Durban - A stretch of marine ecosystem will be enjoying intense attention from those who care for it deeply.

On Tuesday, Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day will see surf skiers and walkers traverse the length of the Aliwal Shoal on the beach sand, the rocks and out at sea, collecting samples for scientific research.

They will also pick up litter and count the number of birds, fish and other species along the Aliwal Shoal MPA.

The activities are an initiative of the Ocean Festival, a series of global events celebrating World Oceans Day and humans’ connection with the ocean, raising awareness about the importance of its health, conservation and protected areas.

“We are trying to create a scientific baseline of measurement and analysis of what the Aliwal Shoal MPA looks like so we can measure it this year and track it in years to come,” said Ocean Festival founder Russel Symcox.

“(It’s) so that we can see how the MPAs are performing, what impacts we, as people, are having and effectively establish the balance between humans and their natural environment.”

A small group from the Ocean Festival team will be joined by scientists from the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) to walk about 30km along the beach from the Illovo River to Happy Wanderers Beach.

They will collect water and sand samples for analysis, as well as litter, along the way. Parallel with them, in the water, will be a small group of surfski paddlers who will cover the same route.

“They will collect water samples beyond the backline and conduct a census of the marine life, including sea birds, fish, mammals, molluscs, and more, encountered along the way from Illovo to Happy Wanderers.”

Then the researchers will collaborate with the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI), a division of SAAMBR, and the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) to assess some ocean health and biodiversity parameters.

ORI researchers will assess microplastic contamination, various water quality parameters, as well as DNA barcoding of plankton samples and fish larvae to determine the presence of various species.

The beach walkers will collect sand for microplastic analysis and conduct an inshore marine census.

The information, photographic evidence and GPS locations will be collated and uploaded to the iNaturalist site for future comparisons.

To follow a live update from the Aliwal Shoal MPA walk on social media and the official MPA Day celebration media channels, highlighting the need for protection but also celebrating these special areas, visit @theoceanfestival on Instagram and Facebook, or www.oceanfestival.co.za

The event starts at 6am and ends at 3pm.

The Independent on Saturday

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