Date: 23/03/2007

Source: Department of Science and Technology

Title: Mangena: Opening of New Fish Collection Facility of the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity

Address by the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Mosibudi Mangena, at the opening of the New Fish Collection Facility of the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), Grahamstown

Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Humans are terrestrial organisms, but 70% of our bodies are made up of water, and 70% of our planet is covered with water. When astronauts look at the earth from space, our planet appears blue. We are all part of a dynamic and interconnected water network on the largely aquatic planet-earth.

Similarly, South Africa is surrounded by sea. With 3 000 km of coastline, we are a major maritime nation. We live close to water and look to the sea, estuaries and rivers for food, jobs, energy, transport, recreation and tourism. Another interesting fact to note is that, worldwide, about one-fifth of all protein that people eat comes from fish. Ninety per cent of fishers and fish farmers are engaged in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture. Fishing is the safety net that keeps a significant proportion of the world population from poverty, hunger and disease.

It is commonly believed that, "There are plenty of fish in the sea," but are there? It is true that the marine environment harbours a wealth of biodiversity? The total number of fish species on Earth outnumbers all mammal, reptile and bird species combined, but, many fish species have been harvested unsustainably, and pushed to the brink of extinction. Major fish populations have collapsed with devastating results for people who depend on this as source of food and income as well as the ecosystems they were once a part of.

The whole of the South African coast from the coral reefs of the Indian Ocean to the rich kelp forests of the Atlantic is one of the richest and most biologically diverse marine environments on Earth. The Benguela Current, off our west coast, supports large quantities of fish while the Mozambique Current, off our east coast, has a smaller quantity of fish but a greater diversity of species.

The wise and sustainable use of South Africa's rich aquatic ecosystems is a difficult and complex task and one cannot manage and conserve what one does not know. There is therefore a compelling need to monitor variability in the marine and freshwater ecosystems around Southern Africa so that scientists can provide objective and sound advice to our decision makers, who paradoxically, need to be both proponents of fishing and protectors of biodiversity.

Our researchers conduct ongoing surveys to determine the proportion of marine resources that can be removed or harvested sustainably. This requires careful monitoring of physical forces in the ocean environment, the chemical make-up of the ocean, the plankton at the base of the interlinked marine food web, the target fish populations and the top predators that compete with humans for food from the sea.

Based on extensive and long-term data, researchers must be able to forecast sustainable fishing quotas. Another huge challenge is to replace wasteful fishing practices, where huge volumes of so-called by-catch are discarded with effective methods that avoid the unnecessary killing of many species including marine turtles, sea birds and sharks. As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), South Africa also has a global responsibility to protect and conserve endemic fish species.

Ladies and gentlemen, systematic ichthyology is one of the cornerstone research areas in marine and freshwater conservation. Biodiversity is an important indicator of the health of our planet and it is crucial that we find the right balance between the utilisation and conservation of our aquatic resources.

The South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) was born out of the pioneering marine fish taxonomy done by Professor JLB Smith and his co-workers. It is now a beacon of excellence in systematic ichthyology. Prof. JLB Smith was one of the first South African scientists to receive a research grant from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which he used to set up the Department of Ichthyology at Rhodes University. When Prof. Smith died in 1968, his legacy of research excellence was preserved by the formation of the JLB Smith Institute for Ichthyology.

In 1999, as part of the restructuring of Declared Cultural Institutions, the Institute became a national research facility of the National Research Foundation (NRF). In 2003, it was renamed the "South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity" or SAIAB.

Today, scientists at SAIAB conduct research in marine, estuarine and freshwater environments, ranging from Antarctica and the islands in the cold Southern Ocean, to the open oceans east and west of Africa as well as in inland waters of Africa. The current Director, Professor Paul Skelton, is a leading scientific authority on freshwater fishes in southern Africa. This dedicated team has kept this Institute SAIAB, on a path of international scientific excellence.

The National Fish Collection developed and managed by SAIAB, is by far the largest collection of African fish specimens on the continent and is one of the major fish collections in the world. It consists of around 80 thousand lots and more than half a million specimens. The oldest fish in the collection dates back to the 1890s. The collection contains numerous specimens and historic distribution records. With ongoing research, exploration and new genetic techniques, more species are being added all the time. It is a uniquely valuable and irreplaceable research and reference tool. It is also an invaluable record of the past and represents both a national and international asset.

In 2002, the Board of the NRF met at SAIAB and considered the risk of housing such a large and irreplaceable fish collection in the basement of the SAIAB building. The result was a decision to build a fish collections facility. Rhodes University generously made land available directly next to SAIAB, and after a good deal of planning, construction began in September 2005.

SAIAB has now created a new on-line portal through which researchers and the public from around the world can search and use this collection on the internet. We are also launching that information portal to the collection in cyberspace today. We are convinced that these natural history collections represent a fundamental record of life and serve as source material for further discoveries. Africa, a continent with untold richness in biodiversity, has relatively few museum collections, we therefore have a responsibility to develop South Africa's collections so that they can serve as leadership models and means for the development of skills in this field. SAIAB has a particular responsibility to provide opportunities for African researchers to benefit from developments such as this new facility.

In addition to the fish collection, SAIAB also holds valuable collections of genetic samples, photographs, original scientific illustrations, spatial data and publications. Together with Rhodes University, SAIAB collaborates with the Fisheries Library of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for improved networking and information exchange in Africa.

The coelacanth, the remarkable "fossil fish" closely associated with the institute, is the ultimate survivor. It dates back over 400 million years. This is 150 million years before the first dinosaurs. The youngest coelacanth fossils ever found were about 65 million years old and scientists were convinced that the species was extinct. It was therefore an unbelievable discovery and enormous surprise to find a coelacanth in 1938 just off the coast of East London. At the time, it was considered the greatest biological find of the century, the equivalent of finding a living dinosaur in the Karoo today. These coelacanths outlived the major Mesozoic extinction event that wiped out dinosaurs and are our only known living link to pre-historic life on Earth.

Professor JLB Smith gave up his career as organic chemist because of his growing interest in fish, and to search for the second coelacanth. His passion finally paid off in 1952 when a coelacanth was caught and preserved near the Comoros.

Many years later, Professor Bruton led four research expeditions to the Comoros. For the next ten years coelacanths were caught offshore from Madagascar, Kenya and Indonesia but never again near South Africa, until 2000.

In October 2000 a group of recreational divers saw and photographed a living coelacanth off the coast at Sodwana Bay. They sent a photograph to Dr Phil Heemstra at SAIAB. The Coelacanth Programme was launched and in 2002 the team confirmed a group of six living coelacanths. Since then every cruise has successfully confirmed the presence of more live coelacanths. Researchers have tagged some of them and even obtained tissue samples for genetic profiling. By studying the unique scale patterns on the coelacanths, they could verify that some of these individuals were resident in the Sodwana area. To date, hundreds of these ancient, cave-dwelling fishes have been found. This led to a groundswell in public interest and awareness of the need to protect our marine biodiversity and environments.

We are proud to say today that South Africa has a long history of large, collaborative research programmes and a track record of excellence in oceanography in the Agulhas Current and Benguela ecosystem.

The environmental education and outreach activities of the programme have made valuable contributions to developing awareness around marine ecosystem issues and related careers. The success of the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme must also be credited to the partnership between my department and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT). The Department of Science and Technology (DST) provides the research funding and infrastructure, while DEAT takes care of the research vessel the FRS Algoa and provides additional logistical support and oceanographic expertise.

An exciting recent addition here at the SAIAB Institute is the Elwandle Node of the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), another national research activity funded by my department via the National Research Foundation. The SAEON Elwandle Node will support the long-term monitoring needs for the Southern African coastline, including rocky shores, beaches, estuaries, shallow reef communities and dune ecosystems. It will also look at coastlines of islands in the Southern Ocean such as Marion and Gough.

Ladies and gentlemen, another very exciting development is that we are on the brink of a new period in earth observations from micro-satellites that also holds the promise of enormous benefit to marine research. After a period of intensive development and testing at the University of Stellenbosch, we will soon be launching South Africa's latest satellite. This satellite will be launched from a submarine off the coast of Russia. SumbandilaSat will gather data over Southern Africa and its coastal environment.

My department recognises marine science as one of the science platforms in which South Africa has a unique role to play because of our geographical advantage as well as our track record of research excellence, with the other platforms being Antarctica, African Origins and Astronomy.

Every year we dedicate a specific focus month to each of these platforms. Hence June is Antarctica Month, August is dedicated to marine biosciences, during September we celebrate African Origins and Astronomy has its turn in October. During each focus month, my department funds a wide range of public outreach activities designed to engage ordinary people in these topics. We include activities that will attract more youth to study and establish careers in these areas.

Worldwide research organisations are increasingly recognising the importance of more dialogue and closer interaction between science and society. During Marine Biosciences Month in August 2006, learners at coastal schools in KwaZulu-Natal were invited to participate in a "marine turtle challenge". A group of learners, educators and journalists visited a nesting beach early in December last year and had the opportunity to see how scientists tag and weigh the turtles; and fit them with satellite transmitters for the purposes of studying their migration patterns. In another event, winners of the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme essay competition were rewarded with a few days at sea aboard the research vessel, the FRS Algoa.

The South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) manages these focus months. They produce a delightful series of science cartoons relevant to each focus month. These cartoons make topics ranging from Mrs Ples to cannibal stars accessible to the general public with a good dose of humour. My department supports several more initiatives aimed at sharing science with the public and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

National Science Week 2006 presented a wide range of activities aimed at stimulating interest in science and curiosity about the application of science in our daily lives. Nationwide more than 8 000 schools and more than 200 000 learners participated in the events. We continue to take part in major global programmes where excellence and achievements in a specific sphere of science is shared with the public. The "International Polar Year" is being celebrated this year from March 2007 to 2008, while International Astronomy Year will get its turn in 2009. With South Africa's strong position as a world-class hub of astronomy activities, we will have a great deal to share with local and global audiences during the Year of Astronomy.

Distinguished guests, the beauty and excitement of science spans the spectrum from sub-atomic particles to galaxies at the edge of the known universe from the earliest origins of life on Earth to sophisticated models predicting the future of our planet. Scores of dedicated sientists and ongoing skills development are required to sustain the science base that we will need to take us into the future. The South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity fills a vital niche in our research system and the need for its work is greater than ever before. It has moved from an academic focus to applied ichthyology and fisheries science, which is highly relevant to socio-economic and environmental issues. It is part of a collaborative network of science institutions around the world, and firmly established as the ichthyology reference point for southern Africa, the South Atlantic and West-Indo Pacific.

This very special facility that we are officially opening here today, the National Fish Collection, occupies a unique place in the intricate web of science in South Africa, and will play an important role as a reference point for future researchers, and as a virtual treasure trove to fascinate and inspire young minds.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
23 March 2007