Scientists hope for surprise finds during expedition |17 May 2018

Local and foreign scientists who left for a marine expedition survey in the Mascarene Plateau hope to make new discoveries, they told Seychelles Nation on telephone as they sailed away on Saturday.

“So little is known about this data-poor region that we could discover hitherto unknown species of animals or plants,” said cruise leader Odd AkselBergstad.

He said that working from reportedly the most modern and best equipped research vessel, called DrFridjofNansen, they will scour the sea bed and examine the water masses looking at both invertebrates like crabs and vertebrates like fish and other creatures.

The scientists are also using high-tech samplers to analyse sediment chemistry, to observe marine habitat and to map it, while also assessing levels of water pollution.

Mr Bergstad said the survey was requested for by Seychelles, which is working in Mauritius, and covering the part of sea jointly managed by the two countries, from the Saya de Malha to the Nazareth Bank in the Mascarene Plateau.

The expedition is being funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

The research vessel has been made available to Food and Agricultural Organisation by Norway and is operated with the support of the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, in a project aimed to improve knowledge on fisheries to boost sustainable management of fisheries.

The project started on January 16 in Durban and is expected to end in October 2018 in Thailand.

 The results of the analyses of the information collected will be used to formulate regulatory and fisheries management strategies.

“Oceans provide a vital source for food, employment, trade, income, and livelihoods for millions of people around the world. They also offer goods and services essential to the existence of life on earth,” said the researchers in a statement.

The current leg of the survey will end in Port Louis, Mauritius on June 3, 2018. The vessel will then move towards Colombo for a regional survey covering Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand.

The Seychelles team on board comprises  scientists Stephanie Hollanda, Rodney Melanie, Andrew Souffre from the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), marine scientist Gilberte Gendron from the National Parks Authority and expatriate environment lecturer, Jerome Harley from the University of Seychelles.