Yearly Archives: 2019

DOLPHIN DEATH TRAP REMOVED FROM RICHARDS BAY

April 29, 2019 Dyer Island Conservation Trust The Dyer Island Conservation Trust team is excited to hear this good news with regards to the lifting of a shark net in Richards Bay (Kwazulu-Natal), to better protect the endangered Humpback dolphins. Well done to marine biologist Shanan Atkins and the team that worked on this. It’s a much needed step forward in [...]

April 29th, 2019|Uncategorized|

PENTHOUSES FOR PENGUINS

April 16, 2019 Dyer Island Conservation Trust Why are we designing the perfect artificial African penguin nest?  Before the advent of artificially produced fertiliser, guano was considered a top quality fertiliser rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Guano (an Inca word for a mix of eggshell, feathers, decayed corpses and bird excrement) was scraped from the penguin breeding islands. On Dyer [...]

April 16th, 2019|Uncategorized|

GREAT WHITE SHARKS SWIM THROUGH KELP

GREAT WHITE SHARKS SWIM THROUGH KELP April 03, 2019 OLIVER JEWELLIt’s been more than five years since I moved my life from Gansbaai and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, first to Europe and then Australia, which I still find incredible to believe… how time flies… But I remain an associate researcher with the Trust and Marine Dynamics and I’m proud to [...]

April 3rd, 2019|Uncategorized|

DYER ISLAND CONSERVATION TRUST LOOKS AT THE BIGGER PICTURE AND THE JOURNEY AHEAD

April 03, 2019 Dyer Island Conservation Trust Tourism partners, friends, and media, gathered at an evening event with the team of Dyer Island Conservation Trust and Marine Dynamics to look back at nearly two decades of research, conservation and education achievements. Our marine environment is under immense pressure and over the last two decades that Marine Dynamics and Dyer Island Cruises have [...]

April 3rd, 2019|Uncategorized|

DEEP AT THE REFOREST FEST

March 20, 2019 Dyer Island Conservation Trust The 2019 intake of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust’s Environmental Education Programme (DEEP), joined Greenpop’s Treevolution Reforest Festival this weekend in Platbos. This was an Eco-friendly, Zero Waste event for families to rebuild this indigenous ancient forest. It was a weekend filled with fun activities, puppet shows, forest walks, talent show and music and [...]

March 20th, 2019|Uncategorized|

PENGUIN PICTURE HAS THE PERFECT HOME

March 19, 2019 Dyer Island Conservation Trust In 2018, our penguin philanthropist, Mike Gibbs, kindly donated a special drawing of African penguins by Hermanus artist Malcolm Bowling. This picture went on silent auction at the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS). It finally has a home - with the Kendziorski family. The Kendziorski’s are from the USA and have been volunteering [...]

March 19th, 2019|Uncategorized|

Great White Sharks Tagged in Gansbaai

March 15, 2019 Dyer Island Conservation Trust “We are thrilled to have acoustic tagged two Great White Sharks from our research boat today!”, said shark biologist Alison Towner. It’s been over two years since a transmitter (tag) has been deployed on a white shark in Southern African waters largely due to their unpredictable distribution patterns, and a notable decline in white [...]

March 15th, 2019|Uncategorized|

DEAD BRONZE WHALER SHARKS, GANSBAAI

March 07, 2019 Dyer Island Conservation Trust On Tuesday the 5th March at 9 am, Anthony Fouche of Gansbaai documented the carcasses of eight large bronze whaler sharks at Die Plaat, Gansbaai. The Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) / Marine Dynamics team were notified in the late afternoon and made their way down to the site to collect them. On arrival, [...]

March 7th, 2019|Uncategorized|

Where did all the penguins go?

We all know that Africa is not for “sissies” and the African Penguin is a perfect example of African tenaciousness.  The story of the African penguin is not a good story to tell. This iconic bird is on the brink of extinction. We have lost 99% of our African Penguin population through no fault of their own. Forced removals Guano (an [...]

March 5th, 2019|APSS|

International Marine Volunteer donates R50 000 to Conservation

  February 19, 2019 Wilfred Chivell of Marine Dynamics and founder of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust was ecstatic to receive a R50 000 donation from International Marine Volunteer Susy Alexandersen. This money will go to the Dyer Island Conservation Trust’s conservation and community efforts. Norwegian based Alexandersen had this to say, “In 2013 I went to Gansbaai for the very [...]