Why Marine Protected Areas Are Important
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Bulletin NEWS Thursday November 6 2014 7 No longer plenty of fish in the sea over-exploited. 800 000 tons of In the “Black December” of 1958, five bathers were killed by sharks along marine life are the Kwa-Zulu Natal coastline. Shark nets were introduced, a major contrib- harvested utor to bi-catch of dolphins, turtles with many years of killing top predators. make changes. annually “Shark nets were never set up to save Sewerage spills, plastic pollution, people but to safeguard tourism,” said and aquaculture are other major KAREN WATKINS Professor Attwood. threats to the integrity of the ocean The better option would be a mag- habitat. any years ago fishermen netic field and for the Natal Parks Professor Attwood feels the answer threw bait overboard in Board to be transparent regarding the to dwindling fish stocks is an increase MFalse Bay and the water costs to the environment and the aim in the number of MPAs. At present was filled with fish. Nowadays, for the nets. they cover 19% of our coastline, with Boulders penguins have to swim In 1964, the first MPA was declared, the west coast being mostly neglected. further out to sea in search of Tsitsikamma, with many to follow in He said only nine percent of the food. And it’s not only penguins the next four decades. But their real coast falls within no-take zones, where who are finding fish a rare com- value was only articulated in 1989. nothing is to be removed by fishing or modity. Quotas came in 1978; the line fish- other methods. The scale of fishing in South ery crisis was tackled in 1984 and 2000; “Marine protected areas protect Africa’s coastal waters is terrify- the post-democracy Fishing Act facili- habitats and ecosystems, as well as com- ing: 800 000 tons of marine life tated ecosystem management; and mercially important fish populations. are harvested annually, says there was a spike in abalone poaching They do this by preventing fishing in Professor Colin Attwood of in Gansbaai. nursery areas and locations where UCT’s zoology department who In 1989, the oil tanker Exxon spawning takes place, as well as by pre- recently spoke at the Cape Valdez ran aground, resulting in a serving the genetic structure of the Research Centre in Tokai. huge ecological disaster with 30 000 population. Attending the meeting were peo- tons of crude oil contaminating the “They allow research into the effects ple from fishing-related organisa- oceans for miles around. of fishing to take place by providing tions and marine law enforce- The result was the creation of an areas that aren’t fished to compare ment. ocean traffic scheme. with areas that are. Professor Attwood, who has a In the new millennium, eco-labels “They also enable non-consumptive special interest in Marine Pro- changed market and regulatory activities such as scuba diving, whale, tected Areas (MPA), lives in dynamics in coastal and industrial- seal and seabird viewing, and coastal Muizenberg and gave a brief, scale fisheries, and marine spatial plan- tourism to take place,” said Professor selective history tracing events ■ Colin Attwood has a special interest in Marine Protected Areas. ning was initiated in 2004. Attwood. and ideas that shaped marine In his summation Professor Attwood His message was clear: “While many conservation in South Africa. said South Africa has yet to meet the believe the sea delivers, it’s not the He said sailing ships intro- In 1872 an article in a Cape imate seabird populations was challenge of managing the impact of case. It’s important that generations duced alien species into south- monthly magazine described a defeated after a study to show offshore mining, pointing out that gov- that follow have the same opportunities ern oceans and in the 1700s dynasty of hake with abundant how many sea birds eat fish. ernments and organisations are slow to we have.” whales, seals and penguins bore fish, hundreds of tons. Jane Turpie of Steenberg- the first wave of exploitation. It was a time when geelbek based Anchor Environmental In 1790, a time when train and steenbras were plentiful in Consultants pointed out that the passengers were shooting the Table Bay – but not today. It was first description of sea-birds at abundant game as they passed also a time when a scientist the Cape was on how to cook through the Karoo, fishermen in arrived from Britain and went on them and how they tasted. Table Bay could throw in a line to pioneer trawling over line fish- In 1929 it was obvious that and the sea would be red with ing. part of the inshore trawl grounds stumpnose. Meanwhile 30 Around 1900 a plethora of should be closed. Sanctuaries whalers bobbed around in St issues prompted investigations were created for the recovery of Helena Bay. and debate with Americans dec- west coast rock lobster and a “The population of Southern imating forage fish and trawlers translocation programme fol- Right Whales has not recovered destroying fish spawn. lowed. properly today,” he said. 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