Rhodes University Department of Ichthyology and Fishery Science Masters student James McCafferty has been awarded the third prize in the “Best Student Presentation” category for the presentation of his Honours paper at the Southern African Society of Aquatic Scientists (SASAqS) conference.
Rhodes University Department of Ichthyology and Fishery Science Masters student James McCafferty has been awarded the third prize in the “Best Student Presentation” category for the presentation of his Honours paper at the Southern African Society of Aquatic Scientists (SASAqS) conference.
The theme of this year’s conference was “Aquatic biodiversity and climate change an arid region perspective”.
Mc- Cafferty, now in his first year of Masters, presented a paper: “Can invasive populations of barbel Clarias gariepinus be viably harvested in the Eastern Cape?”
The paper was co-authored by fellow students Richard Peel and Reece Wartenberg under the supervision of the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB)’s Senior Aquatic Biologist, Dr Olaf Weyl and Rhodes University Department of Ichthyology and Fishery Science, Prof Tony Booth.
“The projects were conducted on Darlington Dam, located about 180km from Grahamstown in Addo Elephant National Park,” explained McCafferty.
“Our objectives were to determine the potential for a longline barbel fishery while taking into consideration the recreational utilisation of the dam – an important fishery supporting approximately 2 000 anglers.”
McCafferty and his colleagues found that if a longline fishery were to be developed, harvesting could take place at high levels while still ensuring that the sustainability of the stock is not compromised.
SAIAB’s Managing Director, Professor Paul Skelton delivered the keynote address: “A post-revolutionary perspective on freshwater fish taxonomy in Southern Africa”. Skelton spoke about the many changes to the taxonomy of freshwater fishes in southern Africa.
SASAqS, established in 1964, is a society concerned with the research, management and conservation of inland waters throughout southern Africa.
The conference was held from 13 to 15 June at the Augrabies Falls. Delegates included academics and students from a number of institutions including universities nationwide, as well as several consultants employed in a wide variety of fields.
There were five keynote addresses, as well as over 30 presentations from academics and students.
