Expedition 2022.
In 2022 we planned to hike from Blombos to Arniston, but due to a few logistical technicalities, we were unable to hike that section of coastline. This year, we will again attempt to hike this section of shoreline for our coastal research expedition in an endeavor to have completed a continuous section of coastline from Storms River to Grotto Beach in Hermanus.
While the planned distance to be hiked in 2022 in only 135km which is not as high as on our previous expeditions, the value of this section of coastline is that it traverses the De Hoop MPA and allows us to survey the shoreline flanking the Breede River mouth.
At over 320km long and flowing past four significant urban developments and considerable intensive agricultural regions en route to the ocean, the Breede River has the potential of conveying a significant volume of plastic pollution into the ocean. By surveying the shoreline either side of the mouth will offer an insight into the role that the river plays in ocean plastic pollution.
The 2022 expedition will also increase our total distance of coastline hiked on our expeditions to over 740km, approximately 25% of the South African coastline.
Expedition Dates
We will travel to Blombos on the 25th October 2022 and aim to finish in Arniston on the 3rd November.
Marine Protected Areas and limited access Coastline.
West of the Breede River mouth, shoreline access is limited, firstly within the De Hoop Marine Protected Area and secondly in the missile testing area of Denel. This offers a valuable opportunity to measure the density and distribution of plastic pollution and washed up fishing debris as well as determine the origins of the washed up material.
Mapping Trash Distribution.
For locals that take regular beach hikes in the Southern Cape, it has become painfully apparent that certain types of plastic pollution washes up at specific locations on the shoreline.
By mapping the location of various categories of plastic found on the hike we will able to link it to possible sources from which they leak into the ocean, namely rivers and municipal infrastructure..
Of particular interest will be the shoreline east and west of the Breede River mouth..
Baseline Survey.
Plastic pollution and fishing debris will be documented using our regular survey methods on our Cyber Tracker App. The surveys are :
- Trashy 20 transect,
- Plastic Bottle Transect
- Incidental Sightings
- Nurdle density
- African Black Oystercatcher survey
Incidental sightings cover both pollution, fishing activities and marine fauna seen. We will be adding a few more fields for our data collection, specifically the incidental sightings of plastic debris to indicate if the items are terrestrial or ocean derived.
Social Media.
We will again provide daily FaceBook video updates on our progress and finding each morning of the expedition.
To complement our FaceBook updates, we will post on Instagram and you can follow our posts by searching for the #Expedition2022 and #SPE2022
School Participation.
The route for this years expedition doesn't allow for engagement with local schools during the expedition, but we will be planning visits to schools in the Overberg to discuss our expedition findings. |
