The Effect of Oil Pollution from the Tanker “Wafra” on the Marine Fauna of the Cape Agulhas Area

Abstract

Much was learnt of the effect of oil pollution and the dangers of surfactants from the Torrey Canyon disaster off the Cornish coast in 1967 and a useful introduction to the problem of oil pollution will be found in Carthy and Arthur (1968). Since that date, the chemical composition of surfactants has been improved and there are now better methods of applying them. It is well known that hydrological conditions around South African coasts are different from those in the English Channel and that the marine fauna and flora is quite distinct. No scientific account of the biological effects of oil pollution in South Africa has been published and it is hoped that the following observations of the effects of oil spillage on the Cape Agulhas coast will indicate what may be expected when future oil spillages occur. Considering the volume of oil traffic around the Cape of Storms such an event seems inevitable.