JAEI Environmental Corner

South Africa has just celebrated Marine Week - celebrations around our marine life have taken place each year since 1988 as in order to create public awareness on marine conservation issues and remind South Africans of our spectacular ocean heritage that provides employment and recreational opportunities for all. South Africa boasts a coastline of over 3000kms which stretches from the Orange River in the west to Kosi Bay in the east. The oceans along this coastline are rich in marine life and support many different marine ecosystems. The ocean has always been viewed as a bottomless resource but the reality is that marine resources are finite.

The ocean provides us with tremendous and often unseen economic, social and cultural benefits; it acts as a vast highway for commerce, it provides a place for recreation and, importantly, it supplies food or income for 2.6 billion people worldwide. Today, however, the ancient tradition of fishing has in many cases left in its wake dangerously depleted fish stocks and an ecosystem whose balance has been sufficiently tipped to jeopardize the existence of a number of key species.

  • 85% of the world´s fish stocks are either overexploited or exploited to their maximum (2010 United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organisation report).
  • No fishing gear is completely selective. As a result, many non-target fish or endangered species of albatrosses, sharks and turtles are accidentally caught as bycatch. Globally, it is estimated that approximately a quarter of what is caught is thrown back, often dead, and wasted (2010 United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organisation report).
  • Some fishing techniques pose a threat to marine habitats which are the life support system for marine life.
  • Marine ecosystems exist in a delicate balance – therefore harvesting a species can have implications for the function of the entire system.

One way in which everyone can become involved in protecting our precious marine heritage is by ensuring that any fish consumed is from a sustainable stock. Ask the questions - What is it? Where is it from? How was it caught or farmed? You have the right to know what you are eating. Remember – You have a choice. Make it Green! To assist you in your choices – download the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative pocket guide at or simply text the name of the fish to the number 079499 8795 and you will immediately get a message telling you whether to tuck in, think twice or avoid completely! Normal network rates apply.

Did you know? - Heaviside's Dolphin

The Heaviside's Dolphin was discovered in the 19th century by Captain Heaviside when he took a specimen from Namibia to the England. This dolphin species can be found in shallow coastal waters off the West Coast and Namibia and are endemic to these waters. The Heaviside's Dolphin donot occur in large numbers, and not much research has been done on them.

Heaviside's Dolphin's are probably the smallest dolphin in the world reaching an average length of 1.3m and a weight of 640kg. This dolphin has a blunt head with blunt beak and stocky body. The flippers are rounded, almost paddle-like shape, while the dorsal fin is large and triangular. The posterior half of the Heaviside's Dolphin is solid grey with a darker grey coloration that looks like a cape. The anterior half, including the dorsal fin, flanks and tail is a dark blue-black color, very similar to the colorations of the Orca (killer) Whale. The Heaviside's Dolphin feeds on fish such as hake, octopus and squid.

Although the Heaviside's Dolphin will bow-ride, they are shy of human interaction. They're commonly found in groups of 1-10 traveling together. Not much is known about the reproductive habits of the Heaviside's Dolphin and a lot more research is needed to better understand the migration and breeding habits of these mammals.

Threats against the Heaviside's Dolphin include entanglement in fishing nets, and injuries from outboard motor blades.