I was out of the city and country on 9/11, but when I returned by air a few weeks later, I could see from the plane's window that the lower end of Manhattan was "missing." Expressions of concern came to me from the Comoros, from Germany, from the U. K. and from France. As the global mind set shifted, what would happen to "our" fish?
In South Africa, little Jago had its work cut out for it. There may be as many as 13 underwater canyons between the Tugela River mouth and Kosi Bay in the north, extending beyond the Sodwana site- quite a search area. In the 2001 dives, Jago found fifteen fish some of them repeats of the fish seen by Venter. In a second set of dives in 2003, the sub found 18, again with overlaps. Is this a new population of coelacanths, a new species, or a group of strays swept down the Mozambique channel in the supposed manner of the 1938 find? In 2003, tissue samples were taken using the submersible's manipulator arm. DNA analysis confirmed that the "new" South African coelacanths were genetically identical to their Comoran counterparts, although they might well be breeding colonies. This find was somewhat disappointing to many South Africans, who were hoping for their own new species to rival that of Indonesia.
There had been differences: A sonic probe attached to one of the fish showed that it went up to feed rather than down as in the Comoros. But the numbers seen at Sodwana were not reassuring, and some of the excitement of the new South African discovery began to fade, just as a new coelacanth conference was called at East London, South Africa for October, 2003. East London was the site of the original coelacanth discovery in 1938. I was invited to attend and present a paper.
On the night of September 8th, 2003, a coelacanth was netted at the island of Songa Mnara, off the coast of Tanzania. The fish was later identified at a fish market as a coelacanth by one James Taylor (Not the singer!) It had been flayed for drying with the guts discarded, and had since been turned over to authorities. This was the first confirmed report of a coelacanth caught off Tanzania. It created more excitement among coelaphiles. Combined with the catches off Kenya and Mozambique, and the coelacanths seen at Sodwana, South Africa, it raised the question of permanent coelacanth colonies off the East African coast.
After its decades old search for social justice, the new South Africa was replete with politically correct acronym bureaucracies- a bit like the old Soviet Union. When, the South African coelacanths were discovered - or rediscovered- in 2000, the excitement led to corporate funding for a new entity: The African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme or ACEP. This project attempted to monitor the coelacanth situation in Africa and the Indian Ocean- bringing in Jago for example, as well as provide marine educational programs for students. It's office was located at the old JLB Smith Institute (now renamed The South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity - SAIAB) in Grahams town. ACEP's first director was Tony Ribbink, a newcomer to the coelacanth scene. It was Tony who called the conference and did an able job of organizing it.
Under a dreary October rain, academic papers, and Power Points, including mention of a coelacanth caught off Tanzania in September, were presented at the old East London Town Hall, the event's forum. At the back of the hall, as if to accent our environmental awareness, water cascaded through a leak in the roof, splattering in and around receptacles on the floor. As I had no scientific contribution to make, I thought I would talk about running dinofish.com then approaching one million visitors. My brief remarks went well enough and as I was returning to my seat, I was waved over to meet someone. The old lady held out her hand. She was surrounded by a small group, all talking. She seemed a little confused, somebody told her my name. I was pleasantly stunned. It was Marjorie Courtenay Latimer! By some chance she had attended that afternoon's session. People were trying to get her attention and give her things. Hans Fricke thrust a copy of his talk- which she had missed- into her hands. I don't think she knew what it was. What an encounter for me! Marjorie Courtenay Latimer died the following May at the age of 97.
Comorian Delegation with Tony Ribbink (center) Mark Erdmann (left) and Hans Fricke (Right)
Said Ahamada "Her Deepness," Sylvia Earle, at the East London Conference
But there was another development at the '03 East London conference, that would set the stage for a new coelacanth enterprise. It did not catch me completely by surprise. The year before, my partner, Diana and I were driving up from a holiday in Key West, Florida, USA, in our RV, when we decided to spend the afternoon and night at a Key's motel for some clean sheets and a pool swim. I had some mini RC submersibles, and I was trying them out in the pool, while wearing as usual one of the coelacanth T shirts I sell at dinofish.com A fellow came across the street with two young sons to use the pool. He took an interest in the subs, and when he saw my T shirt he said, " Oh, the coelacanth! We just had a big conference down here about coelacanths.' I couldn't believe my ears. Here in Florida? What do coelacanths have to do with Florida? "Well, I used to be a fish collector," he went on, "but there's another guy, Forrest Young. He's a big collector down here. He's going to catch one for a Japanese Aquarium. They had a conference about it."
Japan's Aquamarine Fukushima (aquarium)was represented in force at the '03 East London coelacanth conference. The director, Dr. Yoshitaki Abe, with staff, and an American capture team headed by Forrest Young with assistant, and curator advisor David Powell and one of his colleagues were all there. (The director was observed handing out envelopes - presumably of cash- to his US team.) Forrest Young gave an excellent presentation on technical mixed gas diving, an operation that must be carried out with military precision. This diving method was to be used in the capture, hopefully of a juvenile coelacanth swimming at a depth attainable by the divers- a maximum of 500ft. The aquarium would conduct a seven year project of research and capture. A side seminar was held to discuss the pros and cons of capturing a live coelacanth. Mr Young conducted this presentation as well. There was a mixed reaction, particularly from the Comoran rep, Said Ahamada. But there was an unexpected positive response from Hans Fricke, who said that if the protocols discussed were followed he would show them where the fish were. (With a refined sense of irony, I had to wince at that one!) To the skeptical surprise of Tony Ribbink , Forrest Young announced to the general gathering of the conference that their capture program had been approved. A new well financed, capture program was underway, and with little or no conservationist opposition.
When someone else is setting out to do what you tried to do- and failed- you must summon your inner Buddha- wish them well, and be prepared to watch vicariously as others fulfill your dream. I knew I could do nothing more. I simply lacked the resources. What got was a consolation prize. One morning, I shared a shuttle van to the conference with Hans Fricke and Karen Hissman. They suggested that my next project in the Comoros, should be a coelacanth museum and research center down at Itsoundzou. Hans said the whole thing could be built for $10,000 US. I agreed. I would raise the money from sales at the web site. It sounded doable. My next coelacanth project was underway.
In the months and then years to follow, I began making wire transfers of funds to the project at Itsoundzou in the Comoros. Progress was painstakingly slow, and at the $10,000 mark the project was nowhere near completed. The transfers continued to the $15,000 mark. Still not done. Only the walls were up.
During April-May of 2004, the Jago Submersible again descended into the depths off Sodwana, South Africa. New coelacanths were observed, 3 at a considerable distance from the earlier groups, bringing the total number of observed South African coelacanths to 25. This would be the last South Africa dives made by the Jago.
Forrest Young, and the Fukushima aquarium had not been able to get permission to dive at Sodwana, South Africa. In 2005 during April/May/June, under the direction of Dr. Yoshitaki Abe, Forrest Young's Dynasty Marine Associates mixed gas divers plunged off the volcanoes of Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia in tandem with an ROV from Japan's Aquamarine Fukushima Aquarium, and scientist Mark Erdmann in search of coelacanths. None were observed. By then I was in direct contact with Forrest and wishing him well.Also in May 2005, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) under the direction of Dr. Kerry Sink, replaced the submersible, Jago, in that investigation of the South African coelacanths. Eight were sighted at 110m on one dive, and one on a dive the day before. Some were the same individuals identified by Jago and some were new. The "Falcon" ROV was said to be less invasive than the sub, but it's data aquisition capabilities seemed more limited.
At the end of May, 2006, The ROV from Aquamarine Fukushima Aquarium returned to Indonesia without the dive team. The crew somehow obtained the coordinates used by the Jago submersible team in their successful filming of November, December, 1999. On May 30, off the shore of Boul, about 350km west from Manado, Sulawesi, an Indonesian coelacanth was filmed by the ROV at a depth of 170m about 8:30 a.m. Subsequently five more were seen. The fish were in caves at the very same location as those filmed by the Fricke Dive Team. Dr, Kasim Moosa of the Indonesian Institute for Scientific Research accompanied the survey team.
In July 2006, the private yacht, Octopus, made a brief visit to the Comoros, and attempted to film coelacanths with an advanced R.O.V. equipped with a high definition camera. Bad weather hampered the effort and none of the fish were observed.
During September and October, 2007, another ROV expedition led by Japanese aquarium, Aquamarine Fukushima, observes nine coelacanths off the coast of Tanzania, the first Tanzanian coelacanths to be seen in situ!
In 2008, Fukushima concludes its 4th ROV expedition, this time back in Indonesia, Sulawesi vicinity. A recently caught Indonesian coelacanth was returned to Japan for study. No word is heard about their capture project. Forrest Young has gone silent.By now it was time for me to return to the Comoros.
Chapter still under construction. Please come back to check progress...JH
