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GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The Strandloper Project, now in its sixth year, is a citizen science marine research organisation based in Sedgefield.
It recently announced the team for its 2025 coastal research expedition, set to begin in mid-October.
The project's core research includes ghost fishing, reef condition, plastic pollution, estuarine monitoring and marine mammal behaviour studies. Findings from this year's expedition will be shared with the George Municipality.
Group Editors correspondent Jeff Ayliffe caught up with the founder of the Strandloper Project, Mark Dixon. Scan the QR code to watch a video.
"We look forward to expanding our database of plastic pollution and building a greater understanding of how to reduce the flow of plastic into the ocean," Dixon said.
The project began in January 2018 as a community-driven reef clean-up at Gericke's Point near Sedgefield, after Dixon had discovered a shocking amount of discarded fishing gear and evidence of its deadly impact on reef life during a snorkel dive.
Watch a video interview with Mark Dixon below:
On its expeditions, the Strandloper Project sets up 10m×2m transects every 5km along the coast. Within these strips, they record and categorise plastic and fishing debris. This method provides reliable, comparable data to identify pollution hotspots and track changes over time.
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