HUMPBACK WHALE SAMPLINGSeptember 28, 2010 by dyertrustA call was received telling us about a washed up whale at a nearby stretch of beach called Die Plaat.The crew headed off to gather samples which we send to Mammal Research Institute (University of Pretoria) and Oceans and Coasts (Department of Environmental Affairs).It was a juvenile humpback male whale, 10.2m long. Although it was [...]
SEVERE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY FISHING LINESSeptember 27, 2010 by dyertrustThe Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) in association with Overstrand Municipality, Gansbaai Administration, is very excited to be establishing the Fishing Line Recovery and Recycling Program (FLRRP) along the Gansbaai shoreline, with specially designed disposal bins.This innovative project aims to reduce the severe environmental damage caused by discarded fishing line on [...]
OILED AND INJURED PENGUINS OFF DYER ISLANDSeptember 26, 2010 by dyertrustThis August the Dyer Island Conservation Trust has rescued eight oiled penguins. It is not always possible to identify the source of the oilit could be from old wrecks still seeping oil or more likely an illegal dumping. Another three penguins have been taken in with shark bite injuries.The Trust serves [...]
BRYDES WHALE SAMPLING AT PRINGLE BAYSeptember 25, 2010 by dyertrustMonday morning the 12th of July, turned out to be like all other days here at DICTfull of great surprises and excitement. We received a phone call from Penelope Aplon, Environmental Manager of the Overstrand Municipality, about a dead washed up whale at Pringle Bay beach.Wilfred Chivelland I grabbed our rubber boots, [...]
Live streaming from the Hermanus Whale FestivalSeptember 22, 2010 by dyertrustHOT OFF THE PRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Marine DynamicsandDyer Island Conservation Trustwill bebringing you the event of the year straight to your PC!We will be broadcastingLIVE fromthe Hermanus Whale Festival2010. We will be hosting an array of environmental speakers & biologists from around the world to discuss various ecological and marine related issues. For complete [...]
First Great White Shark taggedSeptember 19, 2010 by dyertrustby DICTs Marine Biologist Alison TownerMuch excitement at the moment! Under the guidance of Marine and Coastal Management (MCM)Oceans & Coastswe successfully tagged and tracked our first great white shark on the 3rdSeptember 2010 at 10:30am. She was a 4.2m female (huge) and as we implanted the transmitter we immediately began to follow [...]
Dyer Island Blog #8 ? 06 October 2009September 05, 2010 by dyertrustDyer Island Blog #806 October 2009Major news the past few weeks in South Africas marine environment was the grounding of the bulk carrier Seli 1 shortly before midnight on Monday 7th September at Blouberg in Cape Town. This 29-year- old Turkish ship was headed for Gibraltar and was carrying 660 [...]
DOLPHINSSeptember 05, 2010 by dyertrustDOLPHINSWhich species of dolphins do we find around Dyer Island ?There are 2 different species of dolphins which are regular visitors in our waters; the Humpback dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin.We have a resident pod of humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) around Dyer Island. These dolphins can be easily confused with the bottlenose dolphin. Humpback dolphins have [...]
CAPE FUR SEALSeptember 05, 2010 by dyertrustCAPE FUR SEALORDER:PinnipediaFAMILY:OtariidaeGENUS:ArctocephalusSPECIES:pusillusSUBSPECIES:pusillusThe Cape Fur Seal breeds at > 40 colonies in southern Africa between Algoa Bay (Port Elizabeth) and baia dos Tigres (southern Angola), at mainland sites or on islands nearby the coast. There have been several new colonies established in recent decades. In South Africa, seals are protected under the Seabirds and Seals [...]
Waiting for our tagging permitAugust 16, 2010 by dyertrustby DICTs Marine Biologist Alison TownerAs we wait for our tagging permit, we are certainly enjoying some awesome sharks this month, with an average of 6-10 sharks per trip seen of Shark Fever.Weather conditions have been relatively stable for mid winter with only a couple of small cold fronts passing through the area. [...]