Tag Archives: Shark Spotters

Weekly Press Review – 21 May 2018

Posted on by
Reply

Transnet has appointed a new CFO after a scandal involving the Gupta family. According to the press, Transnet has appointed Mohammed Mahomedy as the interim chief financial officer to take over from Garry Pita who resigned last month amid the financial scandal.

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has also appointed a new Transnet interim board and removed the utility’s three remaining board members: Seth Radebe, Potso Mathekga and Zainul Nagdee.

“Transnet is facing serious allegations of maladministration and corruption. The previous board had not demonstrated appreciation of the seriousness of issues at hand or the ability to deal with these decisively in order to protect the entity in the interest of South Africa,” said Gordhan.

The share price of JSE-listed Premier Fishing & Brands rose 5.13 percent after the company delivered solid returns despite tough economic and environmental conditions.

According to the press, Samier Saban, chief executive of Premier said, “I am pleased with our interim results and the progress Premier has made against our strategy to date.”

Yoshi, the loggerhead turtle has made her way to the shallower waters off the Angolan coast. According to the press, the Two Oceans Aquarium team has reported that Yoshi appears to be enjoying her time along the Angolan coast.

“It is much shallower where she currently finds herself, so she is probably having a bit if a feeding frenzy,” said an aquarium spokesperson.

Yoshi was released from the Two Oceans Aquarium in December about 27 nautical miles off Hout Bay. She was fitted with a satellite tag allowing researchers to track her journey for the next three years.

In a follow-up to last week’s story regarding the Shark Spotters crowd-funding project to raise funds for new binoculars, we are happy to report that after a donation of R20,000 from the Chinese community’s Southern African North-east Chamber of Commerce, Shark Spotters reached their R60,000 goal for the new binoculars.

According to the press, Shark Spotters chief executive Sarah Weis said, “This will enable spotters to have the best tools to keep people safe. They will be able to see things further; and to identify threats and species of shark.”

The People’s Republic of China deputy consul general in Cape Town, Cao Li said, ”It feels good to be able to help, to increase the value of wildlife protection. This organisation protects our lives and the sharks’ lives.”

Advertisement

Weekly Press Review – 14 May 2018

Posted on by
Reply

The False Bay Shark Spotters have made headlines this week with their appeal to the public to support the organisation’s crowd-funding platform, BackaBuddy.

A large part of the Shark Spotters portfolio is looking for sharks in the water using binoculars. The organisation needs 35 new pairs of binoculars at a cost of R60,000 and so the BackaBuddy campaign was launched. An amount of R34,260 has already been raised.

“Sharks are not easy to spot, unlike whales and dolphins, we rarely see their dorsal fin or other body parts above water, which is why we need increased visibility.

“The binoculars that we have are dated and most are in a state of disrepair. We hope the public will support our BackaBuddy campaign to empower us to keep our waters safe,” said Sarah Waries, chief executive of Shark Spotters.

False bay has the second largest number of white sharks in the world and the largest number of species. The balance between conservation and safety is therefore imperative. For the past 14 years Shark Spotters have been instrumental in finding that balance.

“Conserving large, predatory sharks, which are sometimes in conflict with people, is a major conservation challenge, because fear can stop people from supporting their conservation.

“To ensure the balance between great white shark conservation and public safety it is imperative that we have a strong scientific foundation on white shark ecology, coupled with non-lethal mitigation methods and supported by comprehensive education and awareness strategy,” says Waries.

For more information visit: www.backabuddy.co.za/spotters-binocular-fund

Weekly Press Review – 2 September 2016

Posted on by
Reply

The issuing of fishing permits by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) has once again made headlines this week.

According to the press, local fishing associations have lodged an urgent high court application to interdict and restrain DAFF from issuing further horse mackerel fishery permits to Global Pact.

Both the South African Deepsea Trawling Industry and Midwater Trawling Associations describe the department’s decision to allocate an additional 8,000 tons of experimental quota in the horse mackerel fishery as irrational. They have requested that the court set the decision aside.

The Responsible Fisheries Alliance (RFA), World Wildlife Fund South Africa (WWF-SA) and BirdLife SA have also expressed concern at the decision and are advising that a “cautionary approach” is required when dealing with the horse mackerel resource.

Johann Augustyn, executive secretary of the South African Deep-Sea Trawling Industry and Mid-water Trawling Associations said, “The fact that the permit is called a “permit for exploratory fishing” does not change its substance. It allows Global Pact to fish directly for horse mackerel utilising the same type of vessel as other existing rights holders, but without any effort limitation component, and with no spatial restriction.”

He added that he believed the decision to be influenced by an undisclosed ulterior purpose or bias.

In response DAFF spokesperson, Bomikazi Molapo said that the proposal by Global Pact was designed to assist the department to better understand the size and extent of the South African horse mackerel stock.

 Shark season is once again upon us and Cape Town’s beach-goers are being warned to be aware of the increased great white shark activity in-shore at our local beaches.

According to the press the City and Shark Spotters are hard at work to ensure the safety of beach-goers over this period.

According to Johan van der Merwe, Mayco member for Energy, Environmental and Spatial Planning, “All beach and ocean users are reminded that the presence of great white sharks in in-shore areas increases at this time of year. We are also asking surfers to be especially vigilant in the areas between Sunrise and Macassar Beach as research has shown that the presence of sharks is extremely common at this time of year.”

An extraordinary whale rescue has also made headlines this week. The NSRI and South African Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) were once again called to action to rescue a Humpback whale entangled in rope and a floatation buoy. Once freed the whale did not however simply swim away.

NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said, “Once all the ropes and the floatation buoy were removed, in a most incredible reaction from the animal, the whale swam right up alongside the sea rescue boat and he gently placed his head on the gunnel of the sea rescue craft.

“The whale remained there for almost 20 minutes seemingly staring at the rescuers. All involved described a surreal and emotional moment shared between the SAWDN volunteer team and this beautiful animal. The whale then swam off.”