RESEARCH- Overview!
RESEARCH Overview The ORCA Foundation offers a unique learning experience for volunteers who are passionate about the marine environment. It will allow you to make valuable contributions to increased knowledge, awareness and conservation efforts while supporting applied marine research. As part of our comprehensive volunteer programme, you will regularly receive the opportunity to assist our […]
May research blog!
May research blog: The elasmobranch egg case project continues to progress smoothly. Despite having dropped our surveys to only once a month, we still haven’t been able to totally process through our backlog, though we are steadily moving through it. There will be a big celebration once we have conquered the mountain of egg cases! […]
Our first Research Blog for 2017!!!
Our first research blog for 2017!!! The ORCA Foundation team has hit the ground running this year, busy both outdoors and in! Despite the volunteer program being closed for a number of weeks, ORCA staff maintained the elasmobranch egg case project. Surveys were continued, and egg cases were collected. Now with the volunteer program back […]
August research Blog!!
August research blog We have exciting news on the elasmobranch egg case project! After 7 months of surveying beaches we have finally collected a different egg case! Generally, we will collect egg cases from 6 different species: Dark Shyshark, Leopard Catshark, Puffadder Shyshark, Pyjama Shyshark, St Josephs Shark, and the Twineyed Skate. Finally, we can […]
Blacktail – abundant, ubiquitous, and hermaphroditic!
Blacktail – abundant, ubiquitous, and hermaphroditic! Anglers and visitors to the underwater world in our beautiful Plettenberg Bay may be familiar with a fish called blacktail Diplodus capensis, though perhaps the name dassie or Cape white seabream is more familiar. This is an oval-shaped fish which is primarily silver in colour with a black patch […]
Not one, but three, abalone species in Plettenberg Bay!
Not one, but three, abalone species in Plettenberg Bay! If someone mentions abalone, it brings to mind one specific marine gastropod mollusk (sea snail) species Haliotis midae, also known as perlemoen. In fact, in Plettenberg Bay, there are 3 abalone species living in intertidal and subtidal waters. The most well-known abalone species is perlemoen, while […]
Humpback Whales – we’re happy they’re back in Plett!
Come June, eyes are kept peeled for that elusive blow as boat trips start taking a turn off the point and further to sea searching, and hoping, for the first sighting of a Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae. Humpback Whales are large animals, measuring 13-14 m in length and weighing 30-40 tonnes. They have a big […]
June Research Blog!
June research blog Winter is well underway and the ORCA team is feeling the chill – even our beach surveys for elasmobranch egg cases are now accompanied by a jersey each! With the project 5 months in we have collected 2176 egg cases of 6 different species, with Puffadder Shysharks by far the most common […]
My experience with ORCA….
My experience with ORCA Foundation. Amy joined our program in May and sent us a lovely testimony: “I came to ORCA with both a fear and fascination with the ocean. I wanted to learn more. Within my 4 weeks at ORCA I learned and experienced so much. I saw my first great white shark within my first […]