Surrounded by the Atlantic, Indian and Southern Oceans, SA has three oceans to protect said Barbara Creecy, minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment, on World Oceans Day on Thursday. This means balancing the threats of pollution, overfishing, habitat destruction and climate change with the needs of ocean users such as individuals, communities, fisheries and mining sector.
From the captain’s bridge of the SA Agulhas II polar and research vessel moored in Cape Town harbour, she said that oceans offer fresh air, food security and help to regulate the climate by absorbing the carbon emissions which are heating the planet.
The oceans — which influence global weather patterns and amplify extreme weather events — were the hottest last year since records started in 1958, an analysis by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed.
SA has a responsibility “to ensure the long-term sustainability of our oceans and marine life”, Creecy said. To achieve this, the department is leading a process of marine spatial planning and has published 10 draft marine sector plans for public comment.
The ocean is relatively uncharted territory, which is why ongoing scientific research and planning are vital to decisions about what uses are sustainable, she said.
The minister said she had committed to researching the impact of seismic surveys on the marine environment “in an effort to manage competing interests” in the ocean.
About 17% of South Africa’s seas are under protection as SA slowly progresses towards the global “30x30" target to protect 30% of the world’s ocean and land by 2030.
South Africa’s 42 marine protected areas “now provide some protection to all identified marine ecoregions and 87% of ecosystem types”, reports the Two Oceans Aquarium, in Cape Town.
SA is among more than 100 countries that in March signed the UN high seas treaty “to protect biodiversity in international waters”, with the long-term goal of setting up Marine Protected Areas in the high seas.
Shortly before boarding the SA Agulhas II, the minister said she had met a high-level international scientific panel, whose members assured her that SA has one of the most sustainable and well managed fisheries in the world, based on available scientific data.
Speaking to 2023 Ocean Day theme, Planet Ocean: Tides are Changing, Creecy said that the department was working with local and international partners, who have made a major contribution to protecting the oceans.
Environmental activists and organisations in SA offer a range of activities to raise awareness about oceans, from beach cleanups to exhibitions — such as the Sea Change project human origins exhibition at Cape Point — films such as the Sea Change Oscar-award-winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher, a WildTrust video, interactive quizzes and activities online.
When we left San Francisco in a rowing boat, every single second of every one of the 40 days, the ocean was full of plastic.
— Adventurer Riaan Manser
The department hosts “environmental month” activities in June, such as its World Oceans Day Open Day initiative. One thousand pupils attended an oceans career exhibition on Thursday and Friday and got to tour the SA Agulhas II, which will be open to 4,000 members of public in Cape Town on the weekend.
Teacher Musfiqa Simon, from Pelican Park High School, said that the engagement of pupils was vital to raise awareness about oceans.
Pelican Park High head girl Tamil-Lee Trower, in grade 12, said she was happy to learn how oceans work and that it was an experience to attend the exhibition as she steeled herself to mount the steep gangway to the research vessel, even though she’s afraid of the ocean.
International adventurer Riaan Manser — whose feats include paddling around Madagascar and Iceland and rowing across the Atlantic Ocean — spoke to the pupils at the open day to enlighten them about the mysteries and power of the sea, while warning about the dangers of plastic pollution to marine life.
“I rowed across the Atlantic Ocean which was relatively clean all the way to New York City, where the water was filthy. When we left San Francisco in a rowing boat, every single second of every one of the 40 days, the ocean was full of plastic,” he said, urging everyone to protect the ocean.
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