Report: Marine conservation in Mozambique

Humpback whale - Photo: ©Rosie Young

Thanks to the generosity of the Gerry Grimstone Travel Award, I had the privilege of spending six weeks in Mozambique this summer, participating in a marine conservation internship with Love the Oceans (LTO). LTO is an amazing non-profit organization that is working towards creating a Marine Protected Area in Inhambane. Their approach is bottom-up, combining scientific research with educational outreach and community involvement. The hope is that this strategy, led by the local community, will not only protect the oceans but also help alleviate poverty and eventually become a strategy that can be replicated along the entire Mozambican coastline. During my time with LTO, I worked as a field assistant while also being introduced to the charity's broader efforts.

The first week was dedicated to intensive training, where we attended lectures on marine life and took part in practical sessions learning vital field techniques, such as how to take fish measurements and do coral reef transects. We were also given a cultural tour of the local village, experiencing daily life and even learning how to make traditional dishes like Matapa. After this first week, the group of nine interns was divided into smaller teams of three and we were each given jam-packed schedules for the remainder of our time, where we rotated through a variety of activities. It was fascinating to work alongside such an international cohort - my two teammates were from Maputo and California, which gave us plenty to discuss about our respective cultures.

One of our main tasks was fisheries research. We would arrive at a local fishing site by 5:45 a.m., helping to pull the fishermen’s boats ashore. We then measured their catches, which ranged from fish to sharks, rays, and moray eels. LTO has established strong relationships with the fishermen, making it easier to collect data on species lengths and dimensions, which we would log each evening. We were trained to identify the species of each fish caught, and with all the practice (sometimes logging over 100 fish a day), our fish ID skills improved dramatically! The long-term data helps identify sustainable fishing practices; kayak pole and line fishing, for example, is proving to be more sustainable than the use of gill nets or spearguns.

Another highlight of the internship was surveying coral reefs. This involved laying out a 25-meter transect in a study site, using a GoPro to record both cryptic and non-cryptic species, and conducting a benthic survey by placing a quadrat down every 2.5 meters. We were all able to practice every part of this procedure until it was perfected, so we became well-equipped scientific divers. Logging this data afterward involved watching the GoPro footage back to record the species present and the percentage of coral in each quadrat compared to that of algae, sponge, or bare substrate. These long-term datasets are playing an instrumental role in understanding how the reefs are changing over time and can be used in conjunction with the fisheries data to inform conservation policy.

We were based in Guinjata Bay, which is a key humpback whale breeding site during the summer months, before they migrate towards higher latitudes to feed. We spent several days collecting data on humpback whale behaviour, tracking their surface cues and acoustic activity using a hydrophone. This involved not only whale-watching from the shore but also collecting the data from boats. LTO aims to use this data to better understand humpback communication and to demonstrate the potential for whale- watching as a sustainable ecotourism industry, which could provide a significant source of income for the local community. I was lucky enough to see whales almost every day, sometimes even from my bedroom window!

School in Mozambique - Photo: ©Rosie Young

The internship also included various other activities, such as spending a week painting educational murals and teaching marine conservation lessons at a local school. We helped with the swimming lessons run by LTO for local women and children. The hope is that these will prevent future drownings by improving in-water safety while reducing the fear that is often associated with the ocean. We participated in beach cleanups, where we collected, sorted, and logged plastic waste. After this session, we learned how to upcycle the many bottle caps we found into marine megafauna-shaped jewellery and keyrings using a new plastic machine that is being developed as an alternative source of income for locals. We also helped deploy and retrieve Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVS), an exhilarating task that involved swimming in open ocean to locate and retrieve the equipment!

After the internship ended, I spent a week traveling up the coast of Mozambique. This was a great chance to explore the country and reflect on everything I’d learned while helping me gain more confidence solo traveling.

The whole experience not only enriched my academic knowledge but also transformed my understanding of marine conservation from theory to practical application. It has solidified my desire to pursue a career in marine conservation, and I am deeply grateful to Lord Grimstone for providing the funding that made this opportunity possible. My time in Mozambique felt meaningful, and I left feeling excited for what the future holds.