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Two of the primary objectives of the ASCLME Project are to document the environmental threats that are faced by the countries of the region in a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and develop a Strategic Action Programme (SAP) which sets out a strategy for the countries to collectively deal with transboundary threats. Good progress has been made towards meeting these objectives, with each of the participating countries working towards the compilation of their individual Marine Ecosystem Diagnostic Analyses (MEDAs).
As documented under the progress report for Outcome Two, the MEDAs will provide the foundation for the TDA that is to be developed for the Agulhas and Somali LMEs.
Other initiatives that are contributing to the establishment of a sustainable ecosystem approach to the management of the region’s marine and coastal resources are:
- on-going training and capacity building initiatives
- the establishment of long-term partnerships
Over the past two years, the ASCLME Project has sponsored the training of 21 oceanographers from the national institutions, universities, fisheries and environment ministries of the nine participating countries. The training has been conducted by the University of Cape Town’s well respected Marine Research Institute. Trainers have made extensive use of a variety of vessels and platforms that are owned and operated by South African research institutes, with the objective of equipping the trainees to fully participate in the research cruises of the Dr Fridtjof Nansen and other offshore research vessels.
The training course provides an introduction to the basic principles, concepts, methods and technologies applied in the collection of near-shore oceanographic and biological data. It is an extremely well structured programme, offering trainees excellent grounding in theoretical “classroom” oceanography, followed by hands-on experience in data collection, analysis and survey planning.
In 2008, 10 young oceanographers from Mauritius, Madagascar, Mozambique, Seychelles and South Africa participated in the training course. This year, a further 10 trainees, from Comoros, Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania participated in the course.
The 2009 training course built on the success of the previous year’s course and extended the course to include additional lectures on coral reef ecosystems, the ecosystems approach to fisheries management and ocean/climate interactions. It should be noted that the specialists invited to deliver lectures on various aspects of oceanography and marine science are leaders in their fields and many have an international reputation for excellence. For example, Professor George Philander, who is based at the University of Cape Town, is an acknowledged expert on the subject of climate change.
Trainees on this year’s course participated in a three-day cruise on South Africa’s research flagship, Africana. The cruise is a standard feature of South Africa’s environmental monitoring programme and the trainees gained practical experience of sampling the general oceanographic and plankton conditions off St Helena Bay, a centre of the country’s small pelagic fishing industry.
As a follow on from the Africana cruise, a three-day boat based field trip was organised for False Bay, on board the Geomanzi, a small boat owned and operated by the South African Council for Geosciences. The ASCLME Project had purchased a handheld YSI CTD/data logger and the aim of this course component was for the trainees to gain experience in using this new instrument from a small boat.
The ecosystem assessment training course is likely to be repeated in 2010.
A new training platform
A purpose-built coastal research boat that was purchased and equipped by South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF) is expected to enhance the training and capacity building component of the ASCLME Project.
Funding for the purchase of the 13m catamaran, uKwabelana, was made available by the NRF to the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP) through the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB). The boat will be managed by ACEP and its equipment will be available to all marine researchers in South Africa. As a result of ACEP’s partnership with the ASCLME Project, uKwabelana will provide a platform for training regional oceanographers to carry out surveys in coastal waters using small boats and basic equipment.
uKwabelana is equipped with a Seaeye Falcon remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that features high quality lighting and television cameras. It is expected that the ROV will help researchers learn more about the undersea environment, both off South Africa and in other parts of the ASCLME region. The ROV is able to survey the seabed to a depth of 300m.
uKwabelana is also equipped with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) to measure ocean currents, an integrated Global Positioning System and echo-sounder to map the seafloor, a davit and winch system to launch and retrieve scientific instruments, a range of plankton sampling nets, a plankton pump and a Van Veen grab to collect sediment samples from the sea floor. A compressor is also fitted, for the purpose of re-filling SCUBA tanks.
uKwabelana is powered by two 4ℓ Suzuki outboard motors and is licensed to operate further than 40 nautical miles offshore, allowing marine scientists to survey the entire coastal ecosystem – from near-shore waters to beyond the continental shelf. The boat’s sophisticated equipment will help scientists to monitor the physical environment and collect samples of phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish, and observe top predators like marine mammals and birds.
uKwabelana is equipped with three double bunks, kitchen and ablution facilities, enabling researchers to undertake overnight or extended sea trips. Electric power is provided by two 6 KW generators. Flying bridge controls make it easy to steer the vessel from the cabin or the upper structure, depending on weather conditions.
Built in Port Alfred by glass fibre boat building specialists, Lee Cat, uKwabelana will be based in Port Elizabeth and operated by scientific personnel of ACEP and SAIAB.
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