oceansresearch
🌟 Explore the Continental Shelf! Extending from coastlines to around 200 meters deep, the Continental Shelf features broad, gently sloping plains covered by shallow water. It fosters a diverse array of benthic species, serving as a crucial nursery and feeding ground. Moreover, it aids in carbon sequestration, mitigating climate change by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide.
🐠 Key Benthic Species Spotlight: Flounders, Clams, and Shrimp
• Flounders: These seafloor-dwelling fish blend in with their surroundings using camouflage to ambush prey.
• Clams: Burying themselves in sediment, they filter-feed on plankton and organic particles.
• Shrimp: Active scavengers and predators consume various small organisms and organic matter.
🌊 Conservation Insights:
The DEEP SEACRETS project, launched in 2018, focuses on the poorly understood outer shelf, shelf edge, and upper bathyal ecosystems of the Agulhas Ecoregion. Covering depths of 200–700 meters from Knysna to Port Alfred, it aims to fill knowledge gaps and address threats through multidisciplinary research in geoscience, oceanography, biodiversity, and marine spatial planning.
Challenges like overfishing, pollution, and coastal development threaten the Continental Shelf. Coastal development can cause habitat destruction and pollution, upsetting the ecosystem balance. Initiatives like Fish Forever use a community-led approach to manage fisheries and restore marine ecosystems. Conservation efforts are vital to promote sustainable fisheries, reduce pollution, and manage coastal development responsibly, ensuring the Continental Shelf`s health.
The DEEP SEACRETS project, launched in 2018, focuses on the poorly understood outer shelf, shelf edge, and upper bathyal ecosystems of the Agulhas Ecoregion. Covering depths of 200-700 meters from Knysna to Port Alfred, it aims to fill knowledge gaps and address threats through multidisciplinary research in geoscience, oceanography, biodiversity, and marine spatial planning.
Fish Forever:
https://rare.org/program/fish-forever/
DEEP SEACRETS Project:
https://www.sanbi.org/uncategorized/deep-seacrets-the-outer-shelf-and-slope-ecosystems-of-the-eastern-cape/