It has often been said that SAAMBR is one of Durban’s best kept secrets. Not many people know what SAAMBR stands for – the South African Association for Marine Biological Research. We were originally situated on the Lower Marine Parade before moving to our current premises at uShaka Marine World in 2004. As SAAMBR prepares to celebrate 70 years of Marine Conservation, Research and Education we are proud of our milestones and achievements. As the build up to our 70th Anniversary on 30 January 2021, we share our stories about some of the characters and creatures who made SAAMBR what it is today!

After all the toing and froing with meetings between the City Council and the Wildlife Society it was down to business to raise money to build the new aquarium. Although money was granted by the City Council, there was a shortfall that had to be raised by the 700 members. Can you imagine? Under the leadership of the Honorary Treasurer, a round of dinner dances, movies about the sea, a regatta in the harbour (blown out by a gale) and a Sea Fair (which was rained out) ensued. The pickings were slim because people were more inclined to support the Red Cross, Anti-TB cause and Cancer Research. But the members persevered and construction started on the aquarium in 1957 when the foundation stone was laid.

1959 was an exciting year in the history of SAAMBR. The aquarium was nearing completion and due to open in June of 1959. Dr. David Davies, a South African marine scientist working at the Scripps Institute in California returned home to head up the newly formed SAAMBR. Professor JLB Smith from Rhodes University in Grahamstown visited the new facility and was impressed. He stated that this could be the biggest and best aquarium in the southern hemisphere. 1959 was Durban’s Centenary year and with great fanfare, the new Centenary Aquarium was opened by the Mayor Mr. W.E. Shaw on 22 June 1959. Visitors flocked to see the new attraction on the Durban Beachfront for their first glimpse of life under the waves.

When the Durban Centenary Aquarium opened its doors to visitors for the first time in 1959, a visit to the aquarium to see underwater creatures for the first time in their natural environment was a must see for every holiday maker who came to Durban. The prices although they seem cheap to us now added up to make it quite an expensive outing for a family. Two and a half cents or a tickey for school children – no wonder they flocked in their droves to this new attraction on the Durban Beachfront.

With many shark attacks along our coastline, sharks were very much in the public eye and the public wanted to see sharks up close in the Aquarium. Initially there were only four small Dusky sharks on display. Two months after opening, a fisherman hooked a large Zambezi shark weighing 91kg and 1.8m long at the Umgeni River mouth. He secured it and sent word to the aquarium to come and fetch it. With the help of the local rickshaw drivers outside the aquarium, the shark was carried in and placed in the tank. Although “Willie”, who turned out to be a female, was initially not keen to eat, her first meal was rather dramatic as she devoured a 45kg stingray. Willie then proceeded to eat her way through her fellow tank dwellers and even started showing a very keen interest in the divers! Sadly, Willie died, despite the best efforts of the staff to keep her alive. Her time in the aquarium, however, helped them to learn an enormous amount about these amazing animals. And the visitors who saw her were able to appreciate the beauty and grace of sharks. A critical breakthrough at a time when sharks were only thought of as ‘man-eaters’.

Over the years SAAMBR has had its fair share of characters both animal and human. Sally was one of these that will be remembered fondly by many staff and visitors. “Sally the Sawfish” was caught in the shark nets by the meshing boat, the Sea Hound, at South Beach in December 1962. Divers secured her carefully and called the aquarium. She was gently brought ashore, placed on a truck and brought to the yard at the back of the aquarium where the staff cut away all the remnants of the net, which was entangled in her saw. She was cautiously hoisted up and placed in the Shark Tank where she swiped at the lesser inhabitants with great enthusiasm, the larger ones giving her a wide berth. She settled down and eventually the diver, Lofty Roets was able to feed her by hand, making sure he avoided her lethal saw. This proved to be a popular attraction at feeding times. At one time angelfish were introduced to the exhibit to help Sally get rid of some parasites. They got busy soon after their introduction to the exhibit and did their work to rid Sally of the parasites. Sally was a great attraction and many visitors were fascinated by ungainly movement as she negotiated her way around the exhibit. After a number of years Sally sadly died. However, the staff will always remember her and the incredible amount they learnt about this unique cartilaginous fish. Moving to the present, it is of interest that the last sawfish known from KZN waters was seen in 1999. Research suggests that sawfish no longer occur in KZN waters, while globally largetooth sawfish are Critically Endangered.

In 1974 the six cubic meters of sand in the shark tank had to be removed when new filters were installed. This sand had not been moved since 1968 and as it was sieved it revealed: 6 699 coins to the value of R136.61 (a windfall indeed!) Lens covers, golf balls, a distributor rotor arm, amethysts, gold rings, bullets, ear-rings and a bracelet (value not declared!) 5 500 Zambezi shark teeth 2 900 ragged-tooth shark teeth At the same time the pay telescope on the roof at the main tank jammed and an English gold half sovereign worth R140.00 was found to be the culprit. Who knows whether the coins fell in or were thrown in for good luck but we are sure that many a guest was devastated when her precious gold ring disappeared under the water in the shark tank!

Every organisation has its fair share of stories which form part of their history. John Ballard, who is still with us today, joined SAAMBR in 1968 as Curator. With a staff of one, he was in charge of animal management, tank maintenance, exhibit development, animal collections, water chemistry and annotations. He didn’t have much time to sleep! Up until his appointment, collections for the aquarium were quite ad hoc. Seine fishermen and local anglers were asked to bring in anything from their catches that was alive and in good condition. In 1972 the first dedicated collection expedition took place. Months of planning took place and loaded to the hilt with everything that they needed (including their own camping gear) they went to Sodwana Bay. Sadly, the local monkeys and mongooses raided the camp and ate all their eggs, jam, bread and bananas. With the financial outlay to replace essential supplies, it is no wonder that John Ballard set up the Ballard’s Bush Aquarium for a nominal charge. This photo has earned its place as one of our fondest in SAAMBR’s history!

The Centenary Aquarium opened its doors in 1959. Later on it became known as the Durban Aquarium. In 1983, at great cost, SAAMBR appointed a marketing company to rebrand the aquarium. After much head scratching (and clearly little creativity), it was decided to rename the aquarium Sea World, forever to be confused with Seaworld in the United States and a local fishmonger in Durban called Seaworld. Many a receptionist had to deal with calls from people wanting to order fresh fish. Not only did the logo change but the marketing company designed smart new uniforms which, had they ever been worn, would have made the ladies look more like air hostesses. It was at this time that George Buckland made the two iconic dolphins that graced the outside of the aquarium and are still with us today!

One morning in 1996, the aquarists arrived at work to find several large fish in the Main Tank with broken traces trailing from their mouths. An oxeye tarpon that had been there for ten years was also missing. It was soon discovered that the big open Main Tank had become the most popular fishing spot in Durban. Why stand out in the cold and the wind on the beach when you have hungry fish swimming right in front of you? It was also rumoured at the time that the main dare at one of the local drinking spots was a swim across the Shark Tank. Since no human remains clutching a beer bottle were ever found – this could not be proved! To put a stop to the errant fishermen, shade cloth was put across the top of both tanks and night security guards were employed! Never a dull moment at Sea World!

On the 23 June 2000, tragedy struck when a fully laden bulk ore carrier, the MV Treasure, sank just off Cape Town. The fuel oil that leaked into the sea threatened 41 000 penguins close by in their rookeries off Dassen Island and Robben Island. A huge rescue mission was launched to remove oiled birds and relocate 20 000 non-oiled birds to prevent their contamination. With the removal of the adults, many chicks were left unattended in their nests. Rudy van der Elst, casually walked into Ann Kunz’ office one day and asked her if Sea World could handle five hundred rescued penguin chicks. Ann sprang into action and by the next day it was decided to accommodate the chicks at SAAMBR’s boathouse at Vetch’s Pier. Fencing, food, porta pools, sprinkler systems, water pumps and hospital care facilities were donated by generous supporters and once again Durbanites rallied to the cause. Volunteers and veterinary help poured in and in no time at all – penguin chicks started to arrive in batches by air from Cape Town, usually the last flight of the day! With SAAMBR’s track record and experience in raising penguin chicks and the rehabilitation of stranded birds, SAAMBR’s help was much appreciated by the Department of Marine and Coastal Management. The task of dealing with the chicks as they arrived was co-ordinated and each bird was numbered and given a thorough veterinary examination. A large number of the birds were infected with fleas and several were severely dehydrated. Each bird was tagged and weighed and immediately rehydrated. Medical records were kept for each bird and the birds were categorised for husbandry purposes. This also involved the training of the volunteers to cope with and meet the husbandry standards required by Sea World. The penguins were divided into six groups according to the care that they needed. Although extensive use was made of volunteers, the Sea World staff undertook most of the bird handling to facilitate feeding and minimise stress. Two students were employed to handle the data capturing for a record of each bird and this served to alert the staff to the special needs or deterioration of a particular bird. Some 250 kilograms of sardines were consumed each day by these chicks and the Sea World staff and volunteers forfeited much free time over the weeks and weekends that it took for the chicks to fledge. And while they may look soft and cuddly, penguin beaks are serious weapons as many careless helping hands can attest! Hygiene control was stringent and all equipment had to be thoroughly washed and disinfected every day. It was a busy time indeed – and with the help of Addington Hospital and generous donations from the public it was most encouraging indeed to see how the people of Durban opened their hearts to these orphaned chicks. A generous donation by the Green Trust allowed Sea World to cope with all the additional costs. The rescue effort further enhanced Sea World’s ability to deal with the rescue and rehabilitation of penguins in the long term with a view to rehabilitation and breeding in order to return birds to the wild. Slowly but surely, the chicks were returned in batches to Cape Town for release. Who will ever forget the images of the volunteers with cardboard boxes, releasing the rehabilitated birds with pink spots on their chests as they waddled back into the sea?

The shad or elf is a fierce little gamefish that provides good sport fishing for thousands of shore fishermen in KZN every year. A serious decline in catches in the 1960s and 1970s caused widespread reaction. By 1975 the catch had decreased by 60%. Rudy van der Elst, a young ORI scientist, undertook to study linefish biology with shad as the main species. He soon discovered that the shad were being fished out faster than they could breed. After much research he proposed a closed season, a bag limit and no sale of the species to allow them to recover. This was unheard of and a very unpopular proposal. The local fishermen were very angry because many of them relied on shad to feed their families. They took to protesting on the beaches and employing devious means to hide their catch from the beady eyed Parks Board. These included burying their catches in the sand or hiding them in the ice cream vendor’s cooler box. A commission of enquiry was set up and the conservation measures were supported. By this time it was evident to some fishermen that the regulations were working. The catches of shad improved significantly and the regulations were eased up a little. ORI became a household name!

One of the highlights of the month in KwaZulu Natal in July is the Sardine Run. This annual migration of these small silver fish that migrate up the coast with accompanying game fish and birds has always been the topic of much conversation amongst the locals and fishermen and the highlight of the angling year. Speculation about their early arrival or late arrival or dwindling numbers has been thrashed out over a pint in many a local watering hole up and down the coast. Years ago it was a free for all with there being plenty for everyone but as time has gone by –the silver shoals have dwindled and the catches are now jealously guarded as they fetch high prices at the local markets. Is it climate change causing this – who knows – time will tell?

During the twenty year war in Mozambique, ORI had occasional contact with our northern neighbours through contacts set up by Dr Tony de Freitas, who had been Director of Fisheries in Mozambique. When the borders opened up, Sean Fenessey and his team had the opportunity to go to Inhaca Island to see what linefish were found in the waters off Southern Mozambique. All went well (many fish were tagged and many Laurentinas were consumed) and the research proceeded at a cracking pace until it was time to come home. When the team left Inhaca Island they discovered that the road was closed because the army was in revolt because they had not been paid. Hearing bullet shots and seeing puffs of smoke did not boost their confidence. They hastily retreated to Maputo. The only way to head south to the border was to bundu bash over uncharted roads. A local doctor and his wife who knew the way needed a lift. They all crammed into the already overcrowded ORI vehicle and bounced their way through rock throwing ambushes to the border. In a move of desperation, Sean hid all his metacais under his cap. On arrival at the border post which was a rickety old caravan parked in the middle of nowhere, Sean took off his cap to take his shirt off because it was hot. Metacais rained down around his feet. Luckily for him, the gun toting soldiers had been paid that day and they returned the money to Sean with a smile. Interestingly, three of the Spanish mackerel tagged on that trip have since turned up in South African waters.

If you are lucky enough to stroll around alongside uShaka Marine World, you will see a canal which has been a charming addition to the ever growing flatland in that area. The Point Waterfront Canal gets seawater from the uShaka Sea World outflow. In 2003 soon after the canal was filled, the uShaka Sea World staff introduced various fish into the canal to keep it clear of undesirable algal growth. There are currently over 50 species of fish in the canal, the most colourful of which are the wrasse and butterflyfish. A wide range of fish food occurs in the canal. Different types of algae grow on the walls and in the bottom substrate, naturally occurring crustaceans such as shrimps, marine worms, molluscs and bivalves are found. A wide range of microscopic organisms also occur. Grunter 'turn over' the bottom substrate in their search for food which prevents it from becoming anoxic and the surgeonfish who continually graze the walls keep the algae at acceptable levels. These fish play an important role in ensuring that the marine environment and water quality of the canal remains healthy. The uShaka Sea World staff feed the fish in the canal each day with the leftover aquarium fish food like sardine, mackerel and squid. The grunters have come to recognize the staff and they lie in wait at the same place every day for their daily feed. If you walk along the canal on a sunny day, don’t forget to enjoy watching the fish as they bustle backwards and forwards to go about their business of keeping the canal in a clean and healthy state.