The hard work of local police in the fight against abalone poaching has made headlines this week with several abalone seizures being reported in the press.  A 37-year-old man appeared in the Strand Magistrate’s court earlier this week after R780 000 worth of abalone was found in his car.

In the eastern Cape police shut down an illegal abalone-drying facility and seized approximately six tons of gourmet mollusc with an estimated value of R10 million. Three men were arrested.

It would appear that inroads are being made by the police to combat the illegal poaching of abalone, but unfortunately confiscation does not assist in the protection of this now highly endangered species. There needs to be greater emphasis on prevention and that is no easy task.

The Panama Canal has made headlines this week, celebrating its 100^th birthday.  The famous canal is widely regarded as one of the greatest engineering wonders of the 20^th century, but is now under pressure to update and revamp to keep up with competing 21^st century canal projects.

The Panama Canal was officially opened on 15 August 1914 and over 1 million vessels have made use of it over the last 100 years.  There are plans to revamp the now dated canal to cater for larger vessels, but the completion date has been extended until January 2016.