Xolelwa Mbuyephi

Bernard Mackenzie

Mr Johnson

Mandela Day 2011

Mandela Day is celebrated world-wide and is aimed at inspiring individuals to take action and help change the world for the better. One of the core values of The South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) is recognising people as the greatest strength and assert of the institution. To contribute to Mandela Day, SAIAB staff, students and interns made a pot of soup and bread which were donated together with vegetables, fruit, bowls and spoons to the Makanaskop Old Age home. A needy old age home run buy the residents pension fund. The residents and staff of the home were extremely grateful for the donations. One of the old ladies kept at the home praise sang and danced expressing gratitude to SAIAB for making a difference in the home.

Mysterious oarfish washed ashore

Seldom seen, the rare, elongated oarfish, measuring between 3-8 meters from nose to tail, is a likely source of myths about sea serpents. Recently, a 4m long specimen was found washed up at Bokkomsbaai in the Western Cape by a commercial fisherman, Keith Boas. This ribbon-shaped, brilliant silver fish which has irregular blackish streaks and spots on its body and crimson dorsal and pelvic fins, is seldom seen far from the deep sea and is believed to be the longest bony fish in the ocean.

After it was found, the fish was taken to Fransmanshoek Conservancy at Vleesbaai for safe keeping where Ricco Menezies and colleagues from Cape Nature in Stilbaai maintained it in excellent condition. It was cleaned and blast frozen at Viking Fisheries and thereafter transported to the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) in Grahamstown for preservation. SAIAB is a Research Facility of the National Research Foundation (NRF).

SAIAB’s Senior Aquatic Biologist, Roger Bills, injects formalin into the flesh of the oarfish to speed up the preservation process and ensure that the internal tissues and organs are ‘fixed’ so that they do not decay.

“These fishes are seldom caught and they are mostly seen when washed ashore,” said Dr Stephen Lamberth, Inshore Resources Researcher from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. They are found in temperate and tropical oceans worldwide. They live in deep water and are rarely seen.

Unlike other fishes, the oarfish keeps its body straight and swims vertically in the water column. This movement makes it easier to spot prey silhouetted against the light from the surface. “They are a mystery to scientists and are commonly found to depths of 100metres and more where they feed on crustaceans and fish larvae,” added Lamberth.

On its arrival, the 4metre long deep water fish provided hours of fascination for curious SAIAB and the Department of Ichthyology and Fishery Sciences (DIFS) staff and students from Rhodes University. SAIAB and DIFS maintain strong relations as a large number of DIFS students are supervised by SAIAB.

The fish is soaked in a bath of 10% formalin to be disinfected and ‘fixed’. This retards decomposition. With large specimens such as this, formalin is also injected into the flesh to ensure that the internal tissues and organs are also fixed and do not decay.  Once fully ‘fixed’ the specimen will be thoroughly rinsed and transferred into a storage bin containing ethyl alcohol. The SAIAB Collection has five other specimens of this species dating back to 1966. Tissue samples taken from the oarfish will be stored in SAIAB’s Biomaterials Bank for DNA sequencing. The oarfish specimen will be stored in SAIAB’s Collection Facility and will be used for research. This state-of-the-art storage facility is specially designed for the long-term preservation of aquatic specimens.

Amazing experience for Aspiring Scientists

In theory, practice is simple; however is it simple to practise theory? Students attending SAIAB’s 2011 Aquatic Biodiversity Course (Winter School) were exposed to some of the best aquatic scientists nationally and internationally, exploring theory and practise and its relation to the aquatic environment.

2011 Winter School Students 

Situated in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) holds an annual Aquatic Biodiversity Course. In previous years it was targeted at postgraduate students. However for 2011 it focused on undergraduates, exposing them to diverse career paths within the aquatic environment so they can make informed choices about the areas they would like to pursue for postgraduate studies. Attendees represented Rhodes University (RU), University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (UKZN), Walter Sisulu University (WSU), Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) and four DST/NRF interns based at SAIAB.

SAIAB is an internationally recognised study of aquatic biodiversity and the four day course introduced the participants to biological diversity, taxonomy and systematics in freshwater, estuarine and marine environments through lectures, practicals, workshops as well as field work. In addition they were provided with basic information on how to use the specialist Margaret Smith Library, the Collections Management Centre including preservation and storage techniques, management of biodiversity information through Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and data bases. On the final day of the course they attended an interactive workshop on communicating science which highlighted the importance of effective communication of research in developing public awareness of science.

While presenting a lecture in Estuarine Ichthyology SAIAB’s Chief Scientist, Professor Alan Whitfield encouraged the students to find a research project that interests them. He went on to emphasize that one does not have to be a top scholar to become a Marine Biologist but as one progresses and enjoys the project one can become successful and eventually attain high marks.

For most students, the field trip was the highlight of the course because it demonstrated practically what scientists do in the field and the process of collecting sample fish species. “Through this field trip I have learned the importance of estuaries and that they need to be conserved for human sustainability,” said Peet Botes, B. Tech student from NMMU George Campus. Nkoliso Magona, third year Biological Science student from WSU had never been to an estuary to collect fish and this course provided him with the opportunity to see how science physically happens in the field.

While most of the students were enthusiastic about the field trip, Aviwe Matiwane, also a third year from WSU, enjoyed the session on Systematics and Taxonomy. “It was challenging but fun, especially identifying fish fossils,” she said.

Winter School students on the field

SAIAB is in the process of establishing an Aquatic Biodiversity Student Network for students throughout South Africa who are involved in aquatic biodiversity studies. Winter School students were encouraged to join this network. This linkage will allow students the platform to network with each other and the international aquatic biodiversity community. It is mainly aimed at informing postgraduate students about SAIAB’s research programmes, encourage students to align their research with SAIAB’s programmes, stimulate and promote interactions among graduate students and between students and senior scientists in aquatic biodiversity research.  It will further provide a network through which graduate students can feel comfortable to share ideas, collaborate and develop a broader understanding of their own study areas in the wider context of conservation biology, ecological research, molecular biology and systematics. The network will inform graduate students of career opportunities as they become available, and get graduate students excited about the fact that they will become the next generation of aquatic biodiversity research. Their research will pave the way to improved biodiversity management policies and protection of our environment for future generations. Winter school candidates were very interested and enthusiastic about joining this network as they could network and learn from each other.

Refiloe Mofokeng is an Msc Zoology student specialising in eco-toxicity in UKZN, she describes her experience with Winter School as “amazing”. “Everybody was friendly, the reception was beautiful, and the level of motivation and communication exceeded my needs and expectations. I got all the information and contact with researchers I aspired to meet. The experience allowed me to see where South African scientists are standing in relation to other scientists internationally which was helpful for my research. It was good for networking as well because I acquired contact and advice from scientists on my current research project. The activities were fun, innovative, challenging and informative. It was a ‘worth it’ experience,” she concluded.