• Source: Tsitsikamma Marine Protected Area

The Tstsikamma Marine Protected Area is a marine protected area on the south coast of South Africa, in both the Western Cape and Eastern Cape. It is on the coast of the Tsitsikamma National Park, and is one of the oldest MPAs in the country. The MPA provides protection for marine habitat and wildlife, including birds and threatened and endangered fish species.
The MPA is in near pristine condition, and is a suitable area for research on endangered fish species. It was designated as a Marine Protected Area in 1964. The length of the protected shoreline is 60 km, and the area of protected ocean is 186 km2.
The MPA is managed by SANParks.




History


The MPA was proclaimed by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, in Government Gazette No. 21948 of 29 December 2000 in terms section 43 of the Marine Natural Resources Act, 18 of 1998.




Purpose



A marine protected area is defined by the IUCN as "A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values".




Extent


The length of the protected shoreline is 60 km, and the area of protected ocean is 186 km2.




= Zonation

=
The entire MPA is zoned as a restricted (no-take) area.




= Boundaries

=
Northern boundary is the high-water mark between Die Punt, Nature's Valley, at S33°59.0' E023°34.561' (west), and the right bank of the Grootrivier at S34°03.6', E024°11.665, (east)
Eastern boundary is a line from the right bank of the Grootrivier at S34°03.6', E024°11.665, running due south to a point three nautical miles offshore at S34°06.6', E024°11.665
Southern boundary is a straight line from S34°06.6', E024°11.665, approximately parallel to the shore, to a point three nautical miles from the high-water mark at S34°01.817', E023°38.857E measured along a line running due south from the right bank of the mouth of the Bloukrans River, and then due north to a point 0.5 nautical miles from the high-water mark at S33°59.317', E023°38.857', and then along a straight line roughly parallel to the shoreline to a point at S33°59.5', E023°34.561' due south of Die Punt, Nature's Valley.
The western boundary is a line from the high-water mark at Die Punt, Natures Valley, at S33°59.0' E023°34.561' due south to a point about 0.5 nautical miles offshore at S33°59.5', E023°34.561' The northern boundary of the MPA is the southern boundary of the Tsitsikamma National Park



Restricted areas

The whole MPA is a restricted zone.




Management


The marine protected areas of South Africa are the responsibility of the national government, which has management agreements with a variety of MPA management authorities, in this case, South African National Parks (SANParks), which manages the MPA with funding from the SA Government through the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is responsible for issuing permits, quotas and law enforcement.




Use






= Activities requiring a permit

=



Scuba diving


A permit is required to scuba dive in any MPA in South Africa. These permits are valid for a year and are available at some branches of the Post Office. Temporary permits, valid for a month, may be available at dive shops or from dive boat operators who operate in an MPA. A personal recreational scuba diving permit is valid in all South African MPAs where recreational diving is allowed. The business permit to operate recreational scuba business operations in an MPA is restricted to a specific MPA. Diving for commercial or scientific purposes is also subject to permit. There is an office at the Storms River mouth slipway where dives can be organised.



= Named dive sites
=

The MPA has several rocky reef recreational dive sites which have been identified by position and named. Some of them are listed here:




= Prohibited activities

=




Geography






= General topography

=
The coastline is fairly straight, and is generally very steep from a relatively flat coastal region between the inland mountains and the sea. Much of the shoreline can best be described as cliffs. The Storms River gorge is roughly perpendicular to the coastline, and very narrow — the sides are approximately vertical. A boat trip or hike up the gorge will show a section through the coastal formations.




= Geology

=
The rock formations are heavily folded sandstones and shales of the Table Mountain series. The coastline formation to the west of the river mouth is the Silurian Tchando formation, which is typically fine to coarse grained brown sandstone and shale, and inland and across the river to the east, mostly Ordovician Peninsula sandstone. Offshore formations may include Devonian Gydo shales and siltstones. Folding is roughly parallel to the coastline, and dip is frequently near vertical, even overfolded in places. Resistance to weathering is also very variable, with some extremely resistant quartzitic sandstone, and some very friable shales. As a result, there are areas with distinct ridges, often roughly parallel to the shoreline.




= Hydrography

=




= Bathymetry

=




= Climate of the southern Cape

=




= Seasonal variations in sea conditions

=




Ecology



The MPA is in the warm temperate Agulhas inshore marine bioregion to the east of Cape Point which extends eastwards to the Mbashe River. The Mbashe River was chosen as the most appropriate boundary between the subtropical Natal province to the north, and the warm temperate Agulhas region to the south, but change is gradual between these regions. Upwelling on the south coast of South Africa is largely driven by the Agulhas current and the continental shelf. This form of upwelling forces cold deep water up onto the continental shelf, but not necessarily above the thermocline. In the region east of the Agulhas bank, wind enhanced upwelling, occurring mainly in summer, augments the current driven upwelling bringing the colder deeper waters to the surface. This enhances biological productivity by supply of nutrients to the euphotic zone (where plants have sufficient light to flourish) which fuels phytoplankton production, and rocky shores that are supplied with the nutrient rich water support rich algal biomass. There are a large proportion of species endemic to South Africa along this coastline.
Three major habitats exist in the sea in this region, distinguished by the nature of the substrate. The substrate, or base material, is important in that it provides a base to which an organism can anchor itself, which is vitally important for those organisms which need to stay in one particular kind of place. Rocky shores and reefs provide a firm fixed substrate for the attachment of plants and animals. Sandy beaches and bottoms are a relatively unstable substrate and cannot anchor kelp or many of the other benthic organisms. Finally there is open water, above the substrate and clear of the kelp forest, where the organisms must drift or swim. Mixed habitats are also frequently found, which are a combination of those mentioned above. There are no significant estuarine habitats in the MPA.
Rocky shores and reefs
There are rocky reefs and mixed rocky and sandy bottoms. For many marine organisms the substrate is another type of marine organism, and it is common for several layers to co-exist. Examples of this are red bait pods, which are usually encrusted with sponges, ascidians, bryozoans, anemones, and gastropods, and abalone, which are usually covered by similar seaweeds to those found on the surrounding rocks, usually with a variety of other organisms living on the seaweeds.: Ch.2 
The type of rock of the reef is of some importance, as it influences the range of possibilities for the local topography, which in turn influences the range of habitats provided, and therefore the diversity of inhabitants. Sandstone and other sedimentary rocks erode and weather very differently, and depending on the direction of dip and strike, and steepness of the dip, may produce reefs which are relatively flat to very high profile and full of small crevices. These features may be at varying angles to the shoreline and wave fronts. There are fewer large holes, tunnels and crevices in sandstone reefs, but often many deep but low near-horizontal crevices.
Sandy beaches and bottoms (including shelly, pebble and gravel bottoms)
Sandy bottoms at first glance appear to be fairly barren areas, as they lack the stability to support many of the spectacular reef based species, and the variety of large organisms is relatively low. The sand is continually being moved around by wave action, to a greater or lesser degree depending on weather conditions and exposure of the area. This means that sessile organisms must be specifically adapted to areas of relatively loose substrate to thrive in them, and the variety of species found on a sandy or gravel bottom will depend on all these factors. Sandy bottoms have one important compensation for their instability, animals can burrow into the sand and move up and down within its layers, which can provide feeding opportunities and protection from predation. Other species can dig themselves holes in which to shelter, or may feed by filtering water drawn through the tunnel, or by extending body parts adapted to this function into the water above the sand.: Ch.3 
The open sea




= Marine species diversity

=



Animals

Myxinidae

Eptatretus hexatrema, (Müller, 1836), sixgill hagfish
Hexanchidae

Notorynchus cepedianus, (Péron, 1807), broadnose sevengill shark
Squalidae

Squalus megalops, (W. J. Macleay, 1881), bluntnose spiny dogfish
Rhincodontidae

Rhincodon typus, (A. Smith, 1828), whale shark
Carcharhinidae

Carcharhinus brachyurus, (Günther, 1870), copper shark
Carcharhinus brevipinna, (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839), spinner shark
Carcharhinus obscurus, (Lesueur, 1818), dusky shark
Galeorhinus galeus, (Linnaeus, 1758), soupfin shark
Mustelus mustelus, (Linnaeus, 1758), smooth-hound
Mustelus palumbes, J. L. B. Smith, 1957 ,whitespotted smooth-hound
Prionace glauca, (Linnaeus, 1758), blue shark
Triakis megalopterus, (A. Smith, 1839), spotted gullyshark (endemic)
Scylioshinidae

Halaelurus natalensis, (Regan, 1904), tiger catshark (endemic)
Haploblepharus edwardsii, (Schinz, 1822), puffadder shyshark (endemic)
Haploblepharus fuscus, J. L. B. Smith, 1950, brown shyshark (endemic)
Haploblepharus pictus, (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1838), dark shyshark (endemic)
Poroderma africanum, (J. F. Gmelin, 1789), striped catshark (endemic)
Poroderma pantherinum, (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1838), leopard catshark (endemic)
Scyliorhinus capensis, (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1838), yellowspotted catchark
Sphrynidae

Sphyrna sp. hammerhead
Sphyrna zygaena, (Linnaeus, 1758), smooth hammerhead
Lamnidae

Carcharodon carcharias, (Linnaeus, 1758), great white shark
Isurus oxyrinchus, Rafinesque, 1810, short fin mako
Odontaspididae

Carcharias taurus, Rafinesque, 1810, spotted ragged-tooth
Pristidae

Pristis pectinata, Latham, 1794, largetooth sawfish
Torpedinidae

Torpedo fuscomaculata, W. K. H. Peters, 1855, blackspotted electric ray
Rhinobatidae

Acroteriobatus annulatus, (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1841), recorded as syn. Rhinobatos annulatus, lesser guitarfish (endemic)
Mylobatidae

Myliobatis aquila, (Linnaeus, 1758), eagleray
Aetomylaeus bovinus, (É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817) recorded as syn. Pteromylaeus bovinus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817, bullray
Mobulidae

Mobula birostris, (Walbaum, 1792), recorded as syn,Manta birostris, (Walbaum, 1792), manta ray
Mobula mobular, (Bonnaterre, 1788) recorded as syn. Mobula diabolus, (Shaw, 1804), devil ray
Dasyatidae

Dasyatis marmorata capensis, (Steindachner, 1892) blue stingray
Gymnura natalensis, (Gilchrist & W. W. Thompson, 1911), backwater butterflyray (endemic)
Eliopidae

Elops machnata, (Forsskål, 1775), ten pounder
Anguillidae

Anguilla mossambica, (Peters, 1852), longfin eel
Congridae

Conger wilsoni, (Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801), Cape conger
Ophichthidae

Ophisurus serpens, (Linnaeus, 1758), sand snake-eel
Clupeidae

Etrumeus whiteheadi, Wongratana, 1983, redeye roundherring (endemic)
Gilchristella aestuaria, (Gilchrist, 1913), estuarine roundherring (endemic)
Sardinops sagax, C. L. Hubbs, 1929, South African pilchard
Engraulidae

Engraulis japonicus, Temminck & Schlegel, 1846, Cape anchovy
Gonorhynchidae

Gonorynchus gonorynchus, (Linnaeus, 1766), beaked sandfish
Aritidae

Galeichthys ater, Castelnau, 1861, black seacatfish (endemic)
Galeichthys feliceps, Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1840, white seacatfish (endemic)
Plotosidae

Plotosus nkunga, Gomon & Taylor, 1982, eel catfish
Stomidae

Stomias boa boa, (A. Risso, 1810), scaly dragonfish
Synodontidae

Trachinocephalus myops, (J. R. Forster, 1801), painted lizard fish
Myctophidae

Diogenichthys atlanticus, lanternfish
Lampanyctodes hectoris, onderbaadjie
Symbolophorus barnardi, (Tåning, 1932), lanternfish
Gadidae

Gaidropsarus capensis, Cape rockling (endemic)
Merlucciidae

Merluccius capensis, Castelnau, 1861, shallow water hake
Moridae

Physiculus capensis, Gilchrist, 1922, deepsea cod (endemic)
Bregmacerotidae

Bregmaceros atlanticus, codlet
Bregmaceros nectabanus, codlet
Ophidiidae

Genypterus capensis, kingklip (endemic)
Bythitidae

Bidenichthys capensis, Barnard, 1934, freetail brotula (endemic)
Dermatopsoides talboti, Cohen, 1966, lesser orange brotula
Grammonoides opisthodon, bighead brotula (endemic)
Batrachoididae

Batrichthys apiatus, snakehead toadfish (endemic)
Chatrabus hendersoni, chocolate toadfish (endemic)
Chatrabus melanurus, humpback toadfish (endemic)
Lophiidae

Lophius upsicephalus, monk (endemic)
Gobiesocidae

Apletodon pellegrini, chubby clingfish
Chorisochismus dentex, rocksucker (endemic)
Diplecogaster megalops, bigeye clingfish (endemic)
Atherinidae

Atherina breviceps, Cape silverside
Notocheiridae

Iso natalensis, surf sprite
Hemiramphidae

Hemiramphus far, spotted halfbeak
Hyporhamphus capensis, Cape halfbeak
Belonidae

Petalichthys capensis, Cape needlefish
Berycidae

Centroberyx spinosus, short alfonsino (endemic)
Zeidae

Zeus capensis, Cape dory
Syngnathidae

Hippichthys spicifer, bellybarred pipefish
Hippocampus capensis, Knysna seahorse
Syngnathus acus, longsnout pipefish
Macroramphosidae

Macroramphosus scolopax, slender snipefish
Tetrarogidae

Coccotropsis gymnoderma, smoothskin scorpionfish (Gilchrist, 1906), (endemic)
Congiopodidae

Congiopodus spinifer, spinenose horsefish (endemic)
Congiopodus torvus, smooth horsefish (endemic)
Platycephalidae

Platycephalus indicus, bartail flathead
Triglidae

Chelidonichthys capensis, Cape gurnard (endemic)
Chelidonichthys kumu, bluefin gurnard
Trigloporus lastoviza africanus, African gurnard (endemic)
Kuhliidae

Kuhlia mugil, barred flagrail
Serranidae

Acanthistius sebastoides, (Castelnau, 1861), koester
Epinephelus andersoni, Boulenger, 1903, catface rockcod (endemic)
Epinephelus marginatus, (Lowe, 1834), yellowbelly rockcod recorded as Epinephilus emarginata
Serranus cabrilla, (Linnaeus, 1758), comber
Teraponidae

Terapon jarbua, (Fabricius [ex Forsskål] in Niebuhr, 1775), thornfish
Scombropidae

Scombrops boops, (Houttuyn, 1782), gnomefish (endemic)
Pomatomidae

Pomatomus saltatrix, (Linnaeus, 1766), elf
Haemulidae

Pomadasys commersonnii, (Lacépède, 1801), spotted grunter
Pomadasys olivaceus, (Day, 1875), piggy
Pomadasys striatus, (Gilchrist & W. W. Thompson, 1908), striped grunter
Sparidae

Argyrozona argyrozona, carpenter (endemic)
Boopsoidea inornata, Castelnau, 1861, fransmadam (endemic)
Cheimerius nufar, (Valenciennes, 1830), Santer
Chrysoblephus cristiceps (Valenciennes , 1830 ), dageraad (endemic)
Chrysoblephus gibbiceps Valenciennes, 1830, red stumpnose (endemic)
Chrysoblephus laticeps (Valenciennes, 1830), roman (endemic)
Chrysoblephus puniceus (Gilchrist & Thompson, 1908), slinger
Cymatoceps nasutus (Castelnau, 1861), black musselcracker (endemic)
Diplodus cervinus hottentotus (Lowe, 1838), zebra (endemic)
Diplodus sargus capensis Linnaeus, 1758, blacktail
Gymnocrotaphus curvidens, janbruin (endemic)
Lithognathus lithognathus, white steenbras (endemic)
Lithognathus mormyrus, sand steenbras
Pachymetopon aeneum, blue hottentot (endemic)
Pachymetopon blochii, hottentot (endemic)
Pachymetopon grande, bronze bream
Pagellus bellottii natalensis, red tjor-tjor
Petrus rupestris, red steenbras (endemic)
Polysteganus undulosus, seventy-four (endemic)
Porcostoma dentata, dane (endemic)
Pterogymnus laniarius, panga (endemic)
Rhabdosargus globiceps, white stumpnose (endemic)
Rhabdosargus holubi, Cape stumpnose (endemic)
Rhabdosargus sarba, Natal stumpnose
Sarpa salpa, Strepie
Sparodon durbanensis, white musselcracker (endemic)
Spondyliosoma emarginatum, steentjie (endemic)
Centracanthidae

Spicara axillaris, windtoy (endemic)
Dichistidae

Dichistius capensis, galjoen (endemic)
Dichistius multifasciatus, banded galjoen
Parascorpididae

Parascorpis typus, jutjaw (endemic)
Scorpididae

Neoscorpis lithophilus, stonebream (endemic)
Monodactylidae

Monodactylus falciformis, Cape moony
Mullidae

Parupeneus rubescens, (Lacepède, 1801), blacksaddle goatfish
Sciaenidae

Argyrosomus inodorus, silver kob
Argyrosomus japonicus, dusky kob
Atractoscion aequidens, geelbek
Umbrina canariensis, baardman
Umbrina ronchus, slender baardman
Pomacanthidae

Pomacanthus rhomboides, old woman
Chaetodontidae

Chaetodon blackburnii, brownburnie
Chaetodon marleyi, doublesash butterflyfish (endemic)
Heniochus acuminatus, coachman
Oplegnathidae

Oplegnathus conwayi, Natal knifejaw (endemic)
Carangidae

Caranx sexfasciatus, bigeye kingfish
Decapterus macrosoma, slender scad
Lichia amia, garrick
Seriola lalandi, giant yellowtail
Trachurus trachurus, Maasbanker
Coryphaenidae

Coryphaena hippurus, dorado
Cheilodactylidae

Cheilodactylus fasciatus, redfingers (endemic)
Cheilodactylus pixi, barred fingerfin (endemic)
Chirodactylus brachydactylus, twotone fingerfin (endemic)
Chirodactylus grandis, bank steenbras (endemic)
Pomacentridae

Abudefduf sordidus, spot damsel
Chromis dasygenys, bluespotted chromis (endemic)
Labridae

Coris caudimaucula, spottail coris
Labriodes dimidiatus, blue streak cleaner wrasse
Mugilidae

Liza dumerilii, groovy mullet
Liza macrolepis, largescale mullet
Liza richardsonii, southern mullet (endemic)
Liza tricuspidens, striped mullet (endemic)
Mugil cephalusi, flathead mullet
Myxus capensis, freshwater mullet (endemic)
Valamugil buchanani, bluetail mullet
Valamugil seheli, bluespot mullet
Sphyraenidae

Sphyraena jello, pickhandle barracuda
Congrogadidae

Halidesmus scapularis, snakelet (endemic)
Champsodontidae

Champsodon capensis, gaper
Bleniidae

Omobranchus woodii, kappie blenny
Chaloroderma ocellata, two-eyed blenny (endemic)
Parablennius cornutus, horned blenny (endemic)
Parablennius pilicornis, ringneck blenny
Plagiotremus rhinorhynchus, twostripe blennny
Plagiotremus tapeinosoma, piano blennny
Scartella emarginata, maned blenny
Xiphasia setifer, snakeblenny
Trypterygiidae

Trypterygiidae, gen. nov. (new genus & species)
Cremnochorites capensis, Cape triplefin (endemic)
Clinidae

Blennioclinus brachycephalus, lace klipfish (endemic)
Blennioclinus stella, silverbubble klipfish (endemic)
Blennophis striatus, striped klipfish (endemic)
Cirrhibarbis capensis, barbelled klipfish (endemic)
Climacoporus navalis, fleet klipfish (endemic)
Clinus acuminatus, sad klipfish (endemic)
Clinus agilis, agile klipfish (endemic)
Clinus berrisfordi, Onrust klipfish (endemic)
Clinus cottoides, bluntnose klipfish (endemic)
Clinus nematopterus, Chinese klipfish (endemic)
Clinus robustus, robust klipfish (endemic)
Clinus superciliosus, super klipfish (endemic)
Clinus taurus, bull klipfish (endemic)
Clinus venustris, speckled klipfish (endemic)
Pavoclinus graminis, grass klipfish (endemic)
Pavoclinus laurentii, rippled klipfish (endemic)
Pavoclinus pavo, peacock klipfish (endemic)
Pavoclinus profundus, deepwater klipfish (endemic)
Xenopoclinus kochi, platanna klipfish (endemic)
Xenopoclinus leprosus, leprous platanna-klipfish (endemic)
Ammodytidae

Gymnammodytes capensis, Cape sandlance (endemic)
Callionymidae

Paracallionymus costatus, ladder dragonet (endemic)
Gobiidae

Caffrogobius agulhensis, Agulhas goby (endemic)
Caffrogobius caffer, banded goby (endemic)
Caffrogobius multifasciatus, prison goby (endemic)
Caffrogobius natalensis, baldy (endemic)
Caffrogobius nudiceps, barehead goby
Caffrogobius saldanha, commafin goby (endemic)
Glossogobius callidus, river goby
Glossogobius giuris, tank goby
Psammogobius knysnaensis, Knysna sandgoby (endemic)
Redigobius dewaali, checked goby
Zanclidae

Zanclus canescens, Moorish idol
Gempylidae

Thyrsites atun, snoek
Trichiuridae

Lepidopus caudatus, buttersnoek
Scombridae

Scomber japonicus, mackerel
Stromatidae

Centrolophus niger, black ruff
Bothidae

Arnoglossus capensis, Cape flounder (endemic)
Cynoglossidae

Cynoglossus capensis, sand tongue fish (endemic)
Cynoglossus zanzibarensis, redspotted tongue fish
Soleidae

Austroglossus pectoralis, East Cape sole (endemic)
Heteromycteris capensis, Cape sole (endemic)
Monochirus ocellatus, foureye sole
Solea bleekeri, blackhand sole (endemic)
Solea fulvomarginata, lemon sole (endemic)
Synaptura marginata, shallow-water sole
Synapturichthys kleini, lace sole
Monacanthidae

Aluterus monoceros, unicorn leatherjacket
Ostraciidae

Lactoria cornuta, longhorn cowfish
Tetrosomus concatenatus, triangular boxfish
Tetraodontidae

Amblyrhynchotes honckenii, evileye blaasop
Arothron hispidus, whitespotted blaasop
Arothron immaculatus, blackedged blaasop
Diodontidae

Diodon hystrix, porcupinefish
Lophodiodon calori, fourbar porcupinefish
Molidae

Mola mola, ocean sunfish



Seaweeds




Endemism

The MPA is in the warm temperate Agulhas inshore marine bioregion to the east of Cape Point which extends eastwards to the Mbashe River. There are a large proportion of species endemic to South Africa along this coastline.



Alien invasive species





Threats






Slipways and harbours in the MPA


There is a small concrete slipway at the Storm's River Mouth, which is moderately protected from swell. The Storms River mouth is navigable for small craft for some distance, and there are places where a boat can moor in the gorge that are accessible by footpath from the mouth.




See also



List of protected areas of South Africa – Areas protected for conservation in South Africa
Marine protected areas of South Africa – Protected areas of coastline or ocean in the EEZ of South Africa




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Tsitsikamma Marine Protected Area
• Tsitsikamma National Park
• ISimangaliso Marine Protected Area
• Marine protected areas of South Africa
• List of marine protected areas
• List of protected areas of South Africa
• Punta Cana
• Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area
• Great Blue Hole
• Amed (Bali)