A look into areas never seen before
New wave of ocean students to delve into deep water canyons
HUNTING opened Oscar Dzanibe’s eyes. He saw a steady decline of animal species in Kwangevu forest, umzimkhulu, Kwazulu-natal’s South Coast.
Once teaming with blue and grey duiker, bush buck, bush pig, caracal, serval, porcupine and many reptile species including African rock python, the once rich ecosystem is in need of protection.
“In the past eight years I used to go hunting there. After sometime I realised the number of animals in that forest were dwindling,” says Dzanibe.
The 26-year-old former subsistence hunter from the deep rural area of Diphini said it was only after he started studying biochemistry and zoology at the University of Zululand (Unizulu) that he realised how important conservation had become, not just just on land, where the degradation of the environment was plainly visible, but also out at sea where the exploitation of the ocean’s resources was mostly out of sight.
Dzanibe hopes to help change that, and will take part in a two-month deep sea expedition working alongside marine scientists in surveying deep sea canyons off isimangaliso on the far north coast and Protea Banks near Port Shepstone on the south coast.
All data obtained will be collated and analysed as part of a broader mission to develop an expanded network of marine protected areas (MPAS.
Dzanibe is among 16 life science students selected from the University of Kwazulunatal and Unizulu to take part in the 2018 Ocean Stewards programme. The programme, which aims to inspire a new generation of ocean advocates, is the brainchild of Dr Jean Harris, the former head of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife scientific services division and the skipper of the 72-foot stateof-the art research vessel, RV Angra Pequena.
It was on the Angra Pequena research cruises that some of the first video footage of coelacanths (once thought to be extinct) was recorded eight years ago in deep sea canyons off Sodwana Bay.
These discoveries made world science history and gave birth to the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme – a platform for researching biodiversity along coast of Africa.
Over the past three years, Angra Pequena has taken more than 60 post-graduate and undergraduate marine biology students on research cruises supported by the Blue Fund – a joint marine conservation initiative convened by Grindrod Bank and Wildtrust (formerly the Wildlands Conservation Trust).
A crane mounted on the deck enables the deployment of research equipment such as a remotely operated video (ROV) providing live footage of the seabed, baited underwater video systems (Bruvs) for studying fish communities and sediment grab samplers to survey little-studied habitats and species in depths of 40m-250m.
In addition to first-hand research experience, the Ocean Stewards are trained in scientific writing and presentations and the opportunity to attend the east workshops and seminars. This includes the Ocean Stewards Science Session which attracts marine scientists from all over the country each year.
The programme has been described by Professor George Branch, author of Living Shores and Two Oceans, as one of the most dynamic marine science initiatives to have emerged in South Africa.
“It offers a wonderful blend of practical, hands-on experience, training in modern survey methods, and the challenge to think for oneself, as well as the joyous personal friendships that breach barriers across age, race and language.”
The programme’s success sparked the recent establishment of Wildoceans, the marine conservation arm of Wildtrust.
Now working as the executive director of Wildoceans, Harris addressed the new wave of Ocean Stewards at the launch of this year’s programme at ushaka Marine World education centre yesterday.
The students learned that less than 0.5% of our oceans were protected. In terms of the UN’S Convention for Biological Diversity, South Africa has committed to expand this protection to cover 10% of waters by 2020.
Harris highlighted the importance of protecting the marine environment to help maintain food sources, protect sensitive habitats and provide refuge areas in light of climate change and emerging offshore industries.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife marine biodiversity expert and conservation planner, its Tamsyn Livingstone, also briefed the Ocean Stewards about the government’s Operation Phakisa initiative which aims to harness the economic potential of the oceans. These plans brought together representatives of the oil and gas industry, shipping, commercial fishing, aquaculture and marine conservationists: the key issue being how best to tap into the economic potential of the oceans without causing irreparable harm.
Livingstone said Operation Phakisa had proposed 22 new (MPAS) along our shores.
Although the proposal went out for public comment in 2016, the Department of Environmental Affairs has not yet announced a decision on declaring any new MPAS.
Livingstone said this year’s Ocean Stewards research cruise, which takes place from May 8 to the end of June, will explore deep underwater canyons never surveyed before.
“We will conduct research over six canyons – three offshore off isimangaliso, which is an MPA, and three others in a proposed MPA on the Protea Banks off Port Shepstone.
“We know canyons are unique ecosystems and act as hot spots over which many pelagic (open-ocean) species aggregate, but we understand their role in the ecosystem,” said Livingstone. “So the Canyons Connection project is trying to understand the differences between the canyons along the coastline, the links between the canyons and the inshore habitats and how the species and habitats differ.
“It’s about getting out eyes into areas never seen before.”
She said the researchers would also be studying movement and residency patterns of top predatory sharks using a network of acoustic listening stations. This will involve tagging sharks with acoustic transmitters which emit coded signals that can be detected by listening stations up to 1km.
“We will be tagging raggedtooth, tiger and bull sharks. Data downloaded from the stations will be used to build a picture of when and where sharks are occurring,” she said.
Following the introductory session at ushaka Marine World, the Ocean Stewards went aboard Angra Pequena for a tour of the research vessel and associated safety briefings.
Like Dzanibe, most of the newbies have never been out to sea.
“It’s amazing just thinking about it,” said Happy Magcaba, a UKZN marine biology student who grew up in Engonyameni near umlazi.
“Yes, it’s going to be a completely new experience for most of us,” agreed Nduduzo Sheshane also a marine biology student at UKZN.
And what excites Dzanibe the most is the idea of sharing what he learns with his peers back home, many of whom, he says, are clueless about the life that exists in the ocean and what zoology is all about.
“Studying zoology gave me a different mindset about animals and the importance of protecting them. But it is learning about the marine environment that has really taken my breath away,” said Dzanibe.
Bukeka Silekwa is a Rosebank College journalism graduate. Commissioned by Wildoceans, this story forms part of Roving Reporters’ Ocean Watch training programme supported by the Human Elephant Foundation and the Sunday Tribune.