting 4m (13ft) underwater.

While officials said the event itself was light-hearted, the idea is to focus on the plight of the Maldives, where rising sea levels threaten to make the nation uninhabitable by the end of the century.

Mr Nasheed, the country’s first democratically elected president, has become an important global voice for climate change since he won in polls last October.

“We have to get the message across through a course of action which resonates with ordinary people,” the president said, as the boat neared our destination.

President Mohamed Nasheed gestures during the dive
The politicians indicated they were OK during the dive

“What we are trying to tell the people is that we hope there is a better deal at Copenhagen.”

The presidential speedboat took 20 minutes to arrive in the turquoise lagoon off Girifushi, in North Male atoll.

The cabinet then zipped themselves into diving suits and donned goggles and tanks of compressed air before jumping in the water.

Major Ahmed Ghiyaz, the co-ordinator from the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF), said all measures had been taken to protect the president, which included checking the coral for dangerous creatures.

“I am 99.9% sure there will be no harmful creatures,” he told the BBC before the dive.

“I’m sure there won’t be any sharks. The nastiest thing would be a moray eel, but we have checked the reef”.

A horseshoe-shaped table was set up around a dark green coral reef with blue tips and home to an array of sea creatures in one of the world’s most famed diving spots.

The president and his team took their seats at 1000 at the bottom of the lagoon, sitting at desks with name tags while colourful parrot fish and black and white damsel fish darted around them.

Using hand signals to gesture that they were OK, ministers then passed round an “SOS” to be signed – an agreement calling for carbon emission cuts.

“We must unite in a global effort to halt further temperature rises,” the message reads.

President Mohamed Nasheed
I hope I can live in the Maldives and raise my grandchildren here
Mohamed Nasheed
President of the Maldives

“Climate change is happening and it threatens the rights and security of everyone on Earth.”

Meanwhile, a handful of journalists kitted out in snorkel gear and swimming around on the surface tried to get a glimpse of the action below.

Emerging out of the water, a dripping President Nasheed removed his mask to answer questions from reporters and photographers crowded around on the shore.

“We are trying to send a message to the world about what is happening and what would happen to the Maldives if climate change isn’t checked,” he said, bobbing around in the water with his team of ministers.

“If the Maldives is not saved, today we do not feel there is much chance for the rest of the world.”

Curry and coconuts

After the dive, the president told the BBC he had seen a stingray swim nearby during the meeting.

“There was a sergeant fish that was particularly interested in what was going on,” he said during a typically Maldivian lunch of fish curry and coconut juice.

“I’ve never been worried about reef sharks and I’ve been diving for a long time,” the 42-year-old added.

He says other Maldivians had heard about the event and wanted to get involved in some way.

On the island of Kuda Huvadhoo, some islanders reportedly created a sealed box and put their TV in it so they could watch the footage of the meeting underwater.

“They told me, ‘if the president is under water, then they want to be too’,” Mr Nasheed said.

But he was keen to push the need for action.

The 1192-island chain is at severe threat from rising sea levels, with 80% of its islands less than a metre above sea level.

“What do we hope to achieve? We hope not to die. I hope I can live in the Maldives and raise my grandchildren here,” says Mr Nasheed.

Faux Cap, Madagascar – Toxic waste from a ship which went down off the coast in southern Madagascar in August has had severe impacts on the health of local people and on the rich coastal and marine environment, according to a study supported by WWF.

The Turkish vessel Gulser Ana grounded near Faux Cap in the very south of Madagascar The ship carried 39000 tons of raw Phosphates, 568 tons of fuel, 66 tons of diesel and 8000 litres of lubricant, most of which was slowly released into the Indian Ocean. The accident occurred in a whale reproduction and migratory corridor zone during the migratory season.

The report, co-funded by WWF was prepared by an interdisciplinary team of eight scientists which went to Faux Cap shortly after the accident.

While one to three whales normally beach in the area each year, nine whales beached in September alone, and some beach stretches seem to be real death zones, the report found. Villagers suffer from diseases such as respiratory problems, skin diseases and diarrhoea.

“WWF is very concerned about the possible negative impacts on biodiversity especially marine and coastal species, the threats to the ecosystems and the loss of people’s livelihood options. That’s why we decided to fund this mission,” said Harifidy Olivier Ralison, WWF Western Indian Ocean Marine Programme Coordinator.

Oil clumps cover the beach 30 km to the east and even further to the west of the shipwreck. People who were hired to clean up the area are not equipped properly and lack clothes protecting them. The collected oil clumps land in plastic bags on the beach where they are likely to burst and cause further damage, the report founds.

Almost half the 40’000 people in the area have been affected by consequences of the shipwreck, the study found with a key impact being the banning of fishing for three months.
Some 25 to 40 percent of the inhabitants depend on fishery as their source of income.

The impacts on marine species are also tragic.

“Like human beings, whales suffer from respiratory problems due to diesel odour. They come to the surface from time to time to breathe, so if they happen to surface through an oil film, this might result in the animal’s death,” Yvette Razafindrakoto, WCS (World Conservation Society) marine mammal specialist said.

Although raw phosphate is not poisonous, a huge amount of it being suddenly released into the ocean can be problematic. The expert team found signs of eutrophication in front of the shipwreck. « Phosphate acts like fertilizer, which leads to an extensive algal bloom. This depletes the oxygen in the surrounding marine environment and could cause the disappearance of species such as fish and molluscs» said Ralison.

Some common species of sand crabs were also only found sporadically and other species, such as various gastropods contained a very high amount of heavy metal, which is connected to higher mortality.

There are signs that the food chain in the area around Faux Cap is severely harmed. What this means for the coastal ecosystem and the villagers on the contaminated beaches can only be definitively estimated after the passage of some years, the report said.

Source: http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/?178781/Shipwreck-an-ecological-disaster-for-southern-Madagascar

great white shark, african diver, durban

George – Photographs of a huge Great White Shark being dissected at the Point in Mossel Bay caused a stir around the country this week, with people sending the pictures around by e-mail.

“The shark of about 4.3m, which was dissected on Friday in Mossel Bay, landed in nets of the Natal Sharks Board at the Zinkwasi beach in KwaZulu-Natal,” said Dawie Zwiegelaar of the National Sea Rescue Institute’s Mossel Bay office on Wednesday.

According to Geremy Cliff, head of the Natal Sharks Board, the female shark was weak but alive, when it was found. It was also marked.

“Staff from the Sharks Board tried in vain to free her, but she was clearly confused and was found dead in the nets early the next morning.”

Cliff said the shark was dragged to the beach and taken to their head office in Umhlanga to be cut open as part of their research into feeding and reproduction.

Filmed

At the request of British documentary film production company Windfall Films, it was decided to keep the shark until the film crew could film the dissection in Mossel Bay.

According to Dr Ryan Johnson, head of Ocean Research in Mossel Bay, Windfall Films wanted to film in the area due to the natural beauty. Windfall Films was busy with the second series in their popular programme Inside Nature’s Giants.

The shark was dissected on Friday at the Point by staff from the Sharks Board.

The photographs that created such a buzz were taken at the time.

“It isn’t one of our sharks, we don’t have such small sharks,” joked Zwiegelaar on Wednesday.

Source: – Die Burger

There is nothing we can say to add to what this young lady has said to the world. Watch the video, share it, enjoy it and let’s all figure out how we can do just a little bit to help.

Sodwana Bay, Cormac McCreesh

There is so much in the news, on facebook, viral emails, magazines and television these days about the impact we humans are having on planet earth. Everywhere we look we see bad news. There are causes and action groups that have been set up in every country in the world. And where is it getting us?

All we hear is more and more bad news! But we really don’t know how to make a difference in our every-day living – in every thing we do.

Conservation and sustainable living is dear to our hearts at African Diver. We love our seas and we know that ALL life needs healthy seas to survive and prosper. But how do we, individually, make a difference.

So, we’re asking you to mail us your suggestions as to how we, as individuals, can make a difference. Tell us what we can do every day, in every little way, to make a difference. It’s not about donating money to causes and actions groups – we want to know what to do in our daily lives. Already we separate our rubbish into recyclable and non-recyclable, bikes instead of cars when we can. What else can we do?

We know you can help us – so mail us at africandiver (info@africandiver.com) and we will collate all the suggestions and publish them for everyone who is interested to read.

We look forward to your suggestions and living sustainably.

Sodwana Bay, Cormac McCreesh

AfricanDiver issue 8

Its our pleasure to bring you issue number 8 of African Diver just as we get ready to head off on our summer holidays. Enjoy the features of diving the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba or exploring the cold waters of the Cape Atlantic. We’re off to dive the Southern oceans for our holidays and look forward to bringing you loads of interesting articles to read in next year’s issues.

Tuléar, Madagascar – An unprecedented combination of climate change and increasing human pressures could have a devastating effect on coral reefs in the near shore areas of Southern Madagascar.

A study commissioned by WWF modeled current threats to the coral reef system to determine its future vulnerability to climate change.

The Tuléar reef is the third largest in the world, and one of only five large continuous reef systems in the world.

The reef ecosystem houses an extreme abundance of different marine species including nearly 400 fish species and over 300 coral species. Whales and dolphins pass through the reef system and marine turtles graze on the reefs and nest on the surrounding beaches. The blue spotted bamboo shark, which is endemic to Madagascar, is another species that might suffer when temperatures rise and fish stock dwindles.

People who depend on fishery on their livelihood, the majority of the region’s population, would also suffer severely.

“A destruction of the reef would leave tens of thousands of people in jeopardy, with severe impact on their main source of income or adequate food supplies,” said Gaëtan Tovondrainy, head of the marine project with WWF Tuléar.

“With increasing global temperatures, the corals within Tuléar reef could succumb to massive bleaching events and become infested with green algae. The latter would smother the coral and therefore reduce feeding opportunities for fish. “

According to the study the Tuléar reef ecosystem is one of the most vulnerable sites in the western Indian Ocean. While some of the reefs around the smaller islands are in good conditions, others near estuaries are degraded from the sediments caused by deforestation upstream. These human pressures act to make the reefs more vulnerable to the threats of climate change.

The global phenomenon of coral bleaching in 1998 primarily affected the reefs in the northern part of the region such as the Seychelles and Comoros. But nowadays climate change affects other reefs as well.

“Increased bleaching of corals and green algae invasions are two direct effects of climate change on these important ecosystems and they can be seen clearly around Tuléar” Tovondrainy said.

The reef system is vital for the community’s survival. This region is home to people from the group who traditionally migrate up and down the coast in line with seasonal changes. Nearly 20,000 traditional fishermen and 15,000 canoes operate on the Tulear reef system.

This traditional form of resource use is being threatened and migrants from inland areas affected by drought and deforestation increase competition for resources.

“It is poor countries like Madagascar that have contributed the least to the problem but will suffer the worst consequences. If we can’t stop climate change, the collapse of the Tuléar reef system is just one of many severe consequences for the local population” says Tiana Ramahaleo, head of the WWF Conservation Science and Species Programme in Madagascar. “That’s why we desperately hope for a good deal in Copenhagen”

The President of the Maldives recently held a Cabinet meeting underwater, saying his islands may be submerged. In an open letter, taken from the climate change supplement in the latest issue of the The Spectator, Nils-Axel Mörner assures him his country is safe: Dear Mr President, You are obviously very concerned about the effect that sea level rises may have on the Maldives. Your Cabinet has been photographed meeting underwater, and you have even declared that ‘we are going to die’ if the climate change summit in Copenhagen fails. I am now writing with what I hope will be some good news. The scientific side of the situation is quite different to that which you imagine. You are, in fact, not going to die. Before I continue, I should perhaps state my credentials. I have been a sea-level specialist for 40 years. I launched most of its new theories in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. I solved the problem of the gravitational potential surface, the theory that it changes with time; the rotation of the earth, how it affected the redistribution of the oceans’ masses — and so on. Last year, I was awarded a prize from Algarve university for my ‘irreverence and contribution to our understanding of sea level change’. We both know that the 1,200 islands of the Maldives are all low-lying with the highest point only some 2.5m (8ft) above sea level. Hence, your nation is vulnerable to extreme storms, tsunamis — and, of course, any possible sea level rise. The IPCC vision is a rise that by the year 2100 may amount to between 30cm and 50cm. This is based on model calculations. Our figure is a 5cm rise, plus or minus 15cm. In a newspaper article, you have suggested that sea levels may rise by between one and eight metres. Those figures, however, do not concur with the physics and known rates of ice melting. So those figures must be dismissed as impossible. I have been on no fewer than six different field expeditions to the Maldives. We worked in the lagoon, we drilled in the sea, we drilled in lakes, we looked at the shore morphology — many different environments. We have always found the same thing: a total stability for the last 30 years, preceded by a 20cm drop in sea level in the 1970s. We have presented a detailed documentation of the sea level changes in the Maldives over the past 4,000 years. The record of the last 500 years may be of special interest to the situation of your islanders. It shows: The people of the Maldives had no problems surviving the 17th century, which was 50cm higher than now. Nor the last century, where it rose by 20cm. This bodes well for their prospects of surviving the next change. I recently visited Bangladesh, a country cursed by floods. In the Sundarban delta, I documented very strong coastal erosion despite zero changes in sea level. So, even here, there is no global sea level rise going on today — just as in the Maldives, in Tuvalu and in Vanuatu, to mention a few famous sites claimed already to be in the process of becoming flooded. By the end of this century, sea level may have risen by between 30cm and 50cm according to the various IPCC scenarios. Our records suggest a maximum of 20cm. Neither of those levels would pose any real problem — simply a return to the situation in the 17th and the 19th to early 20th centuries, respectively. So why the scare-mongering? Could it be because there is money involved? If you inhabit a tiny island and can convince the world that its very existence is under threat because of the polluting policies of the West, the industrialised nations will certainly respond. The money is likely to flow in more quickly than the ocean will rise. This is the fourth time I have written to you. Unfortunately, I think there is a problem with your email service because so far I have not received an acknowledgement. For this reason, I have decided to write this open letter in the pages of The Spectator. So, Mr President, you and your ministers in the Maldives really don’t need to worry about a future life beneath the waves. You should pass on this message to the people of the Maldives. It is high time to release them from this terrible psychological burden. Yours, Nils-Axel Mörner A former lead reviewer for the IPCC, Nils-Axel Mörner was head of Geodynamics at Stockholm University until his retirement in 2005.

It took rescue services more than six hours and the help of dozens of volunteers to rescue a young whale shark that beached at Durban Harbour on Thursday 4 December.

The whale shark, which measured 6m, was eventually herded out with the tide late yesterday afternoon.

Describing the long, arduous but successful rescue operation, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesman Craig Lambinon said rescuers had been elated when they realised the operation was going to end in success.

Working hand in hand, NSRI swimmers, SA police Search and Rescue services, SA Navy Divers, uShaka aquarium staff and Ezemvelo Wildlife officials finally managed to strap the whale shark to the NSRI Megan 3 rescue craft and it was escorted out by the navy harbour patrol vessel and was released one nautical mile off shore “It is unknown why it beached as it appeared to be healthy, but we are very happy that we managed to rescue it,” Lambinon said.

The whale shark was first spotted yesterday morning by people working around the harbour near the Point Yacht Club.

It was not long after that paramedics and the public and rescue officials gathered around the whale shark, which was constantly splashing water in an attempt to swim away.

A paramedic who was among those who had walked across to the whale shark said people were frantically trying to get the fish into a sling so that they could pull it out of the harbour, but all to no avail because it was very heavy.

A fisherman who was also trying to assist said he was amazed at how big it was.

“You would think a big group like this would be able to lift it up in one go, but never. I really hope that they can save it,” he said as he made his way out of the water.

Pupils who were on the Jolly Roger at harbour also got a glimpse of the whale shark, but before they could get close enough, the boat was sent away by naval officials who were concerned about further traumatising the animal.

Click here for source

Ponta do Oura beach

Yesterday, local South African radio stations and news sites carried an article about an attack by a shark on a swimmer at Ponta do Ouro in Mozambique. It was reported that the swimmer lost an arm and a leg in the attack.

So, for example here’s one of the reports:

Article By: Matshidiso Madia
Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:19
A South African teenager has survived a shark attack at a popular Mozambican diving spot.
The teen was swimming in the Ponte de Ora Bay on Tuesday afternoon when the shark attacked him.
The boy was airlifted to a hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.
e-block watch’s André Snyman, who is on holiday close to where the attack happened, said: “The teenager has lost and arm and a leg.”

However, it’s not quite that sensationalist. Courtesy of Debbie Mather-Pike and Elaine Botha, (from Ponta do Oura) here’s the true story:

THE TRUE STORY
The truth is that a 27 year old male was swimming in the bay yesterday and was attacked by a +/- 2.5 m shark (tiger or zambie but unknown).
He was stabilised on the scene, and taken to Manguzi Hospital. He was conscious and responsive to all questions and even jokes.
Last night he was taken to Empangeni Hospital and admitted.
Spoke to the attending doctor this morning. He said that the victim was fine, going into surgery to be cleaned up and stitched and was expected to make a full recovery. He did go into shock from fluid loss, but this has since been administered and he is stable.
He will be fine but will have big scars on his right back & shoulder area.

I understand that Radio 702 was contacted and informed of the “true story”,  however their reaction was very disappointing. Apparantly, the reporter contacted did not even write down the new facts and uninterestingly just said thanks and put the phone down. It seems they want to create sensationalism first and apologize later for their stupid error.

A helicopter has searched extensively for the shark but so far no further sightings. Interestingly fishermen spent ages fishing the bay in a attempt to catch the shark, post the attack.

Fishermen and holidaymakers on the beach

Elaine had the following comments to make: “holiday makers were annoyed by this phenomenon which is not common to Ponta Bay as we are naturally protected by a school of dophin who live here. Very strange. The shark remained in the shallow breakwater all afternoon and jumped out the water a few times where it could be seen by all watching from the beach.

Once again with many thanks to Elaine in Ponta do Ouro, here’s a more detailed account of what happened:

On Tuesday 22 December 2009 at about 14h00 a juvenile Tiger Shark came swimming into the bay of Ponta do Ouro and attacked a young man on holiday here who was playing in the surf with some friends on an inflatable lilo about 2 meters off shore. The skipper from Simply Scuba, Wayne, and James a staff member from Scuba Adventures were busy working in the launch area when they saw this guy come stumbling out the water bleeding heavily. They immediately rushed to assist and phoned Sandy from Brittlestar Guesthouse for assistance. At that stage Sandy was in Manguzi but she referred them to Karl who immediately got hold of oxygen and rushed down to the beach where the guy had already collapsed because of shock and blood loss. He had been attacked by the shark and was bitten on the upper arm/shoulder area and on his hand. Fortunately the wounds were not severe, but the poor guy was in shock and had to be stabilized. Wayne and Petro from Simply Scuba stayed with the victim while he was taken to the local clinic for attendance. Daryl, a paramedic and skipper for Gozo Azul helped to get the patient stabilized but failed to get a drip inserted into the victim’s arm. He then decided to just stop the bleeding and bandaged up where needed. The local commandant of police, arrived at the scene and gave permission for the patient to be airlifted by helicopter and taken to hospital in Manguzi. Colin, a resident of Maputo who owns a holiday home in Ponta fortunately had his helicopter in Ponta and could assist immediately. The man was flown to Manguzi Hospital and transferred to Empangeni Hospital from there. He is fine.

After the incident holiday makers were furious with the shark and tried to catch it with their fishing rods from the beach right in front the Beach Bar. The Tiger launched out the water twice and the spectators enjoyed the view although with aggression. The shark remained in the shore breaks for the rest of the day where it was visible to all, while fishermen tried to catch it. They had it on their hooks twice but both times the shark escaped.

This incident was discussed in all earnest with the head of marines (MPA), Miguel and Antonio the Port Captain for Ponta do Ouro. This incident was due to happen some or other time, due to the negligence of fishermen throwing fish remains over the sides of their boats after cleaning their catch in the Bay of Ponta do Ouro. Of course this will attract sharks, and if this is not going to stop immediately more unfortunate incidences like this might happen in future.

Ponta do Ouro is a very safe and tranquil village with no shark attacks for the past 15 years since 1994 when a guy lost a foot. This is because we are naturally protected by the school of dolphins permanently staying in Ponta area. They will drive away all sharks from their territory. People must not get upset about this unfortunate incident, but fishermen have to be informed of the dangers when they throw the remains of their catch out into the water in the bay.

Many thanks to all locals in Ponta involved in the very quick and rapid assistance to this poor guy. We all appreciate the wonderful way in which this was done.

Blacktip Shark

LIFEGUARDS at East London’s Nahoon Beach had to hoist the shark warning flag yesterday after a surfer claimed he was knocked off his surfboard by a shark.

Buffalo City Municipality’s amenities programmes manager Keshav Panday said the surfer had been paddling out when he was bumped by what could have been a great white shark.

The surfer, who was alone in the water at the time, warned lifeguards and others on the beach of the possible danger.

The flag was immediately hoisted to alert everyone.

“We can confirm that a great white shark was spotted in Nahoon Beach by a surfer. The two bumped into each other but nothing happened to the surfer,” said Panday.

“We quickly erected those flags just to warn people that they must be extra careful in that area as the shark might be still around,” said Panday.

The surfer who claimed to have had an encounter with the great white could not be reached yesterday.

Click here for source

On Saturday morning (2 Jan) about 7km north of Cape Vidal in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park two whale sharks, one 5m and the other 6.5m, were found having beached themselves. One had no signs of any injuries but the second had a lump on its head and an old wound on its caudal fin.

This has been seen as a natural occurrence according to iSimangaliso park CEO Andrew Zaloumis, he stated that along the park shores 10 whale sharks a year are found beached.

“While there is much speculation as to why whale sharks beach themselves, the actual reason is not known,” he said.
Even though Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife marine staff and holidaymakers tried to move the whales back into the water they sadly couldn’t and both the whale sharks died.

Last week a whale shark measuring 6.5m also beached itself just north of Leven Point in iSimangaliso.

Zaloumis said the beached animals were measured, photographs were taken and the dorsal fins were removed and sent to the KZN Sharks Board for its monitoring and research programmes.

Click here for source

Cape Town’s disaster management warned bathers to be on the lookout for great white sharks who traditionally cruise that stretch of the coast for a nibble at this time of year.

“The appearance of white sharks is normal during peak summer months in Cape Town near in-shore areas, as these sharks are known to hunt and feed along this stretch of coastline at this time of year,” spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said today.

The sharks have not been seen coming close to the beaches or near swimmers. Shark spotters have seen them along the False Bay coastline between Sunrise Beach and Fish Hoek.

Bathers and swimmers along the False Bay coastline are urged to be cautious and to adhere to the safety warnings of shark spotters.

When the spotters sound their alarms to warn of shark sightings near to bathing and surfing areas, bathers and surfers must leave the water immediately until the danger passes.

Information on recent shark movements in False Bay is available on the Shark Spotters website sharkspotters.org.za

Click here for source

Tourist attacked in shallow water

A Zimbabwean tourist on a month-long holiday lost his life in a shark attack in Fish Hoek, Cape Town.

“Lifeguard Frederick Wagenvoorde was on his tower and saw lots of splashing and thrashing around in the water, and then a lot of blood,” said Colleen Saunders, regional co-ordinator for Life-saving, Western Province.

The attack happened at 3.15pm. Other bathers were unaware of the attack until lifeguards signalled to them to get out of the water.

The man’s partner was on the beach but, it is understood, did not see the attack.

Three craft from the National Sea Rescue Institute, a dinghy from Western Province Lifesaving, a helicopter and about 15 lifeguards combed sea, air and land yesterday in search of the victim.

His body had not been found by late last night.

“The man has been identified but [his] family has not yet been notified,” Saunders said.

The man, who lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was due to spend a month in South Africa with his partner before leaving for the UK.

One of his two daughters lives in Kenya and the other in the US.

They had not been told of their father’s death at the time of going to press last night.

The NSRI’s Ian Klopper said the man was standing chest-deep in the water adjusting his goggles when he was dragged below the surface.

“The man’s partner was here but we have sent her home. She is very shocked but is remaining hopeful, but the outlook does not look good,” Klopper said.

Eye witness, Sally Wentworth, who lives on the mountainside overlooking the beach, said she heard shouting, looked outside and saw “red in the sea”.

“At first it looked as if there were dolphins, a flurry in the water. Then I saw something floating in the water, obviously the body, and the shark’s fin coming up, well above the water. It was not a nice thing to have witnessed.”

Wentworth said the attack was over in about three minutes.

“We normally hear the siren [sounded by shark-spotters, warning swimmers to leave the water] but not this time. The black flag was out indicating conditions were too difficult for shark-spotters to see into the water,” she said.

Cheryl-Samantha Owen, of the Save Our Seas Foundation, said the attack was the first indication that sharks were in the area.

The NSRI put out an alert on Monday to warn surfers and swimmers about increased shark activity in False Bay.

In 2004, regular Fish Hoek beach swimmer Tyna Webb, 77, was attacked by what was believed to have been a Great White shark. Her body was not found.

Alison Kock, director of research for the shark-spotting programme, which records behaviour and movement of the sharks, said the previous attack on a swimmer was in 2007.

“We have daily sightings but attacks are pretty rare,” he said.

Click here for source

Images provided by Ocean Messengers NGO

We received these images of an event that took place in the Port Elizabeth harbour on the 4 February.  We will hopefully have more information on these images in the next day or two.

Images by Petra and Rainer Schimpf (www.expert-tours.com)

These images were taken yesterday(8 February 2010) off Port Elizabeth by Petra and Rainer Schimpf from Expert Tours and they are expecting more sardines.

Important to know the difference of the Sardine Run event in 2010:

2010 is a really special Sardine Run year, not only because of the Soccer World Cup but mainly because we experience an “El Nino” par excellance in South Africa in 2010.

What does it mean for your Sardine Run trip: areas with little rain will have even less rain, areas with sufficiant rain will experiance flooding (already happening). Sea water temperatures will raise even higher where moderate to warm water occures.

This means for your Sardine Run trip 2010 there is a 99% probability that baitballs and sardine swarms will NOT occur in a timeframe from May until July in Kwazulu Natal!  El Nino has shown in previous years that only on one or two days during an el Nino year Red Eyes (similar to sardines) were seen off Mboiti in the Eastern Cape.

The armada of sardines, dolphins, whales, sharks and orcas however stayed put in front of Port Elizabeth already from February on into July the last El Nino phenomen.  Between 15 to 25 nauticle miles offshore in cristal clear water (see “Oceans” from Galatee Films this year in the cinemas!).

Already now,  February 2010, the same phenomen repeats itself!   For a couple of weeks now we have exactly what we predicted: sardines, dolphins, whales, sharks and orcas.  All these predators hunt in deep water for sardines and shallow water for garfish and makarele.

This means that for your Sardine Run booking you need to act fast and book your trip in and around Port Elizabeth between February 2010 to May 2010 only.

A ban on fishing around a colony of threatened penguins in South Africa has brought swift benefits to the beleaguered birds, marine biologists reported on Wednesday.

The population of the African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) fell by 60 percent between 2001 and 2009, driven by a plunge in anchovies and sardines, with climate change and purse-seine trawling fingered as the main culprits.

Of the 26,000 surviving pairs, the biggest colony is on St. Croix Island in Algoa Bay, on the eastern coast of South Africa.

There, experts tagged adult birds and monitored them before and after a ban on purse-seine fishing that took effect in a 20-kilometre (12-mile) radius from January 2009.

Before the ban, 75 percent of the penguins had to venture beyond 20 kilometres to find food, they found.

Three months after trawling was stopped, 70 percent of the birds were feeding within the 20-km zone, tucking into fish that now became available.

Fifty kilometers away at Bird Island, there is also a large colony of African penguins, but fishing there is still permitted. The birds are still doing long-haul swims to find food, the investigators found.

The finding is important because the St. Croix birds have decreased their daily energy expenditure by 40 percent, “enabling them to invest energy in reproduction,” said David Gremillet of France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

It is too early to say whether the penguins will have more chicks and how many of the youngsters will survive until adulthood.

“It’s something that has to be studied over the long term,” Gremillet told AFP. The species is likely to be classified as “endangered” this month because of the sharp decline in the last decade.

The study, published by Britain’s Royal Society in the journal Biology Letters, provides the first evidence about how quickly a threatened species can rebound when it is given a little help.

“A marine protected area closed to fisheries can have immediate benefits for an endangered marine top predator,” say the authors.

Purse-seine fishing entails dropping a balloon-shaped net, or purse, to a certain depth and then raising it underneath shoals of fish that swim near the surface. The technique prevents the fish from swimming down to avoid capture.

Click here for source

We received this information from Rainer Schimpf of Ocean Messengers (an NGO based in Port Elizabeth). Rainer is a committed conservationist who is active in ocean conservation in Algoa Bay and he is passionately concerned about lack of oversight and management of the ocean’s resources in Algoa Bay.

Here’s the text of his email to us:

Here are 2 pics of one of the oil tankers (two arrived on 19.03.10) and taken by Ocean Messengers NGO.

Oil Tanker in Algoa Bay

oil tanker in Algoa Bay

I am not sure who the genius was who came up with the idea of bringing 2 or 3 “normal” tankers into Algoa Bay, to be followed by an, apparently, fully loaded supertanker to offload the environmentally unfriendly load of (assumed to be) crude oil or fuel, from the supertanker to the 2 or 3 other tankers.

This may be done inside Coega harbour although it seems highly unlikely, because of space constraints needed to turn these huge ships safely. Regardless of where it will be done,  it is a unnecessary risk for Algoa Bay as the risk of some form of pollution is relatively high. We understand that there is NO oil contingency plan in place, NO appropriate equipment (oil spill equipment) in close proximity to Algoa Bay and NO qualified personnel available to contain a spill.

One of the preconditions for the approval of the construction of Coega was the establishment of a Marine Mammal rehabilitation centre. This has not been fulfilled. In the event of an oil spill, SAMREC will partially meet this need and Bayworld (for financial reasons) would be unable to help. For the environment in Algoa Bay, a potential problem of epic proportions exists in the event of a spill.

Ocean Messengers will carefully monitor what is going on out at sea and inform MCM and the Municipality on posible risks as and when they arise.

Who is actually benefiting from an oil transaction like this? Does the Municipality get any payments? Do other NGOs get any money to be quiet? Is Coega only trying to test its (in)ability to handle oil and a possible spill?

The enormous risk taken by this action of offloading oil inside Algoa Bay threatens the following:

1st all Blue Flag Beaches
2nd all marine mammals
3rd all marine sea birds (including all penguins on St Croix and Bird Island as well as all Gannets)
4th Addo NP and Woody Cape
5th all inhabitants and users of the Algoa Bay .

I ask seriously who takes the responsibility and who’s “head will fall” is something goes wrong!

We are about to start Soccer 2010 and are possibly facing a devastating oil pollution before the Easter Holidays. Who is responsible for taking on this risk?

Consider this: the accident of the Exxon Valdes, a tanker accident at Prince William Sund Alaska, is more than 20 years old. Yet, the coastline beaches and marine annimals are still affected by oil pollution. This happened in a 1st world country: how will a huge oil pollution problem be handeled in Algoa Bay, South Africa?

I urge all parties involved to stop this nonsense and urge all interested parties and private persons to help Ocean Messengers to raise awareness of this issue and protect (the potential World Heritage Site) Algoa Bay.

We can be contacted via our web site: www.ocean-messengers.com

Thank you
Rainer Schimpf

Well, there you have it. We think it’s a potential problem and are staying in contact with Rainer to find out how this is being handled.

A surfer survived a shark attack in the sea off Port Alfred on Tuesday, police said.

Brendan Denton, 35 was surfing with a friend at East Beach at 10:30 when the shark attacked him about 100 metres from the shore, said Captain Mali Govender.

“He suddenly felt something pulling him underwater,” said Govender, who spoke to him in the Port Alfred Hospital afterwards.

“He thought it might be his friend playing the fool with him.”

The second time it happened, he turned around and saw his feet in the shark’s jaw.

Denton wrestled with the shark and it let go of his feet, but it grabbed hold of the leash attaching his ankle to the surfboard and started swimming out to sea with him in tow.

He released the leash and when the surfboard popped out of the sea three metres away a few moments later, he was able to get back on it and paddle to safety.

His friend and other surfers, who had heard his screams and splashing, helped him to a doctor.

Govender said Denton’s injuries looked serious.

When she asked him how he was doing, he told her he was “okay”.

As he was wheeled into theatre for surgery, she told him she could see his feet. He replied he could not feel them.

Govender described the water at East Beach as “very murky”.

“You normally get sharks in water like that,” she said, adding that the National Sea Rescue Institute had since closed the beach.

Click here for source

In the months before handing over control of MCM to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), the Department of  Environmental Affairs spent R144 000 on 402 Bafana Bafana soccer jerseys for MCM staff using LRF funds! That worked out to R358 a jersey!

What makes this spending spree even more criminal is that since DAFF took control of MCM on 1 May, it has emerged that within 15 days of the financial year, MCM has no more money for any further fisheries research surveys for the 2010 season. This means that critical annual surveys for hake, pelagics, lobsters, mackerel, abalone etc are not going to take place. It is also apparent that MCM has no funds for any significant compliance strategy.

At least we know what MCM’s previous leadership under Mayekiso and then Razeena Omar (the Acting DDG of MCM) considered a priority. After all why spend any funds on fisheries management when you can spend it on Adidas Bafana Bafana soccer jerseys!

Blacktip Shark

By Hunter Atkins

You could be eating shark meat and not even know it.

South African fish shops are selling unlabelled or mislabelled shark products, which poses a threat to these endangered species and the unaware shoppers, according to the WWF’s Southern Africa Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI).

“We are getting more and more reports of fish shops selling products with strange sounding names like sokomoro and ocean fillet. (Some are) common or even made-up names that most consumers won’t recognise,” said John Duncan, a programme officer for the initiative.

Referring to the latest name on the market, sokomoro, which is another name for the shortfin mako shark, Duncan added, “Retailers are purposely mislabelling these species and lying about their origins because they know shark is unpopular with consumers.”

The shortfin mako is listed as “vulnerable” by the World Conservation Union. In addition to depleting the shark population, selling shark meat poses dangers to consumers with certain allergenic or religious food restrictions.

There are no regulations in South Africa to keep retailers from selling shark under different names like gummy, lemon fish and ocean fillet, a few of “thousands and thousands” of common names used to mask fish, according to Duncan. An exotic sounding name like sokomoro is just as mysterious.

“If you wanted to, you can call it peanut butter,” he said.

It is not illegal for retailers to sell shark, and concealing the identity of shark products has advantages. Selling shark under a different name gives fishers a way to catch and sell more sharks than the legal limit in a given year.

Mislabelling also attracts shoppers who normally avoid buying endangered animal products.

The anonymous meat can also make up shortages of a popular item that is similar, like swordfish. This was the justification put forward by Sidney Fishing director Sidney Moniz, whose employees at the Fish 4 Africa in Woodstock gave inconsistent answers about sokomoro yesterday.

One vendor said sokomoro was a fish from Spain and another vaguely described its origins as “from the coasts”. One manager said the shop carried, “no fish from Spain, as far as I know”.

Most shortfin mako are snagged near Japan when long-lining for tuna according to Duncan.

“I’m not sure if they knew it was from the shark family,” said Moniz, who added he was embarrassed, as he wrestled with reasons why the shop would be selling unlabelled fish. He said it was possibly done to bolster swordfish shortages or could have been a mistake because shark is difficult to distinguish off the bone.

“A big problem for me in the recent economic recession has been all these guys shipping these substitute fish,” Moniz said. “I didn’t even know it (sokomoro) was on the endangered species list. It’s not even a big portion of our business.”

Duncan said the SASSI programme was lobbying for government and NCIS standards to develop a list of acceptable trade names. For now he said a good policy for consumers is to avoid buying a product if they do not know what it is.

Source can be found here

Cormac is currently on a 7 day expedition from Port Elizabeth to Port St Johns. The trip is an exploratory sea-going venture to gain a better understanding of the marine life on the South African East Coast. The trip has been organized jointly by African Diver and Rainer Schimpf of Expert Tours (www.expert-tours.com).

Rainer operates from his base at Port Elizabeth and this trip has long been an ambition of his. He also runs and NGO called Ocean Messengers (www.ocean-messengers.com) which focuses on ocean conservation.

Entries in the blog catalogue Cormac’s trip and the October issue of African Diver magazine will carry a full feature on it.

Further blog entries from other parties on the expedition can be found at www.mype.co.za

Day 1

For once, the weather forecast was on the money. A lazy, calm and inviting sea greeted us on our arrival at Port Elizabeth harbour. Although it was cold and the sun had yet to break the horizon, anticipation dulled the numbness brought on by the cold.

As dawn broke, we motored out of the harbour and were treated to a beautiful soft orange sunrise which painted the gentle swells on the ocean in pastel colours.

Soon after sunrise, we found a pod of bottlenose dolphin that playfully danced in our bow-wave while out on their morning hunt for food.

We spent about 40 minutes with them and then were drawn to the sound of a whale surfacing to breathe. It was a southern right whale … in fact there were three of them and we had our choice cut out for us – which one to follow? Fortunately, the whales stayed close together and we were able to follow all three of them for at least an hour.

The southern rights drew us further out to sea where a circling flock of gannets distracted us, inviting us to investigate. As we got closer to the gannets, we found they were following a hunting bryde’s whale – more distraction! Bryde’s whales move very quickly, unlike the southern right whale and so following it was more difficult but no less rewarding and exciting.

We left the whales and dolphin and headed for the St Croix islands, right next to Coega harbour. The bird colonies on these islands have diminished since the construction of the harbour yet we saw African Penquin, Oystercatchers, Gannets, Skua and Cormorants all resting or breeding on the island.

Our plan for the day included a stop-over on Bird Island and a visit to the nearby seal colony. We delighted in spending 45 minutes being entertained by the seal pups who, unable to contain their curiosity, followed our boat with their curious heads popping out of the water at every opportunity to look at us.

Bird Island was a treat – we were pleased to find thousands of breeding African Penquin and Cape Gannets. The Cape Gannets looked particularly healthy, fat and fit. This had to be from their feeding on sardines on the annual sardine run. In fact, we were informed that 2 weeks previously there were very few Cape Gannet on the island and most had returned in the past week.

The final leg of our journey from Bird Island to Port Alfred was uneventful until we got to Kenton on Sea, that is. Here we found 5 humpback whales, two escorting a newly born calf. The calf was in a playful mood and kept spy-hopping to see our boat and entertained us for what seemed like ages.

Tomorrow, our next leg sees us travel from Port Alfred to East London. Who knows what tomorrow brings. Let’s hope for more of the same.

Cormac is currently on a 7 day expedition from Port Elizabeth to Port St Johns. The trip is an exploratory sea-going venture to gain a better understanding of the marine life on the South African East Coast. The trip has been organized jointly by African Diver and Rainer Schimpf of Expert Tours (www.expert-tours.com).

Rainer operates from his base at Port Elizabeth and this trip has long been an ambition of his. He also runs and NGO called Ocean Messengers (www.ocean-messengers.com) which focuses on ocean conservation.

Entries in the blog catalogue Cormac’s trip and the October issue of African Diver magazine will carry a full feature on it.

Further blog entries from other parties on the expedition can be found at www.mype.co.za

Day 2

Port Alfred to East London

After a lazy breakfast our little party left Port Alfred destined for East London. Once again the weather Gods had been kind to us and we delighted in another lazy sea day. That said, waves were crashing on the rocky coastline and leaving the harbour at Port Alfred was an exciting mad dash out of the harbour entrance once we caught a lull in the waves. Although we had a lazy sea, the sky was overcast and grey, but it looked like the clouds would burn off in a midday sun and we would be treated to blue skies again.

It didn’t take us long to find some excitement and we spent about an hour tailing a small Humpback family; two adults and a calf. This was consistent with our experience of the previous day when we had come across several small families of 2 adults and a calf.

Having left the Humpback family to their meanderings we headed into deeper water hoping to find some form of marine action. Great shafts of sunlight broke through the cloud cover in patches illuminating huge spot-lit areas of the ocean. Now and then blue sky broke over our heads, encouraging us to move ever deeper.

As the cloud cover broke up, in the distance, we caught sight of Gannets wheeling and diving and so we raced towards them. As we got closer it became apparent that the Gannets were following a mega-pod of Common Dolphin. The pod was spread out and was obviously hunting. Every now and then the dolphin would isolate a school of fish and the Gannets would wheel in and dive into the water to feed. The dolphin and Gannet were hunting Garfish and not Sardines as we had hoped.

The dolphin, were in a playful mood and each time we sped up they swiftly slipped into our bow wave to surf in front of our boat. Because the pod was so spread out we were able to “work” a very large patch of the ocean and “play” with them.

At some stage during all of this activity the pod came upon a two families of Humpback Whale and we were treated to the magnificent experience of having two species of cetacean sharing the ocean with us.

By now the sun had won its battle with the clouds and the sky was a magnificent azure and so was the ocean. It was too inviting to miss and so we kitted up and joined the dolphin in the water. Visibility was a magnificent 20 meters and clear of phytoplankton. Sunrays danced in front of us as it pierced and illuminated the waters beneath us.

We could hear the clicks and squeaks of the dolphin but also the deeper rumble of the Humpbacks. With so much activity the ocean sounded like a high street in Johannesburg in peak traffic.

We realised we were in the path of the oncoming whales and readied our cameras in the hope of a once-in-a-lifetime shot …

Little did I know just how once-in-a-lifetime that experience would be. For the full story and images, catch the October issue of African Diver, out on 1 October.

Cormac is currently on a 7 day expedition from Port Elizabeth to Port St Johns. The trip is an exploratory sea-going venture to gain a better understanding of the marine life on the South African East Coast. The trip has been organized jointly by African Diver and Rainer Schimpf of Expert Tours (www.expert-tours.com).

Rainer operates from his base at Port Elizabeth and this trip has long been an ambition of his. He also runs and NGO called Ocean Messengers (www.ocean-messengers.com) which focuses on ocean conservation.

Entries in the blog catalogue Cormac’s trip and the October issue of African Diver magazine will carry a full feature on it.

Further blog entries from other parties on the expedition can be found at www.mype.co.za

Day 3

East London to Mazeppa Bay

Departing East London harbour was a particularly uneventful affair and we slipped out into the ocean for the 3^rd day of our epic expedition. We spent some time photographing, from the sea, the hotels on the East London promenade. The light was tricky as there was a pervasive haze that had enveloped the ocean all around us.

It wasn’t long before we caught up with a pod of Bottlenose Dolphin hunting for breakfast. They too played in our bow wave for a while before heading back to the task of finding food to eat. A playful baby’s curiosity kept getting the better of it and it kept returning to race alongside our boat and dance in the bow wave. Mum, though, eventually took it away to more mundane things.

The hazy light made it difficult for us to see any activity on the ocean and we noticed there were a lot fewer birds in the air. Only the occasional Skua broke the monotony. Skua have a habit of following a moving boat as they have learned that there are always tasty morsels being thrown overboard. They race alongside us and peer into the boat looking for food. Each time any one of us raised an arm the Skua would dip down to investigate … obviously a learned behaviour.

The day was devoted to Humpback Whales with a short break to photograph the town of Kei Mouth from the sea. We followed a pair of adult humpbacks for while and were treated to several breaches by them. Each breach was an exciting noisy affair that hoisted massive waves of water into the air, like crashing waves on a rocky beach.

Our pair of whales eventually slowed down and we left them to rest but were almost immediately distracted by more breaching activity deeper out to sea.

Quietly we headed out to investigate and found our family from yesterday’s interaction having what seemed to be a huge communication session. Both adult whales were tail-slapping the water and smashing their massive flippers with great crashes of water while the calf swam round in between the adults. Every now and then one of the adults would disappear and then shoot out of the water with a rousing splash that was incredibly spectacular.

Sadly, by now the wind had come up and we reluctantly abandoned the noisy family and headed for our over night at Mazeppa bay.

Cape Town – A whale that became entangled in a 40-metre nylon rope was freed on Saturday afternoon near Gordon’s Bay in a meticulously planned rescue operation.

Employees from the department of environmental affairs, with the support of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), used sharp knives to cut free the one-year-old southern right whale, which presumably became entangled on Friday afternoon at Hangklip.

The crew of a boat in False Bay saw on Friday night how the whale was hitting the water with its tail and realised it was in distress and was probably tangled.

“But it was nearly dark and we decided to only go out the next morning,” said Mike Meyer, a spokesperson of the department for environmental affairs’ branch for oceans and coast, on Sunday evening.

“All along the coastline there are fish nets in which whales can become entangled. When a whale swims into a net, it starts turning round and round in an attempt to free itself. But that is actually the worst thing it can do because then it becomes more entangled.”

Infection

According to Meyer, a rope like that usually caught on the thin part of the tail, in front of the tail fin.

Often, as was also the case with this whale, there was a buoy attached to the rope. If an entangled whale was not helped, it could die eventually.

“The rope cuts into the animal’s flesh and it leads to infection.”

“The buoy keeps the animal on the surface of the ocean and prevents him from feeding and eating properly.”

“As this whale was helped within a day, he was not injured too badly,” Meyer added.

Officials from the branch asked the NSRI, tourist boats and other boats to look out for the whale on Saturday morning.

After they established that it was near Koeël Bay, NSRI volunteers took three members of the branch in NSRI boats to the whale.

Quick operation

They herded the whale to calmer waters in Gordon’s Bay.

They could then throw a kedge anchor on a rope toward him so that it could be fixed to the rope on his tail. Two buoys were tied to the rope so that the whale would remain on the surface.

Then they switched off the boat’s engines and carefully approached the whale. They pulled the rope toward them and carefully cut it off with sharp knives.

The rescue operation took about 30 minutes.

An adult humpback whale beached in Ballito on Saturday, the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board said.

The whale was partially decomposed when it washed up on Boulder Beach, said operations head Mike Anderson-Reade.

He estimated that the whale had been dead for about four days, and presumed it died of natural causes. It had not yet been removed.

The board warned surfers and swimmers to stay away from the water as it determined the presence of intense shark activity because of bite marks on the carcass.

Click here for source

After three days on the water, our planned break at Mazeppa Bay was heartily welcomed by all. The activity we’d been witness to on the first three days of our trip had left us in a dazed haze and our bodies, unused to being on the boat for 6 hours, were in bad need of a break.

Mazeppa Bay

Despite our tiredness, we still managed to rise early and take in the beauty of the morning sunrise. A soft orange sun that painted Mazeppa’s beach and rocky island in pastel colours greeted us, while the sea gently washed perfectly formed waves on the beach and rocks.

Sunrise at Mazeppa

Mazeppa Bay is one of those little-known quiet spots of beauty and serenity. Frequented mostly by anglers, it has a wide beach flanked by a rocky island that reaches out into the sea. Between the beach and the island is an exquisite suspension bridge that simply invites a crossing. From the island, sets of magnificent waves roll off the backline into the bay – a surfing paradise? The hotel’s bar is a display centre for the many anglers who have fished this bay for years. Photographs of anglers with magnificent catches of various game fish hang dustily on the walls and, of course, there are photographs of anglers with the sharks they have caught – mainly Raggies, Duskys, Coppers and Zambezis. This was probably the hardest part of the trip for our team to accept but accept it we did, reminding ourselves that this trip was a fact finding mission and not a crusade.

Suspension bridge at Mazeppa Bay

Our day was spent exploring inland. Michael, our guide for the day, took us to meet with local entrepreneurs and a Sangoma and her family. We met with Rodney, who has returned to his family home after an absence of 10 years and who is in the process of rebuilding the fruit business that once thrived there. This was a common theme of the people we met – rebuild, escape from the city and get back to nature.We were privileged to meet with a Sangoma and her family. Her Grandmother, at 93 years old, was a treat and an inspiration and kept us amused with her antics.

Rodney's rebuild house work in progress

Mike Holmes and 93 year old Grandmother

Sangoma

Building material

Mother and her child

We ended the day by climbing the dunes north of the bay. It is rumoured that a treasure ship was wrecked on this beach and the treasure buried beneath what is now a very large dune.

Sand dune at Mazeppa Bay

We didn’t attempt to dig for gold but had huge fun climbing the dune and running down.

View from a dune

Mazeppa is a wonderful peaceful place to rest your soul and take in the beauty of the Transkei. Go take a look.

View of Transkei coastline next to Mazeppa Bay

Mazeppa Bay to Coffee Bay

After the welcome break on shore for a day, we were more than ready to get back on the water. It was another glorious day with little wind and mild swells. We knew we were in for a great day as we’d seen several Humpback Whales breaching in the distance. Today’s route was to take us from Mazeppa Bay to Coffee Bay, a distance of some 76 kilometres by sea.

But first we had to navigate the launch from Mazeppa Bay. Our Skipper, the Kamikazi Kaiser, safely launched us through the Mazeppa surf but not without having to punch a growler that threatened to upend us and all our expensive photographic equipment.

Rainer Schimpf, the Kamikazi Kaiser

Somewhat relieved and pumped full of adrenaline we set out to look for Humpback Whales. As usual we first came across a pod of Bottlenose Dolphin working the inshore waves and as usual, their curiosity got the better of them and they rushed out to investigate our boat.

Bottlenose Dolphin

Further along, we came across a herd of cows cruising the beach … as seems to happen on this magnificent coastline. The coastline was enthralling. Rolling hills that plunged down to pristine beaches interchanged with craggy rock formations that stood valiantly against a sea that slowly eroded all in its path.

Cows on the beach

Holiday homes on Transkei coast

Holiday homes on Transkei coast

Transkei coastline

Transkei coastline

Our team was completely taken by the topography and landscape and we almost missed a mother Humpback Whale escorting her calf.  The little calf must have been newly born as it was still very grey and very small in comparison to its mother. Full of the joy’s of spring it lob- tailled often and kept its mother busy keeping it on the journey north.

Mother Humpback Whale tail fluke

Humpback Whale mother & Calf

Humpback Whale calf lob tails

Humpbak Whale calf

Mindful of her duty to her calf we left them in peace and headed out to sea to where a cargo ship was slowly cruising northwards.

Unicorn Line cargo ship

We followed the cargo ship for a while until distracted by a leaping, breaching Humpback. This Humpback breached at least 12 times when we were close enough to it and it didn’t seem to mind our presence. After several breaches it was joined by two other Humpbacks and all three dived for what seemed like ages. Finally our breacher surfaced and the other two went on their way as did our breaching whale. Was it some kind of whale caucus meeting? Who knows, but we were ecstatic to be witness to it all.

Breaching Humpback Whale

Breaching Humpback Whale