Coelacanth or Port - A Tanzanian Dilemma

Proposed Port Mwambani in Tanzania poses Threat to Coelacanth

Mar 1, 2009

According to protagonists of port development, Tanzania can ill afford to shelve genuine fast paced developmental activities. Tackling unemployment and poverty remains its priorities. But conservationists are not impressed or swayed by these arguments. They are crying foul. They are unequivocal in saying that the port development will spell doom for the Coelacanth, a fish dubbed as a living fossil. The origin of this fish goes back millions of years.

Alternatives

The people fighting against the project say that the nearby Tanga Bay port is only half utilized and this could be developed to meet the fresh demands at a fraction of the cost of a new construction. The seesaw arguments are going on while the international community waits with bated breath.

Why This Hoopla about Coelacanth

Coelacanth, the primordial fish, was believed extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period. To the utter disbelief of scientists, in 1938 a live specimen was captured off the coast of South Africa. Dr Hendrik Goosen discovered a specimen while inspecting fish brought in by a trawler. One fish with its bizarre appearance caught the scientist’s fancy but he could not identify it.

Dr. Goosen telephoned Dr Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer about this strange fish. She was also at her wits end and rushed to Professor James Leonard Brierley Smith. Dr Smith identified it as a coelacanth, previously known only from fossils. Dr Smith named the fish Latimeria chalumnae in honor of Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer and the waters in which it was found. The fish was later on found along the waters of southeast Africa and in Indonesia.

Value of the Fish

IUCN rates Coelacanth as critically endangered. It was added to Appendix I Of CITES in 1989. (Threatened with extinction). The fish has no real commercial value, apart from being the attraction of museums and private collectors. As a food fish the Coelacanth is worthless. It has a foul taste.

Course of Action Open for Tanzania

Conservationists around the world have appealed to Tanzania to protect the waters that is a haven for Coelacanth. The prudent course suggested is the development of nearby Tanga Bay port. This will spare the deleterious fall-outs arising from developing port Mwambani. The earlier suggestion by many conservationists to develop “Theme Coelacanth” into an ecotourism venture still remains on paper. It would indeed be a sad day for conservation if Tanzania does not listen to the sage advice that has come from enlightened quarters round the world.

Reference

Quirin Schiermeier (2009). Harbour threat for coelacanths. Published online 23 February 2009 | Nature | doi: 10.1038/4571063a

The copyright of the article Coelacanth or Port - A Tanzanian Dilemma in Wildlife Conservation is owned by Mohan Alembath. Permission to republish Coelacanth or Port - A Tanzanian Dilemma in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Mar 5, 2009 11:19 PM

Guest :

Thanks for the article, but I'm afraid you got "the conservationists" wrong. They don't agree that "developing deep sea port Mwambani, has the potential to bring in rapid development" as you say, but rather the opposite. They see it as a huge waste of capital for a senseless project (see www.tnrf.org/node/7066), where people's land, properties and livelihood, as well as the survival of a Cites I species and the ecology a whole beautiful bay are sacrificed for another future non-functioning and loss-making 'white elephant'. After all, as you also say, Tanga already has a harbour, which is much under-utilized, due to lack of, and broken equipment, poor management and high rates. This harbour could be upgraded with a fraction of the costs of a new harbour. Otherwise, well written.

Apr 14, 2009 2:00 AM

Guest :

I have a question for those who are experts in this field. Is it certain that Mwambani Bay water is the 'haven' for Coelacanth? I know that a few of this fish have been fished in the bay area, but how does the claim arise that the bay area is the 'haven'? Have there been more catches? Is there a known habitat for this fish in the bay area or could it be that the few fish which were caught got carried in undersea currents from another area to the bay area?