Compiling authors Dr Angus Paterson Prof. Juliet Hermes Dr Tommy Bornman Tracy Klarenbeek Dr Gilbert Siko Rose Palmer Report design: Rose Palmer Contributing authors Prof. Janine Adams Ms Maryke Musson Prof. Isabelle Ansorge Mr Mduduzi Mzimela Dr Björn Backeberg Mr Ashley Naidoo Prof. Paulette Bloomer Dr Larry Oellermann Dr Thomas Bornman Ryan Palmer Dr Hayley Cawthra Dr Angus Paterson Geremy Cliff Dr Brilliant Petja Prof. Rosemary Dorrington Nicole du Plessis Dr Thembinkosi Steven Dlaza Dr Anthony Ribbink Prof. Ken Findlay Prof. Chris Reason Prof. William Froneman Prof. Michael Roberts Dr Enrico Gennari Prof. Mathieu Rouault Dr Issufo Halo Prof. Ursula Scharler Dr. Jean Harris Dr Gilbert Siko Prof. Juliet Hermes Dr Kerry Sink Dr Jenny Huggett Dr Gavin Snow Tracy Klarenbeek Johan Stander Prof. Mandy Lombard Dr Neville Sweijd Neil Malan Prof. Peter Teske Benita Maritz Dr Niall Vine Meaghen McCord Prof. Sophie von der Heydem Tammy Morris SA RESEARCH IN THE WIO ContEnts INDEX of rEsEarCh topiCs ‑ 2 introDuCtion ‑ 3 thE WEstErn inDian oCEan ‑ 4 rEsEarCh ActivitiEs ‑ 6 govErnmEnt DEpartmEnts ‑ 7 Department of Science & Technology (DST) Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (DAFF) sCiEnCE CounCils & rEsEarCh institutions ‑ 13 National Research Foundation (NRF) Council for Geoscience (CGS) Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) Institute for Maritime Technology (IMT) KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB) South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) Egagasini node South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) Elwandle node South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) South African Weather Service (SAWS) Water Research Commission (WRC) rEsEarCh programmEs ‑ 32 Alliance for Collaboration on Climate and Earth Systems Science (ACCESS) African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP) Agulhas System Climate Array (ASCA) DEA EAF-Nansen Programme Second International Indian Ocean Expedition (SA-IIOE-2) South African Chapter of the Indian Ocean Rim Association Academic Group (SA IORAG) South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Sentinel Sites for Long-Term Ecological Research (SSLTER) Shallow Marine & Coastal Research Infrastructure (SMCRI) Western Indian Ocean Upwelling Research Initiative (WIOURI) SA RESEARCH IN THE WIO non‑govErnmEntal organisations ‑ 49 Oceans Research Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) South African Shark Conservancy (SASC) Sustainable Seas Trust (SST) Two Oceans Aquarium (TOA) WILDOCEANS highEr EDuCation institutions ‑ 57 Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Nelson Mandela University (NMU) Rhodes University (RU) Stellenbosch University (SU) University of Cape Town (UCT) University of Fort Hare (UFH) University of Johannesburg (UJ) University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) University of Pretoria (UP) University of the Western Cape (UWC) University of Zululand (UNIZUL) Walter Sisulu University (WSU) University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) ContaCt details ‑ 76 aCronyms & abbrEviations ‑ 82 SA RESEARCH IN THE WIO INDEX of rEsEarCh topiCs a Linefish - 11, 20, 24, 34, 39, 51, 54, 60 - 20, 38, 50, 59 Apex, top predators Long term monitoring: physical - 17, 22, 23, 28, 11, 17, 39, 55, 59, 63, 66, 70 Aquaculture, mariculture - 34, 36, 45, 46, 63, 66, 74 b Long term monitoring: biological - 11, 20, 22, Barcoding, molecular research - 20, 24, 26, 42, 23, 24, 26, 37, 54, 56, 60, 71, 74 51, 55, 62, 63, 66, 68, 71 Benthic biodiversity - 22, 24, 34, 38, 42, 51, 59, 73 m Biodiscovery & pharmaceuticals - 34, 40, 42, 60, 63, 66 Mammals: cetaceans & megafauna - 20, 38, Biodiversity targets - 22, 26, 42 40, 47, 50, 55, 56, 58, 59, 70, 71 Biogeography - 24, 42, 63, 68 Mangroves - 24, 55, 59, 60, 73 Blue economy, oceans economy - 15, 17, 39, 42, Mapping - 15, 19, 22, 24, 37, 42, 56, 66, 70 56, 58, 74 Marine Protected Areas - 22, 23, 24, 26, 34, 42, C 51, 55, 56, 71, 74 Marine Spatial Planning - 22, 24, 26, 42, 58, 59, 26, 51, 56, 70 Citizen science - 62, 71 9, 11, 15, 17, 22, 24, 30, 33, 36, 37, Climate change - 28, 30, 36, 38, 46, 47, 59, 60, 62, 63, 66, 75 Meteorology, weather forecasting - 40, 58, 63 Climate variability - 9, 22, 30, 33, 36, 37, 38, 46, 75 Microbiology & biochemistry - 34, 40, 42, 66 Coelacanths - 26, 34 Microplastics - 37, 40, 55, 59, 60, 70 Communities: benthic- 42, 51, 59, 73 Modelling: ecosystem & population -42, 70, 75 Communities: fish - 24, 51, 59, 71 Modelling: oceanography & weather - 15, 22, Communities: plankton- 60, 70, 73 23, 28, 40, 58, 63, 71, 75 Connectivity - 24, 47, 51, 60, 62, 63, 68, 70, 71 Movements & migrations - 20, 24, 50, 51, 54, 55, Conservation- 9, 11, 24, 28, 34, 40, 42, 50, 51, 55, 56, 58, 59, 62, 68, 70, 71 56, 68 ,71 Coral - 15, 24, 26, 42, 51, 70 n 26 Coral bleaching - Nearshore environment - 15, 24, 26, 60, 70, 73 D o 22, 24, 26, 34, 42, 51, 56, 59, 60 Deep-sea, deep reefs - Oceanography - 9, 17, 19, 22, 23, 28, 34, 36, 37, 38, E 40, 45, 47, 58, 60, 63, 68, 71, 73 Ecology, molecular - 20, 51, 62, 68, 71 p Ecosystem, habitat classification & mapping Paleo research - 15, 70, 75 - 15, 22, 26, 34, 42, 47, 59, 62 Parasitology - 20, 55 Estuaries - 22, 23, 24, 51, 55, 59, 60, 66, 68, 70, 73, 74, 75 Plankton: phytoplankton - 17, 40, 47, 60, 62, 66, 75 Evolution -62, 71 Plankton: zooplankton - 24, 47, 59, 70, 73 Extreme climate events, geohazards - 9, 24, 40, 47, 73, 75 r f Remote imagery - 22, 24, 26, 34, 46, 54, 56, 59 Remote sensing & GIS - 15, 17, 19, 46, 60, 66 Fisheries - 11, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 34, 36, 37, 39, 42, 47, Research cruises - 8, 9, 11, 22, 24, 26, 28, 34, 37, 51, 54, 58, 59, 60, 66, 71, 74 38, 47, 56 g s Genetics - 20, 24, 42, 51, 54, 55, 59, 62, 66, 68, 71 Seabirds - 38, 40, 59, 66 Geology - 15, 34, 62, 66, 70 Seagrass - 59, 62, 73 Geophysics - 15, 34, 70 Seaweed, macroalgae - 26, 63, 66, 73, 74 Global change - 8, 30, 33, 36, 46, 47, 59, 60, 63, 75 Sharks & rays - 20, 24, 50, 51, 54, 55, 59, 60, 62, 68, 70, 71 h Stock assessment - 24, 74 Human impacts - 9, 20, 22, 24, 26, 30, 36, 37, 38, 42, Submarine canyons - 26, 34 47, 51, 54, 55, 59, 60, 70, 71, 74, 75 t i Tagging - 20, 24, 50, 51, 68, 71 Intertidal zone - 24, 74, 75 Taxonomy: fish - 24, 51, 62 Invasive species - 26, 42, 68 Taxonomy: Invertebrates - 22, 24, 26, 73, 74 Invertebrates - 11, 20, 22, 24, 42, 51, 59, 60, 63, 68, 74 Telemetry, acoustic monitoring - 20, 24, 34, 45, Isotopes - 20, 47, 55, 75 46, 50, 51, 54, 71 l Temperate reefs - 24 Larval dispersal - 24, 34, 59, 60, 63, 68, 71 u Larval fish, ichthyoplankton - 24, 34, 47, 59, 60, 71 Upwelling - 9, 22, 38, 42, 47, 58, 59, 60 2 SOUTH AFRICan rEsEarCh IN thE Wio introDuCtion South Africa is blessed with a remarkable marine and coastal environment that includes two contrasting boundary current systems, a range of zoogeographic zones, over 300 estuaries, deep-water and continental shelf regions, and a range of habitats that include rocky shores, sandy beaches, kelp forests, mangroves, and coral reefs. In order to best manage and understand these systems, South Africa has a vibrant marine research community which has steadily grown since the pioneering research started by Dr John Gilchrist in the late 19th century. This community involves researchers at Universities, Government Departments, National Research Facilities, Science Councils and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Many fundamental marine science questions of the 21st century require multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary approaches which will demand increased collaboration between scientists, managers and policy makers nationally and internationally. In the last decade, the number of regional and international marine research programmes in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) in which South African researchers can collaborate has increased. Activities run by programmes and initiatives such as the Agulhas Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystem (ASCLME) Programme, Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and International Indian Ocean Expedition 2 (IIOE - 2) call for high levels of interaction and co-operation. In order to foster collaborative opportunities, the South African Department of Science & Technology (DST) requested that a compendium of South African marine research activities being conducted in the WIO should be produced and periodically updated. This compendium includes information on key institutions and research programmes and is cross-indexed according to discipline. The compendium is the result of voluntary submissions by the various institutions and does not purport to be a comprehensive overview of all WIO marine research activities. The first version of the compendium focuses primarily on the natural sciences. If the result is deemed helpful, the scope will be broadened in the next version. The editors hope that the compendium will enable researchers to identify possible research partners and agencies and thus enhance collaborative research throughout the Western Indian Ocean. 3 SOUTH AFRICAN RESEARCH IN THE WIO thE WEstErn inDian oCEan The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region stretches from the southern tip of South Africa to the northern Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, Sri Lanka, and a line south from the tip of India. It harbours diverse habitats with both tropical and subtropical regions stretching along the coastline of continental Africa: Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa, and surrounding the island states of Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius, and French Territories. The WIO region is characterised by high biodiversity, both in terms of species and ecosystems, which places it as one of the most rich and interesting ocean regions of the world. Unlike the Pacific and the Atlantic, the northern boundary of the Indian Ocean (Asia) is at a low latitude and hence the North Indian Ocean cannot export heat to high latitudes via a western boundary current like the Kuroshio or the Gulf Stream.