Green Marine Gillie Programme receives R80 000 kickstart

The Overstrand Local Economic Development Agency (OLEDA) has unanimously voted to grant SASC R80 000, or approximately USD10 000, for the development and implementation of our Green Marine Gillie Programme (GMGP).

The GMGP is a unique and innovative programme designed to assist South Africa and South Africans with the development of a sustainable, eco-friendly solution to our national fisheries crisis. By retraining local subsistence fishers - many of whom lost their fishing rights in the last rights allocation process - to be responsible fishing guides SASC hopes to build a viable, multi-pronged and creative programme which benefits fishers, the environment and national and international visitors to the Overstrand Region.

Following intensive training, during which SASC will provide community-selected trainee Gillies with training in marine ecology and sustainability, fishery science, species identification, local conservation issues, general marine policy relating to resource exploitation and conservation, tourism protocol and other relevant programme-specific areas, Green Marine Gillies will become fully qualified responsible fishing guides. These guides will become service providers in their own right and thus be part of a creative job creation scheme for out-of-work fishers.

This is the first initiative of its kind in South Africa and we are hopeful the Green Marine Gillie Programme becomes a model for other job creation schemes for fishers no longer able to work in the fishing industry due to ever-declining marine resources.

Stay tuned to our website (www.sharkconservancy.org) and our blog for more information on this programme.

If you would like to contribute to this programme, please contact info@sharkconservancy.org.

Africa Geographic: May Issue

The May issue of Africa Geographic is a must-read for all those interested in shark conservation in South Africa.

The cover story, written by photographer & conservationist Thomas Peschak, details the complexities of kwaZulu-Natal's shark nets, including an in depth look at the history of the nets and how they are affecting shark populations along our coastline. Check out the full story and a great video, presented by Tom, on the Save Our Seas Foundation website.

Also included in the issue is a short communication, written by Meag McCord of SASC, on Nyami Nyami - the Breede River's now infamous Zambezi shark.

Shark Angels: Shark Finning video

The Shark Angels - 3 dedicated & passionate women concerned about the conservation status of sharks - have launched a fantastic new online video about the loss of sharks from marine ecosystems and the repercussions for humankind.

See what these women have to say by viewing the video and by visiting their website.

Well done to our friends Julie, Alison and Kim for their never-ending efforts to promote education, awareness and scientific study of these magnificent animals.

The importance of responsible fishing practices

Many of us are aware of the implications of poor management when it comes to commercial and recreational fisheries. Declines in top predators, niche replacement and the collapse of fish stocks are just some of the "common" issues we see in the face of increasing pressure on marine resources through extraction and exploitation. But what many people don't see, or perhaps might not even consider, is the impact of other human actions on the marine realm, including pollution and irresponsible fishing practices.

People often argue that commercial fisheries cause the most damage to living marine resources - and the marine environment in general - but that is because it is often difficult to see or quantify the damages caused by our everyday activities. Activities that we can regulate; behaviours that we can change; actions that we, as individuals, can undertake to make a difference.

Take litter, for instance. Most land-based pollution ends up in the sea, floating around on the surface. Much of this litter (e.g., aluminum cans, strops from bait packets, cigarette butts) is shiny and very interesting to marine creatures like birds, turtles and sharks who, in general, are quite curious. Interactions between marine animals and human pollution often prove fatal as much of the litter is consumed by, or becomes entangled around, a particular animal. The pictures below illustrate just how damaging pollution can be to these animals.

Fishing gut tangled around the head of a seal.

A curious bird which ingested plastic and aluminum floating on the surface of the sea. The litter in the stomach makes the bird feel full, resulting in a slow death due to starvation.

Other issues include irresponsible angling practices, whereby anglers who catch and release their fish do so without cutting the line as closely to the hook as possible. Many fish become entangled in the remaining line, ultimately resulting in slow and painful deaths due, for example, to suffocation. Morne Hardenberg - avid scuba diver, photographer and shark conservationist - was diving with blue sharks off Cape Point this past weekend and bore witness to the consequences of such practices.

A small blue shark (1.5m total length) entangled in a line from fishing gear. The shark will inevitably face a slow death, likely due to suffocation and eventual decapitation as it continues to grow.

For the detailed story on Morne's dive with the blues and his feelings about seeing this shark, visit the Save Our Seas Foundation Blogspot.

In an attempt to address the issue of responsible fishing practices, SASC developed responsible angling guidelines for sharks to mitigate some of the damage done by recreational and/or commercial fishers. These guidelines were developed in association with Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) and many keen recreational anglers. You can read through these guidelines and see how you can contribute to better fishing practices by visiting our Anglers Corner.

Pop-up archival satellite tag expedition

SASC, funded by the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF), recently returned to the Breede River in an attempt to deploy a pop-up archival satellite tag (PAT tag) on a Zambezi shark. The purpose of this expedition was to deploy a PAT tag and determine where the Breede River Zambezi sharks go in the winter months. PAT tags can collect data such as water depth, temperature and light intensity over a programmed period of time & provide an excellent alternative to time-intensive manual tracking activities using acoustic tags and a hydrophone.

Assisted bya team of professional anglers from Extreme Africa and several commercial fishers, we were hopeful that our attempt to catch and tag another shark would be succesful. Alas, it was not so. After 4 long days of hard fishing - sometimes in near gale force winds - we were unable to catch a Zambi, even though we had several (very) close calls.

Wesley - one of the dedicated anglers - was extremely excited when his 60cm grunter was taken by a large shark who we think, based on additional tracking activities, was Nyami Nyami (see above photo). Alison Kock of the Save Our Seas Shark Centre was also thrilled when, on the third day, the balloon attached to her line with another live grunter began moving quickly across the surface of the river. Unfortunately the shark released the grunter before we were able to reel it in. Judging by the small bite wounds on the grunter, the second shark was a small one - probably 1.5m to 2m in length.

Although we were unable to capture a second shark and deploy our PAT tag, we did manage to find and track Nyami Nyami. We were so excited that she is still in the river - at a time when many Breede River locals had predicted the sharks would have departed the estuary for warmer climes - and that her acoustic tags are still transmitting!

SASC will undertake a return trip to the Breede River to complete this component of the project in the coming months. We are sure the data collected in future from the PAT tag will help unravel some of the mystery behind this species' behaviour in South Africa.

Special thanks to all those who helped out on this expedition, including: the Save Our Seas Foundation, Gavin and Linda Clarke, Lower Breede River Conservancy, Dr. Steve Lamberth & Corne Erasmus (Marine and Coastal Management), Alison Kock, Paul Wildman, Morne Hardenberg, Alison Towner, Eugene Beukes, Danny and the team from Extreme Africa.

Nyami Nyami continues to be in the spotlight

Nyami Nyami has once again made the front page - this time in Fish Magazine, a popular angling and conservation magazine developed by the team at Big Fish Safari.

An article by Hennie Papenfuss (recall the amazing professional angler originally who caught Nyami Nyami) in Volume 8 of the magazine - to which SASC contributes a regular conservation column - describes the entire fishing expedition and subsequent scientific research on the world's largest Zambezi shark.

Check out Volume 8 for Hennie's exciting story. Fish Magazine can be found in fishing stores and Exclusive Books shops country-wide. You can also visit their website (http://www.fishmag.co.za/) for more information

SASC returns to Breede River to deploy PAT tag on Zambezi shark

With the assitance of the Save Our Seas Foundation, SASC will be returning to the Breede River from March 30 - April 3 2009 to deploy a pop-up archival satellite tag (PAT tag) on one of the Zambezi sharks in the river.

This will allow us to track the shark's movement for up to 3 months to determine whether these sharks move out of the estuary in the colder winter months.

Joining us on this expedition will be a film crew from the Save Our Seas Foundation, scientists from Marine and Coastal Management and conservation officers from the Lower Breede River Conservancy.

This will be the first time a PAT tag has been deployed on a Zambezi shark in South Africa and we are really excited to have this opportunity! The data collected during the 3 month deployment period will contribute valuable insight into the long-term conservation and management of Zambezi sharks in South Africa.

SASC Zambezi shark expedition a resounding success!

From January 19th-25th, 2009, SASC led our second expedition to the Breede River to determine whether reports of Zambezi (bull) sharks could be confirmed. Joining us was a team from Marine and Coastal Management, conservation officers from the Lower Breede River Conservancy, a marine biologist from Marine Dynamics, and professional anglers from Big Fish Safari.

During the first 3 days we spent up to 16 hours a day fishing for Zambezi sharks - hoping one would take our live bait. On the fourth day we were rewarded for our patience when a Zambi took the bait of professional angler Hennie Papenfuss, about 5.5km upstream. Hennie gently handled the shark, letting her tow him a further 2.5km, tiring her out before we brought her close to shore and landed her on a mud bank.

One can only imagine how excited we were to finally see such a magnificent animal in the river, but our excitement did not prevent us from gathering all the necessary scientific data and attaching two acoustic tags to track her movements during the following days.

We made three very exciting and rewarding discoveries during this time:

1. this Zambezi shark - who we have named Nyami Nyami (the Zambezi River god) is the largest of its kind known to science, measuring 4 metres total length. The previous known maximum length for this species was 3.4-3.5 metres;
2. the discovery of Nyami Nyami represents a significant range extension for Zambezi sharks in South Africa, as they were only known to occur to Cape St. Francis in the Eastern Cape;
3. Nyami Nyami appeared heavily pregnant, suggesting the Breede River may serve as an important nursery ground for these sharks.

We proceeded to track Nyami Nyami for 43 consecutive hours which, as far as we know, is the longest time this species has been tracked. She moved up and down the estuary, following fishing boats and looking for an easy source of food, swimming as far as 15km upriver.

Provided sufficient funds can be secured, we will return to the Breede River within the next few weeks to continue our tracking and begin unravelling some of the mysteries of this beautiful and elusive shark species.

We extend a sincere thanks to the following companies for helping make this expedition a reality:

• Dyer Island Conservation Trust
• White Shark Projects
• Big Fish Safari
• Van Blommestein Slaghuis
• Fruit and Veg City (Gateway, Hermanus)