Our Research

FISHERIES

Love The Oceans aids local fisheries data collection across Jangamo Bay. The fisheries research is the first data collected in the region. Baseline data collected in 2014 indicates that the small-scale, artisanal fisheries do not always adhere to current legal requirements regarding minimal landing size, deployment and types of fishing gear, or restrictions on which species can be caught. Baseline data indicates that the current fisheries are unsustainable and have documented that targeted elasmobranch fisheries are operating with longline boats primarily targeting sharks and gillnets targeting rays.

Our field assistants aid data collection for the artisanal fisheries in Jangamo Bay. The field assistants engage directly with local fishermen helping collect data on teleost, elasmobranch, crustacean and cephalopod fisheries. For each catch, the size, species, catch size and fishing methods are recorded and photographically documented.

The aim of supporting the community in this fisheries research is to:

Help the community assess the sustainability of current fishing practices, including the sustainability of different methods to determine which methods are the most sustainable
Set biodiversity targets and develop management measures for the envisaged Marine Protected Area
Identify anthropogenic threats that need to be mitigated
Document the need for new fisheries legislation, implementing species-specific landing guidelines
Lobby for implementation and enforcement of CITES listings in Mozambique to ban shark fin export

CORAL REEFS

Love The Oceans aids biodiversity and coral reef health assessments on the coral reefs in Jangamo. Based on its geographical location and the relatively limited anthropogenic impact, Jangamo is expected to host healthy coral reefs with a high biodiversity and biomass of reef associated species. The biodiversity and coral reef health assessments are the first ever conducted in the area, and the collected data serves as baseline data enabling the development of biodiversity targets for the envisaged Marine Protected area.

Baseline data indicates that coral reef health and biodiversity is much lower than in comparable locations around the world. This indicates that the current fishing practices and other anthropogenic pressures are negatively impacting the reefs, which highlights the need for implementation of conservation and management measures.

The aim of supporting the community in this coral reef research is to:

Help assess the health of local coral reefs, including coral coverage and diversity
Help assess the health of reef associated species, including biodiversity, biomass and trophic levels
Help assess the impact of current fishing practices on coral reef health and biodiversity of reef associated species
Document the need for protection of local coral reefs
Set biodiversity targets and develop management measures for the envisaged Marine Protected Area

A new research area that Love The Oceans hopes to expand into in conjunction with the establishment of the Marine Protected Area is the construction of artificial reef structures to speed up the restoration process and increase biodiversity by adding new substrate for expansion of the existing coral reef systems.

MEGAFAUNA

Humpback Whales

Love The Oceans helps with humpback whale and megafauna research. Love The Oceans’ field assistants help record humpback whale sightings, surface behaviour, environmental conditions and vocalisations. Vocalisation studies can be used to identify groups and subpopulations, as well as dynamics and interactions between different groups and subpopulations. By linking surface behaviour and environmental conditions we hope to understand what drives different types of surface behaviour and the purpose of each type of behaviour.

The aim of this humpback whale research is to:

Record frequency data, documenting the number of humpback whales migrating through Jangamo during the annual migration
Record fluke ID photos to identify individual humpback whales using a mark-recapture method, enabling us to estimate population size, study habitat use and better understand migration patterns
Help assess whether humpback whale sightings are frequent enough throughout the migration season to support sustainable ecotourism as an alternative livelihood for the local communities
Set biodiversity targets and develop management measures for the envisaged Marine Protected Area

Whale Sharks and Manta Rays

Inhambane Province is a hotspot for whale shark and manta ray activity, and one of the few places in the world where whale sharks are sightings year-round, and both species of manta ray co-exist in our area. We help document whale shark and manta ray sightings and collect ID photos using photogrammetry to estimate population size, study habitat use and regional migrations. The sightings and ID photos are reported to citizen science databases ensuring international collaboration between research organisations in other megafauna hotspots around the world.

The aim of supporting the community in this research is to:

Record ID photos to identify individual whale sharks and manta rays using a mark-recapture method, enabling us to estimate population size, study habitat use and better understand migration patterns
Record frequency data, to assess whether whale shark and manta ray sightings are frequent enough to support sustainable ecotourism as an alternative livelihood for the local communities
Set biodiversity targets and develop management measures for the envisaged Marine Protected Area

OCEAN TRASH

Love The Oceans collects marine debris. We conduct weekly beach cleans, removing marine debris from our local beaches and documenting the scale of the issue. The collected marine debris is logged by category and weight using internationally recognised methodology. The three most commonly collected items are plastic fragments, plastic bottle caps and discarded fishing gear. Love The Oceans has removed over 400 kg of marine debris from a 15 km stretch of coastline. While some of this debris is local (especially flip-flops and cigarette butts), the vast majority is transported to the area via ocean currents, highlighting the need for international action against marine debris and plastic pollution.

The aim of this is to:

Remove debris from the marine environment to protect our ecosystems
Document the scale of the issue and develop management measures to reduce marine pollution
Raise awareness about marine debris and plastic pollution to inspire a change in attitude in the expat and local communities, and prompt action against marine pollution

TURTLES

Love The Oceans started helping during turtle nesting season. Throughout nesting season the Turtle Patrol Team carry out nightly surveys to locate and protect turtle nests on our beaches, increasing the likelihood of eggs successfully hatching. To provide nesting turtles and hatchlings with the best possible conditions, Love The Oceans’ marine biologists deliver monthly stakeholder workshops on Code of Conduct, environmental awareness and proper procedures when a nest is located. Once a nest is located the Turtle Patrol Team then post 24hr guards to get as close to 100% hatchling survival rate as possible.

The aim of supporting the community in this turtle research is to:

Record turtle nesting activity & species in Jangamo Bay, including successful and abandoned nesting attempts
Record hatching activity and number of hatchlings
Record frequency of turtles sightings to estimate population size, study habitat use and better understand migration patterns
Increase likelihood of successful nesting and hatching activity by implementing management measures
Increase awareness in the indigenous community around turtles and why they need to be protected
Decrease poaching in the area

Our turtle program is also an essential part of employment in the area. The 2020-21 nesting season enabled us to provide employment for 18 people (seen in the picture opposite), who support 69 family members with their income. Most of our guards used to be fishermen so this initiative has been particularly successful in transitioning people away from unsustainable fishing into conservation employment.

If you’d like to sponsor our turtle work you can through paypal on our website here, or if you’re feeling generous you can sponsor a nest here. Read more about our turtle work here.