Impacts of Human Activities on Marine Animal Life in the Benguela: A Historical Overview

Griffiths, Charles L.; Sittert, Lance van; Best, Peter B.; Brown, A. C.; Clark, B. M.; Cook, Peter; Crawford, Robert J. M.; David, J. H. M.; Davies, B. R.; Griffiths, Matthew; Hutchings, K; Jerardino, Antonieta; Kruger, Nerina; Lamberth, Stephen J.; Leslie, R. W.; Melville‐Smith, Roy; Tarr, R. J. Q.; Lingen, Carl D. van der; Gibson, R. N.; Atkinson, Roger; Gordon, J. D. M.

doi:10.1201/9780203507810-12

Cited by 11 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Despite the long-held perception that the South African coastline remains relatively pristine and unpolluted by international standards [12], recent biomonitoring studies show that there are potential pollution issues within heavily industrialised areas such as harbours [13][14][15][16], with numerous researchers noting there are insufficient data to make long-term conclusions on whether coastal pollution is improving or worsening over time [15,[17][18][19]. Considering the above statements regarding rising human population densities in the coastal zone, combined with the evident decreasing state of effectiveness of South African wastewater treatment plants and their tendency to release untreated effluent into rivers and oceans, unmonitored anthropogenic pollution is cause for significant concern along the coastline, particularly to seafood producers and consumers.…”

Section: Marine Pollution Increases Human Health Concerns For Seafood...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Status of Marine Mussel Pollution Research in South Africa (2012–2022)

Firth,

Auerswald,

Strydom

et al. 2023

Foods

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The growing human population requires more food each year, and seafood products can help meet this demand if clean water resources are available for their growth. Farmed and wild mussels are environmentally friendly seafood with many health benefits to human consumers, but they can also pose a health risk if they are harvested from areas where marine anthropogenic pollution is uncontrolled or unmonitored. While the coastline in South Africa has long been assumed to be pristine, a growing number of recent studies are raising contamination concerns. Baseline studies establish a wide range of anthropogenic pollutants to be present in the marine environment, specifically in urbanised or industrialised areas like major cities or harbours. This review summarises how mussels could pose health risks to human consumers and the current research that is being conducted by private researchers and institutions in South Africa. The review emphasises the need for more research in the field and for governmental pollution monitoring data to be released to the public.

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Section: Marine Pollution Increases Human Health Concerns For Seafood...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Status of Marine Mussel Pollution Research in South Africa (2012–2022)

Firth,

Auerswald,

Strydom

et al. 2023

Foods

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Experimental harvesting of Mytilus galloprovincialis: Can an alien mussel support a small-scale fishery?

Robinson¹,

Govender²,

Griffiths³

et al. 2007

Fisheries Research

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In an effort to stimulate new fisheries and address historic imbalances in access to fishing rights, there has been a recent focus on the development of small-scale fisheries in South Africa. To assess the biological viability of a fishery for the alien mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, an experimental fishery operated by two impoverished coastal communities was initiated. Harvesting took place on a rotational basis at three sites, nested within four locations. At each of these 12 sites, 5 treatments were undertaken to span a spectrum of harvesting intensities (F = 0, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9 and a once-off total removal). A dynamic biomass-based fisheries model was developed to predict changes in exploited populations over time. Monthly maximum sustainable yield (MSY) estimates peaked at 1560 kg per 100 m of shore in March-April and September-October, but dropped by two orders of magnitude to 15 kg per 100 m of shore during the remainder of the year. The two peaks in MSY corresponded to the peak spawning periods of M. galloprovincialis along the South African west coast. Consequently, harvesting will only be viable if focused within two seasons spanning the peaks in MSY. Under these conditions, a range of harvesting intensities between F = 0.1 and 0.3 would permit long-term biological sustainability of a fishery. If implemented, this would represent the first instance of a marine invasive species being utilised to achieve socio-economic goals in South Africa.

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