Off the coast of South Africa, the last specimens of these older fish than the dinosaurs may soon disappear, according to "The Guardian".
They are witnesses of history. Coelacanths have hardly changed in 420 million years. Older than dinosaurs and weighing as much as a human being, they have only been discovered very recently. But these fish are the most endangered in South Africa and are among the rarest in the world.
The species was discovered when the first living specimen was captured in an English harbor in 1938. Several others were subsequently caught in the Comoros , confirming that the species is not extinct. It is estimated that there are only about thirty left today, off South Africa. A colony discovered in December 2000 near Sodwana Bay. The existence of these last survivors could well be questioned, explains the British newspaper The Guardian . Indeed, the Italian group Eni wants to drill several submarine wells in the area.
The risk of an oil slick
Drilling is not planned in the coelacanth habitat zone, located almost 200 kilometers away. But for environmental organizations, this may not be enough, as an oil slick can spread very quickly. " The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 decimated fish populations. So, if an oil spill happened off of iSimangaliso, it is highly likely that it could kill these coelacanths, "says Dr. Andrew Venter, Wildtrust's lead, a group that advocates for increased marine protected areas in South Africa. Specialists also point out that these animals are very sensitive to a change in their environment.
Eni commissioned a study last year on the environmental impact of drilling. It concluded that it was highly unlikely to find coelacanths near the wells. But that would not be enough according to Mike Bruton, an expert in coelacanths interviewed by The Guardian . "The risk must be carefully assessed before this project has progressed too far and it is too late. Oil spills do not respect the boundaries of marine protected areas. "
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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://steemvibes.vornix.blog/2018/08/21/the-last-coelacanths-threatened-by-oil-exploitation/
I remember learning about the Coelacanth at school a million years ago (probably closer to 15 though). Such fascinating creatures! It would be a real shame to lose them, although I think the damage has probably already been done.
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