2022
Popular article: Professor Lorien Pichegru, Director of the Institute for Coastal and Marine Research at Nelson Mandela University, urgently calls for an immediate shut down of fisheries near the African penguins' feeding grounds. Recent decisions made by Environmental Minister Barbara Creecy, are not urgent enough to rescue the African Penguin. The African penguin population continues to decline at an alarming rate. Research has shown that their breeding success is impacted by fisheries and that "No-take zones definitely contribute to improving feeding conditions for penguin populations."
Lorien Pichegru: "We are urging the minister to immediately close the feeding grounds of South Africa’s six colonies (West Coast, False Bay and Algoa Bay) to the sardine or anchovy fishing industry for as long as necessary while the numbers are plummeting."
Read the full article on the Daily Maverick here
Popular article: For many years now, international researchers have started collaborating on one of the largest research projects ever undertaken. Their research has now been published in Nature and they are calling for conservation areas to urgently be established.
Prof Pierre Pistorius, head of the MAPRU research unit at NMU, discusses the importance of this research in the Mail&Gardian here
2021
Radio talk: Danielle Keys (PhD candidate) spoke on KWETTER on Pretoria fm and discussed what albatrosses are, where we can find them and why they are currently at risk on Marion Island.
Find the full talk here
To help save Marion Island's Wandering Albatrosses check out Mouse-Free Marion
2020
Popular article: With the help of some bird-bone video cameras NMU researcher, Dr. Andrea Thiebault, has found that penguins make sounds underwater, suggesting that they may be communicating with one another while foraging.
Read the full article here in the Weekend Argus, March 29 2020.
Hear Penguins' Underwater Sounds in First-Ever Recordings here
Web article: to try and protect species from climate change, overfishing, and pollution is easier said than done. That's why scientists from all over the world are working together on marine top predators in the Southern Ocean to identify important key areas that are vital for their survival. By tacking and modelling the habitat distribution of marine top predators, like seabirds and mammals, important areas for conservation were identified in the sub-Antarctic islands in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, and over the Antarctic continental shelf.
Read the full article from the Mail&Gardian here
Scientific article tracking marine top predators for ocean protection here
Video clip: As you may know, penguins can be very noisy on land, but what about underwater? Watch here or here on ALIVE to hear the first ever recordings of penguins vocalizing underwater, 26 February 2020.
Popular article: Tracking data are becoming increasingly more important in order to make conservation based decisions to help conserve species. Using satellite tracks from Marine Top Predators in the Southern Ocean, scientists have revealed key ecological areas that are highly impacted by anthropogenic pressures.
Read the full article in Nature here
Web article: Penguins are calling out at sea, however, we don't know why.
Read the full article in the NewScientist, 19 March 2020, here
2019
Public lecture: Prof. Pierre Pistorius gave a public talk on Marion Island seabirds and their vulnerability to climate change at SANCCOB Port Elizabeth, Cape Recife Nature Reserve as part of the National Science week initiative spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology.
2018
Public lecture: MAPRU people attended the talk where Malcom gave the good news that the ragged tooth shark population in Algoa bay is stable, Dr Malcom Smale, presented a public lecture about the ragged toothed sharks in Algoa Bay at Bay World during May 2018.
The talk was followed by a good discussion, with much input from the public, about possible white shark cage diving within Algoa Bay.
Newspaper article: An article published in Nature Climate Change by MAPRU head, Dr Pierre Pistorius and others, found it likely that king penguins are to become locally extinct from a number of sub-Antarctic islands, including South African owned Marion Island.
The shocking findings of this study have been covered by 185 media outlets reaching millions of readers!
Read more at:
Nature-Climate-Change | Die-Burger | Weekend-Argus
Newspaper article: The Herlad queried Dr Greg Hofmeyr about a dolphin stranding at Cape Recife, Port Elizabeth
www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2018-04-11-another-dolphin-washed-ashore/
Newspaper article: Dr Greg Hofmeyr was interviewed by The Herald about a dolphin stranding at popular swimming beach, Pollock Beach, Port Elizabeth.
www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2018-04-12-dolphin-washed-ashore-at-pollok-beach/
Newspaper article: Algoa Bay's fantastic and diverse wildlife made it into British Airways In flight magazine during 2018! Within the article features a boat trip with Dr Pierre Pistorius and a Q&A with Dr Stephan Plön.
Read more at: Aloha Algoa
Newspaper article: Dr Greg Hofmeyr was asked to give his expert opinion about the mass standings in Algoa Bay in articles by local newspapers.
www.heraldlive.co.za/weekend-post/your-weekend/2018-04-07-students-save-dying-dolphins/
www.pressured.com/south-Africa/die-burger/20180407/281509341755667
Newspaper article: Die Burger reported a young seal which hauled out on a beach in Buffelsbaai near Knysna. With help and direction from Dr Greg Hofmeyr of Port Elizabeth Museum the animal was marked with flipper tags and moved to a quiter beach.
www.netwerk24.com/nuus/omgewing/jong-rob-kry-merker-vir-navorsing-20180116
Videos: MAPRU MSc student, Danielle van den Heever (Keys), was featured by Beautiful News South Africa in an inspiring video about her work on ghost birds in the tropics.
https://www.beautifulnews.com/all-night-search-coastal-ghosts
www.beautifulnews.co.za/stories/danielle-van-den-heever?rq=danielle
Web and newspaper popular article: By attaching small video cameras to animals, we can get an inside view of an animal's world. NMU PhD student, Jonathan Handley, discovered some interesting behaviour of lobster krill from his footage on Gentoo penguins in the Falklands. He found that these little krill were fighting back and attacking the Gentoo penguins with their tiny pincers. Looks like Will the krill from Happy Feet 2 wasn't too far off, and to survive they [krill] need to "move up in the food chain".
Read the full article in ScienceNewsForStudents here or in the Weekend Argus, 16 September 2018: When prey fight back: tiny lobster krill defend themselves against penguins by Nicky Willemse
2017
Public lecture: Dr Pierre Pistorius and Dr Lorien Pichergru joined WESSA at SANCCOB, Port Elizabeth to celebrate Biodiversity Day during May 2017. Both Dr Pichergru and Dr Pistorius gave stimulating talks about the animals and islands in Algoa Bay to local high school students and their teachers.
Public lecture: MAPRU member, Dr Lorien Pichegru, presented a public talk entitled Advancing Marine Science Tourism on 25 July 2017 at Nelson Mandela University. The talk was about how ecotourism can help create jobs and conserve environments if done responsibly.
Later, she was interview by the local newspaper:
http://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2017/08/02/oceans-bring-massive-boost-jobs/
Talks on TV shows: MAPRU PhD graduate, Rabiah Ryklief (right), was featured on the show "Our City" on Cape Town TV to talk about the recent predation of Orcas on great white sharks in Gansbaai. Rabiah has worked closely with white sharks for four years and has previously worked with other marine predators such as sea turtles in Malaysia, as well as reef sharks, cetaceans and seabirds in South Africa.
Talks on TV shows: Dr Greg Hofmeyr was interviewed on SABC news about mass dolphin standings along the Eastern Cape coastline during March 2017
Radio talk: Dr Greg Hofmeyr was interviewed on local radio stations, Algoa FM and Kingfisher FM about mass dolphin standings along the Eastern Cape coast during March 2017
Newspaper article: MAPRU MSc student, Danielle van den Heever, was featured in local and international news articles in which she explains her on-going research on ghost birds in the tropics.
Herald
http://www.ann7.com/student-helps-to-track-ghost-birds/
http://mype.co.za/…/the-amazing-lives-of-the-…/ 88986/2017/06
Newspaper article: Using animal borne video cameras MAPRU post-doc Alstair McInnes showed that prey capture by African penguin was significantly improved when the penguins foraged in groups and targeted schools of fish rather than solitary fish.
See popular articles about this work at:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/ 2148650-packs-of-killer-penguins-herd-fish-into-balls-then-pick-them-off/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/science-sushi/2017/09/26/ birds-of-a-feather-hunt-better-together/#.WdNV_UyZOi4
Newspaper article: Dr Greg Hofmeyr tells The Helard and Die Burger about a dead humpback whale which stranded near the Schoenmakerskop and Sardinia Bay, Port Elizabeth.
www.goexpress.co.za/2017/08/15/many-curious-see-whale-carcass/
www.netwerk24.com/Nuus/Omgewing/bly-weg-van-walvis-se-karkas-se-kenner-20170815
Newspaper article: MAPRU PhD student, Tegan Carpenter-Kling, writes about her time and on-going research on Marion Island in the sub-Antarctic in Science Today.
http://sciencetoday.co.za/…/south-africas-forgotten-islands/
Newspaper article: During 30 March 2017, 38 dolphin carcasses were found washed up near Sunday River mouth. Within newpaper articles, Dr Greg Hofmeyr was interviewed about likely cause of these strandings:
www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2017-04-01-mysterious-mass-dolphin-beaching/
www.knysnaplettherald.com/News/Article/National/nature-will-be-left-to-deal-with-dead-dolphins-20170711
www.countrylife.co.za/uncategorized/33117
www.traveller24.com/Explore/Green/pics-mass-dolphin-stranding-in-algoa-bay-20170405
Newspaper article: After rehabilation, a previusly stranded Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella and sub-Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus tropicallus were tagged with satellite GPS devices by Dr Greg Hofmeyr and released outside Port Elizabeth. Amazingly, the Antacrtic fur seal, known as Bear, travelled over 6000km to a sub-Antarctic island known as South Georgia.
www.mysubs.co.za/pdf/896840/true?hash=8EmQqUJ-Ain_Gfl_XxCq52ZbYdv0gC04K-vr6_jvyYE1
www.pressreader.com/south-africa/the-herald-south-africa/20161201/281509340798977
Newspaper article: Dr Greg Hofmeyr attends to rare visitors on Port Elizabeth's coastline, three sub-Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus tropicalis. The seals were taken to Bayworld for rehabilation before being release back into the wild. The Herald reports:
www.pressreader.com/south-africa/the-herald-south-africa/20170731/281539406033484
Newspaper article: The Knysna-Plett Herald interviewed Dr Greg Hofmeyr about a seal which was euthanased at Knysna on 23 January 2017.
He urged the public to please phone the BayWorld Stranding Network (+27) 71 724 2122 if they are to come apon any stranded seals, whales or dolphin for assistence and guidence.
www.knysnaplettherald.com/News/Article/General/update-seal-euthanased-20170711
Newspaper article: 20 January 2017, Dr Greg Hofmeyr tell Die Burger how seals with gun shot wounds are being found along the Eastern Cape coast.
www.netwerk24.com/Nuus/Algemeen/nog-n-rob-geskiet-in-oorlog-oor-visbronne-20170120
Newspaper article: 9 January 2017, Dr Greg Hofmeyr tells a local newpaper, The Herald, about a stranded dolphin that unfortunately had to be put down in January 2017.
Blog posts: MAPRU MSc student, Danielle van den Heever (Keys), tells us a little about about herself and a lot about her MSc project and what she is doing to try help save the oceans and the life living it in, in her blog:
saveourseas.com/sosf-darros-research-centre/project-leader/danielle-van-den-heever/
https://saveourseas.com/crossing-two-oceans-franklins-gull-spotted-on-remote-island/
https://saveourseas.com/project/ghost-birds-of-st-joseph-atoll-2/
2016
Public lecture: MAPRU PhD student, Tegan Carpenter-Kling, gives an interactive talk to students at local high school about her life and on-going research on Marion Island, sub-Antarctic.
Public lecture: MAPRU post-doc, Dr Ryan Reisinger, presented a public talk entitled Cold killers, and other finned and flying beasts of the far south; at Bayworld, Port Elizabeth Museum.
Dr Reisinger spoke about these aspects, mainly using examples from his research on sub-Antarctic Marion Island. He also spoke about a new project with which he and his colleagues are trying to map important habitat for killer whales, seabirds and seals around Marion Island using tracking data.
Newspaper article: Articles featuring MAPRU PhD student, Tegan Carpenter-Kling, and MAPRU head, Dr Pierre Pistorius and their on-going research at Marion Island in the sub-Antarctic was featured in The Herald, Beeld and Cape Argus.
Read more at: Cape Argus | Beeld |
mype.co.za/new/tegan-carpenter-klings-year-long-marion-island-study-reveals-new-penguin-behaviour/71177/2016/06
Blog posts: MAPRU PhD student, Jonathan Handley, talks about life and research on the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas (with cool photos) at Blog de Banderas
https://blogdebanderas.com/…/17/las-islas-malvinas-al-natu…/
(scroll to the bottom for the English version)
2015
Newspaper article: Herald newspaper coverage of Jonathan Handley and Dr Pierre Pistorius paper on attempted kleptoparasitism in gentoo penguins.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1772-2