WILDOCEANS, a programme of the WILDTRUST, is causing quite a stir on social media with the launch of their WE DON’T NEED OUR OCEANS campaign. The environmental non-profit hopes to show South Africa (and the world) what life would be like without our oceans, and subsequently place a spotlight on just how much we depend on them, as well as mobilise a regional movement for … [Read more...]
Fishing fleets putting livelihoods at risk in the Republic of Congo
TRAFFIC, a partner on the Shark & Ray Protection Project of WILDOCEANS, has released a new study based on the concerns of artisanal fishers in the Republic of Congo about massive over capacity of fishing fleets that have put local food security, livelihoods and shark populations at risk. TRAFFIC’s report found that Congolese artisanal fishers are increasingly turning to … [Read more...]
Latest oil spill further evidence of fossil fuels’ destructive risks
The arrival of the Deepsea Stavanger oil drilling rig in Cape Town yesterday has many people concerned about the risks that come along with it, especially as the current oil spill disaster in Mauritius (SA’s backyard, photographed to the right) continues to wreak havoc. It is with this in mind that The Green Connection – an NGO working to support and empower local communities … [Read more...]
Innovation still out of reach for local lockdown-afflicted fishermen
This World Ocean Day, fishing communities from around the country are calling on government to commit to legitimising the sector, as a matter of urgency, to protect the livelihoods of coastal communities who have been dependent on the ocean for generations. While the recent lift in lockdown restrictions on fishers from the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fishing … [Read more...]
World Environment Day calls for an end to nature’s destruction
One million plant and animal species risk extinction, largely due to human activities. These are issues the world cannot lose sight of even as we tackle the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis. The theme for World Environment Day, 5 June 2020, is biodiversity — a call to action to combat the accelerating species loss and degradation of the natural … [Read more...]
Conserving sharks and rays in the Indian Ocean
At a press conference held in Johannesburg recently, the issue of overfishing and overuse of ocean resources was unpacked with a specific focus on the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). WILDOCEANS, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and TRAFFIC collaborated on a presentation given at the conference with a specific focus on overfishing linked to sharks and rays. Rhett Bennett, … [Read more...]
Go-ahead for controversial oil project off KZN coast
Marches, protests and objections to plans to drill for gas and oil along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline over the past few years have come to naught. The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) has granted environmental authorisation to the Italian energy group, Eni, and Sasol Africa to conduct exploratory drilling in the Durban and Zululand basins, covering a total offshore area … [Read more...]
Calling on Azores government to protect threatened sharks
Last year WILDOCEANS, a programme of the WILDTRUST, joined a global movement led by ‘Sharkproject International’ in a bid to put an end to shark finning. A letter was drafted and endorsed by 57 signatory parties from academia, retail, fisheries, the NPO sector and environmental government departments from all over the world. The letter was written to spread awareness about the … [Read more...]
Greenpeace report warns of ‘irreversible harm’ from deep sea mining
The world’s oceans could face severe and irreversible harm unless tighter environmental safeguards are put in place to protect them from the risks of deep sea mining, warns Greenpeace report In Deep Water. Shining a light on this emerging threat, the report reveals that the deep sea mining industry is aware that their activities could result in the extinction of unique … [Read more...]
Pharmaceuticals found in fish caught off Cape Town’s coast
The ocean around Cape Town is so polluted that pharmaceutical and industrial chemical compounds are accumulating in the flesh of fish caught off the coast. Scientists from the University of the Western Cape's chemistry department have found that fish caught by small scale commercial fishers in Kalk Bay (such as snoek, bonita and hottentot) are contaminated by antibiotics, … [Read more...]
Octopus fishing in False Bay is killing Bryde’s whales
Octopus fishing off the coast of Cape Town is supposedly being carried out for ‘research purposes’. But no research has been published and the gear being used is killing not just octopi, but also Bryde’s whales. Read the full article at Daily Maverick. … [Read more...]
Octopus traps a threat to whales in False Bay
For many years now permits for trapping of octopus in the False Bay area have been issued to a local fishing company and during this period there have been numerous entanglements and deaths and it is now time to put an end to the suffering and deaths. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry (which has recently been incorporated into Environmental Affairs) … [Read more...]
African businesses urged to dive into Blue Economy
African businesses are being challenged to wake up to the economic, social and environmental power of the Blue Economy. Africa Blue Economy Forum (ABEF) comes to Tunis on June 25-26; Confirmed speakers include Government ministers and officials from Gabon, Ghana, Morocco, Somaliland, Tunisia and Seychelles; Aims to raise awareness of the economic, social and environmental … [Read more...]
