Mossel Bay's rich marine life needs to be protected

"In Mossel Bay, as in most other parts of the world, any threat to the environment is a threat to tourism," said Mossel Bay Tourism board member, Fred Orban. He said that the marine environment of the Mossel Bay area is blessed with an unusually large variety of species, and that this was a key to unlocking the tourism potential of the area.

An important whale and dolphin watching destination

Mossel Bay Tourism's Marcia Holm said that a number of attractions have developed around the area's marine species. "Ongoing studies by the Mammal Research Institute of the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of Pretoria, working in conjunction with the locally based Oceans Research, have proved that Mossel Bay is an important whale and dolphin watching destination. They have records of visits by southern right and sperm whales, humpback, common and bottlenose dolphins, and other mammals - like killer and Bryde's whales - have been seen here.

"The beaches have also occasionally revealed rare vagrants, like the southern elephant seal that spent four days resting on Diaz Beach in 2010, and the two pygmy sperm whales that washed ashore last year," she said. The Bay's large seal population is also an important key to the well-being of the great white sharks which are the subject of intense scientific study.

Breeding ground for endangered species

Orban said that the shoreline west of the town is a breeding ground for the endangered African black oyster catcher, and that Mossel Bay is the source of the Garden Route's famous wild coastal oysters. Both species are thriving because the beaches and rocky shores of the area are well managed, and largely unaffected by human interference.

Mossel Bay boasts a number of attractions based on its marine environment, including the Maritime Museum and the Shell Museum and Aquarium at the Diaz Museum Complex, Ocean's Research's Shark and Ray Aquarium at The Point, boat- and shore-based whale and dolphin watching, trips to Seal Island, shark cage diving, the Cape St. Blaize Hiking Trail, fishing safaris and guided tours of the Oyster Bay Reserve.

More information is available at www.visitmosselbay.co.za and www.facebook.com/visitmosselbay.