The public talks opened the three day review process, aimed at ensuring that the Programme had met its Government mandate to explore the marine ecosystems of the western Indian Ocean which are home to the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, whilst simultaneously building capacity in deep sea research and bringing the hidden world just off our coasts to the public’s attention. The three-member review panel, ichthyologist Dr. John McCosker from the California Academy of Science in the United States, world-renowned for his work on sharks, particularly the Great White, bioluminescent fish, eels and the deep-sea fishes of the Galapagos Islands, Prof. John Field from the University of Cape Town’s Zoology department, whose interests include modelling marine ecosystems, developing important statistical tools used by ecologists around the world in their studies and Dr. Jim Taylor, Director of the Wildlife and Environment Society of Southern Africa’s Environmental Education programme, an expert in the field of environmental education spent Monday and Tuesday learning about ACEP and interviewing stakeholders and staff members. On Wednesday, they travelled to Pretoria for further talks with stakeholders and to present preliminary findings. A final report should be complete in a months time. The review panel seemed positive about the achievements of the Programme, and are expected to make recommendations as to how ACEP should proceed in the future.
Dr. Tony Ribbink, Director of ACEP, opened the talks with an overview of the Programme, introducing the audience to the broad array of scientific disciplines covered by ACEP, and informing us why the coelacanth, of all the fish in the sea, should be the focus of a major research project of this nature. In his talk, he said that “South Africa has every reason to be proud of what a small group of dedicated researchers and educators have achieved since ACEP was launched in 2002”.
Dr. Ron Uken, a marine geoscientist from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal showcased the data gathered on the geology of the submarine canyons of Sodwana Bay, including their potential to cause Tsunamis in the region, which is worthy of much further investigation. The multibeam bathymetric charts of the Sodwana Bay canyons, picking up details as fine as 20cm variations in the sea floor have proven to be an invaluable asset to the Programme, forming the foundation upon which all further scientific data is placed into context.
Dr. Kerry Sink presented a brief overview of her work on the incredible diversity of organisms hiding within the deep reefs and canyons of Sodwana Bay. Whilst the coelacanth is worthy of study, many new distribution records of animals and plants not known from these waters or depths and even new species have been discovered hidden in the deeper waters of the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park. An entire treasure trove of exciting discoveries lies just off our coast. ACEP is providing access to this unknown world and yields new discoveries on virtually every deep dive.
Dr Sven Kaehler from Rhodes University introduced us to the use of stable isotope research in unravelling the tangled web of the marine food chain. This technique is used to determine where the food sources any animal is dependent on originate, and how important different food sources are to them. Surprisingly, over 60% of the food upon which Sodwana’s coelacanths depend ultimately comes from shallower, inshore reef communities.
Professor Nigel Barker, also from Rhodes University showcased the potential power of genetic analysis in determining how animals are related to each other along our coastline. Such work often turns up hidden biodiversity, where what was once considered to be one species along the coastline turns out to be two or more separate species; although they maintain separate gene pools, without genetic tools, it is virtually impossible to tell them apart. Undetected biodiversity of this sort has major implications upon the management and conservation of marine resources and biodiversity.
Mrs. Berny Snow, ACEP’s Environmental Education and Awareness co-ordinator summarised her invaluable work in relating the groundbreaking research to the public and particularly learners within South Africa. It is clear that to be truly successful and have a lasting impact, every major science programme must involve the public in its activities. Over the last three years, ACEP’s environmental education and learner programme has reached over 300,000 schoolchildren and over 7,000 educators, relating the mysteries and excitement of marine research and careers on the ocean to our youth.
Ms. Lucy Scott, Information and GIS co-ordinator for ACEP, related the challenges and successes of archiving and analysing the data collected throughout the western Indian Ocean. A multidisciplinary programme like ACEP can only be successful if every discipline and stakeholder shares their information with each other. A GIS (Geographic Information System) provides a powerful tool to enable such sharing to be performed, and allows the analysis of data over both space and time, picking up patterns and relationships between the different disciplines within the Programme.
Finally, Professor Rosie Dorrington, Associate Professor and Head of Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology at Rhodes University presented the tantalising opportunities offered by studying the coelacanth genome, and how this could help us better understand our own distant past. It is clear that there are many challenges to overcome.
Whilst it was clear that a great deal had been discovered by the team of scientists from over the different disciplines, the lasting impression was that the sea has only started to give us tantalising glimpses of its mysteries. ACEP looks set to continue to bring us new information from the depths and uncover much data of possible use in the prediction of natural disasters, monitoring of climate change and its impact on the ecosystem and perhaps most vitally inspiring our youth to take an interest in and perhaps follow careers studying the sea. Although often distant, seemingly alien and at times inhospitable the oceans are vital to sustaining life everywhere on earth – including our own. 
