The Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science (DIFS), Rhodes University

RHODES UNIVERSITY

Mission statement

Our aim is to be the leading African academic institution supporting the sustainable utilisation and study of fish through teaching and training of students, research and appropriate service provision.

History and introduction

The Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science (DIFS) was founded in 1981 when the JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology became a National Museum. Since its inception it has been the only academic department that specialises in Ichthyology and Fisheries Science on the African continent. The first acting head of the department was Professor Mike Bruton (1981 to 1982). Dr T. Hecht joined the DIFS in mid 1982 and under his leadership the DIFS has grown into a regional centre of excellence, specialising in ichthyology, fisheries, aquaculture and related disciplines. A complementary, happy and cohesive team of tenured staff, research officers, associated consultants, and post graduates is responsible for the three core activities of the DIFS, namely teaching, research and service provision. Increasingly, the Departments activities and projects are becoming multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional and the participation of the DIFS is sought in most major fisheries and aquaculture development initiatives in the SADC region. The DIFS enjoys a special synergistic relationship with the JLB Smith Institute, and this "critical mass" of combined expertise contributes to Grahamstown’s reputation as an African centre of excellence in the field of ichthyology, fisheries and aquaculture.

The DIFS has undergone great deal of change and growth in since the last Departmental review in 1997. A change in leadership is proposed at the beginning of 2001 when Professor Tom Hecht intends stepping down with Dr Peter Britz resuming as the new Head of the Department. Over the last three years, the introduction of undergraduate courses and a dramatic increase in the number of research contracts, consultancies and post-graduate numbers, has required the an ongoing Departmental self-assessment to development management strategies to address the challenges and opportunities that have arisen. This has taken the form of a number of strategic planning sessions with key roleplayers and stakeholders to address issues such as the DIFS mission and goals, departmental management procedures, post-graduate supervision, undergraduate course development and assessment, and formalising the role DIFS as a regional service provider. The role of DIFS as a regional service provider is expected to grow strongly over the next three years due to increased outsourcing of fisheries research by Government, increasing participation in donor funded fisheries projects in the SADC and African Great Lakes region, and a call by Government to be more involved in promoting development projects and processes of delivery which are aimed at realising policy goals.

Facilities and infrastructure

DIFS possesses a good basic infrastructure and laboratory facilities, a world class specialist library and library database, good experimental aquaculture facilities and access to ships time and number of other laboratories and field stations. DIFS operates a small field aquaculture laboratory at Port Alfred and has students based at other regional research facilities including Marine and Coastal Management, Port Elizabeth Museum, University of Cape Town, Namibia and Malawi Fisheries Depts., Goukamma and Tsitsikamma National Park, and Makerere University.

Buildings and Facilities

DIFS is situated in a number of buildings surrounding the historic Royal Engineers building which was renovated for DIFS in 1990. As a result of the doubling of post-graduate numbers over the last five years, student office accomodation, laboratories and storage space are maximally utilised at present, and in view of the expected growth in student numbers planning for additional facilities is a strategic priority. Mr Terry Longman has prepared a draft plan to accommodate this anticipate growth and the University will be approached during the course of 2000 in this regard.

The Royal Engineers building consists of five staff offices, a reception and administrative area, two staff laboratories, a GIS computer lab, a lecture theatre for 40 people and kitchen. The laboratory building has a physiology and nutrition lab, a water quality lab, a walk in deep freeze, two small wet laboratories and two CT rooms. Students are accommodated in the "Stables" consisting of five rooms, all of which have been partitioned into student cubicles. Students also use staff laboratories on a full-time basis. Four new wet laboratories were built in 1995 behind the stables. These are used for fresh water and marine fish culture and one as a live food laboratory. The technical section consists of a workshop, a rest room for the service staff, and two double garages for storage of equipment, departmental vehicles and boats. A marine hatchery was built in Grahamstown with a grant from the Industrial Development Corporation in 1997.

Experimental Fish Farm. The experimental fish farm consists of a hatchery, a pump house, a feed pelletising shed and store, warm water, cold water and ambient termperature outdoor culture tanks and an ornamental fish tunnel unit. All systems operate as recirculating systems.

Port Alfred Laboratory. The DIFS also runs and operates a fully functional marine laboratory at Port Alfred. The entire property is rented from the Municipality and a private person, is fenced and electronically linked to a security company. It is maintained principally by contract funds and a small annual grant (ca. R15000) from the University to cover 40% of the annual electricity costs.

The Ichthyology library housed in the JLB Smith Institute is jointly funded and managed by the JLB Smith Institute and the DIFS. Access to holdings is electronic and we have the capacity to undertake complete CD ROM based literature searches. The library houses all major ichthyological, fish biological, fisheries and aquaculture journals.

Equipment. The DIFS presently is well equipped for its basic needs. By the end of 1998 much of our equipment was old and in need of replacement, however, adoption of a three year capital equipment plan has allowed purchase of much needed "big ticket" items such as a 4X4 twin-cab and minor equipment is purchased on research grants.

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DIFS Post graduate students and brief project titles for 2000

(Links to projects in blue)

Honours

5. Amanda Pratt                                      Barbel age and growth

MSc students

15. Gavin Johnson                                 Clown fish aquaculture

19. Thomas Nyasulu (Malawi)            Cichlid taxonomy

PhD students

16. Cliff Jones                                        Poecilliid cannibalism

27. Albrect Goetz (Germany)               Goukamma Fish behaviour

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Where do our graduates go?

Fisheries officers