July Research blog….
July research blog As per usual the first project to report on is the elasmobranch egg case project. It is now 6 months into the project and to date we have collected 2495 egg cases of 6 species! So far we have yet to see any clear patterns emerging with regards to seasonal differences in […]
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 […]
Mussel-ing in on our coastline!
Mussel-ing in on our coastline! Mussel is the common term for a variety of fresh and salt water clams or bivalve molluscs. Bivalves, as the name may suggest, are enclosed by two shell halves, and mussels are no different. Most of the species to which the term mussel applies have shells where the length is […]
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 […]
One of 24 – Plettenberg Bay’s Marine Protected Area
Water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, yet despite the majority holdings, only roughly 4% of this area is under formal protection. Land makes up 29% of the Earth’s surface and of this area 15% is under formal protection. We are at a crucial time in man’s history, where much of our natural areas have […]
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 […]
May research blog!
May research blog It really feels like the months are flying by, especially when the time comes for the monthly research blog to be written. It was just the other day that I wrote the last blog, though in reality it was 4 weeks ago! As usual, the first project to report on is the […]