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

23 March 2007

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