Ocean Watch Of rashes and threshers: How dermal denticles make the apex predator even harder to handle Surfer and sometimes shark researcher Sean Kelly takes a salty look at shark skin, a marvel of evolution. Written by RR April 1, 2021April 10, 2021
Biodiversity Ocean Watch Bycatch threat to apex predators Shark and ray numbers are dwindling. Bottom trawling and a lack of government monitoring are adding to the problem, writes Katie Biggar Written by RR March 19, 2021April 15, 2021
Ocean Watch Hooked on safety – the price of keeping KZN’s bathers safe from sharks The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board has a mandate to protect bathers against shark attacks while minimising the environmental impact. It insists its move to using baited drumlines rather than nets is a step in the right direction. Written by RR December 9, 2020April 10, 2021
Ocean Watch Spotted! How a surfer’s project turned the tide on shark fears A brush with his own mortality stoked big wave rider and adventurer Greg Bertish into launching Shark Spotters – an internationally acclaimed bathing safety project that’s also doing wonders for shark conservation. He spoke to Rio Button Written by RR October 16, 2020April 10, 2021
Ocean Watch A shiver of sharks: Old stories tell another truth Indigenous cultures venerated sharks, with a rich mythology that aided their preservation. It’s a lesson we can draw from today, writes Lisa Cloete Written by RR September 21, 2020April 10, 2021
Ocean Watch How Old Oven Mitt capitalised on a famous exit (and came to the rescue of a struggling industry) Did orcas frighten away False Bay’s cow sharks and what became of the great whites? Marine biologist Leigh de Necker and the Shark Spotters research team, play sleuths Written by RR September 9, 2020April 10, 2021
Ocean Watch In deep: From barbel fishing to basking sharks Young South Africans get little exposure to sea life, and that’s part of the reason sharks are demonised. Njabulo Mduli, tells about his journey from fear to fascination and shares a few facts about three big, but lesser-known, beasts. Written by RR August 27, 2020August 12, 2021
Ocean Watch Killer story: welcome twist to a tired old tale Are South Africans warming to sharks? Roving Reporter, Natalie dos Santos, brings some heartening news from our chilly winter seas, even as fears grow for the future of these apex predators. Written by RR July 17, 2020April 10, 2021
Ocean Watch RAY TO GO: Aspiring science writers invited to explore sharky waters Should we give a rat’s ass that many species of rays and sharks could be on the brink of extinction? Are people actually part of any “man-eating sharks” diet? Written by rovingreporters July 4, 2020April 10, 2021
Environment Ocean Watch Starlight express: night adventures among the turtles of Bhanga Nek Climate change may be shifting turtle sex ratios. But you’ve got to go the distance to prove it. Natalie dos Santos on the hard yards and sweet pleasures of research in a little piece of paradise. First published by Daily Maverick Watching a turtle dig her nest is always my favourite part of the evening. […] Written by rovingreporters May 29, 2020November 18, 2021