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Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) news

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)Ref: https://www.csir.co.za/media-hub/news/csir-and-partners-track-oxygen-status-along-west-african-coast

Official source

Source domain: csir.co.za

Collected on 28 July 2026

Always confirm details on the official source before acting.

Our copy (archived 28 July 2026)Official source

What this means

This is a CSIR news/media article titled “CSIR and Partners Track Oxygen Status Along West African Coast” describing a lobster walkout event at Elands Bay on 25 February 2026. It reports that CSIR ocean robots (wave glider and diving glider) captured detailed oxygen-level changes leading up to the event as part of the West African Margin (WAM) project. The article also includes a warning from South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) not to collect, sell or eat washed-up lobster and fish due to possible toxins and contamination, and outlines planned future deployments in Namibia (2028) and Ghana (end of 2026).

Facts

Places

Western Cape, City of Cape Town

Reference

https://www.csir.co.za/media-hub/news/csir-and-partners-track-oxygen-status-along-west-african-coast

Key Takeaways

  • Event location: Elands Bay, Western Cape, South Africa
  • Event date: 25 February 2026
  • DFFE warning date: 25 February 2026
  • DFFE urged community not to collect, sell or eat washed-up lobster and fish
  • Health risk cited: algal toxins and bacterial contamination; possible severe illness or death
  • Cause described: low-oxygen event (hypoxia) linked to algal bloom collapse and bacterial oxygen consumption
  • CSIR monitoring method: autonomous ocean robots (wave glider + diving glider) sampling oxygen across the water column
  • Project name: West African Margin (WAM)
  • WAM funding/partners: Ocean Biogeochemistry Virtual Institute; funded by Schmidt Sciences (philanthropic)
  • SOCCO management: Southern Ocean Carbon-Climate Observatory managed by CSIR and funded by DSTI
  • Planned Namibia deployment: 2028 with Namibia Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) as formal partner
  • Planned Ghana deployment: end of 2026; gliders shipped to Ghana for equatorial mooring sites from RV Falkor (Too)
  • Data sharing: with researchers from South Africa, Namibia, Ghana and other African countries
  • CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
  • Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE)
  • Southern Ocean Carbon-Climate Observatory (SOCCO)
  • Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)
  • Sea Technology Services (STS)
  • Ocean Biogeochemistry Virtual Institute
  • Schmidt Sciences
  • University of Cape Town (UCT)
  • Namibia Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR)
  • Schmidt Ocean Institute
  • RV Falkor (Too)
  • Ghana (equatorial mooring sites referenced)
  • South Africa’s National Oceans and Coastal Information Management System (developed by CSIR)
  • Dr Sarah Nicholson
  • Dr Estel Font
  • Bokang Lepolesa
  • Nikita Qosholo

Dates

Closing Date

25 February 2026