Month: July 2019

IOI-SA, together with our partners at Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), were at the WIOMSA Symposium in Mauritius to launch the West Indian Ocean Governance and Exchange Network – WIOGEN. The network is an opportunity for knowledge exchange and capacity building in the West Indian Ocean region. It complements other regional marine science networks by focusing explicitly on ocean and coastal governance – bridging the social and marine sciences. There are three broad themes under which a series of exciting scientific exchanges, publications and training schools will be developed:

• Nutritional Security, sustainable fisheries, aquaculture and livelihoods
• Marine Spatial Planning and Coastal Management
• Biodiversity conservation, pollution and habitat loss.

Check out www.wiogen.org to find out more

IOI-SA joined the multi-stakeholder team, lead by the Ministry of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping in Mauritius this July to investigate biofouling on ships in Port Louis. Biofouling is the attachment and growth of non-desirable organisms on the submerged surfaces of ships’ hulls. The growth of organisms not only slows down ships, resulting in an increase in fuel costs, but is also an important way in which the introduction of alien, invasive species to new areas can occur. It is therefore an ecological and economic threat to Ports. This was the second field visit for the project and included sediment sampling and sampling of hulls in Port. This project includes a large team from multiple organisations, including the Mauritius Oceanographic Institute, Shipping Division, Mauritius Ports Authority and National Coast Guard.