Hoopvol op die dag van die Here: Vrydag 5 Januarie

Lees: 2 Petr 3:10 “Maar die dag van die Here sal egter kom soos ‘n dief in die nag, ‘n dag waarop die hemele met ‘n gedruis tot ‘n einde sal kom sal kom en die elemente sal uitbrand en vergaan, en die aarde en wat daarop gedoen is, ontbloot sal word.” (DV)

Ons mag met volle vertroue die toekoms afwag, al weet ons nie met sekerheid hoe die toekoms lyk nie. Ons is nie in beheer nie en weet nie wat die uiteindelike uitkoms van die hele skepping gaan wees nie.  Ons leef nie na ‘n doel toe nie, maar eerder in blye afwagting op die dag wanneer Jesus Christus terugkom op die wolke van die hemel. 

Ons teks verwys na die komende “dag van die Here” wat, alhoewel ons nie weet wanneer dit gaan gebeur nie, ingelui word met beeldspraak van geweldige omwentelings in die skepping.  Ons lees elders in die Bybel dat die hemel inmekaar gerol sal word soos ‘n boek (Jes 34:4; Open 6:14), dat daar ‘n groot aardbewing sal wees (Open 6:12), dat die son en die maan donker sal word (Joël 3:15; Mark 3:24), dat die sterre van die hemel sal val en dat die kragte in die hemele geskud sal word (Mark 3:25).  

Ons kan maar weinig voorstelling maak van wat dit alles beteken. Dit is ook presies die punt waarby ons vandag moet stilstaan. Doelgerigte mense weet presies wat hulle wil en probeer dan ook alles rondom hulle so te beheer dat hulle daardie doel kan bereik.  So ‘n houding mag werk om vir ‘n toets voor te berei of om ‘n projek afgehandel te kry, maar die Christelike lewe is nie ‘n toets wat ons moet slaag of projek wat afgehandel moet word nie.  Die realiteit is dat ons nie presies weet hoe alles gaan eindig nie.  God maak iets nuuts wat by die - vir ons bekende - skepping bly, maar terselfdertyd word Hy nie deur die skepping beperk nie. 

Die hoopvolle lewe van ‘n Christen is nie in die eerste plek op ‘n bekende doel gerig nie. Ons leef in blye afwagting op die dag van die Here en vertrou dat alles goed sal wees, juis omdat ons God so leer ken in sy openbaring aan ons. God het alles goed gemaak, onderhou alles en bring alles na voleinding toe.  Sulke Christelike hoop is onveranderlik, of ons nou goeie of slegte tye beleef.  

Dat die hemele met gedruis tot ‘n einde sal kom, dat die elemente sal uitbrand en vergaan, en dat die aarde en wat daarop gedoen is, ontbloot sal word, mag ons met ontsag en vrees vervul, maar nie soos vir iemand sonder hoop nie.  Die Christelike geloof laat ons gedagtes oor die einde van hierdie aarde wyd oop vir ‘n toekoms veel groter as wat ons kan indink, en veel groter as wat enige doelgerigte visie vir die aarde ook maar kan opdis.

Sing: Ps 102:12

Refleksie:  Dink na oor die enorme bevryding daarvan om op God te mag vertrou Wie Homself aan ons geopenbaar het as Iemand Wie alles goed gemaak het en ook alles tot ‘n goeie einde sal bring. 

Black harrier

We saw them for the first time just outside Elands Bay. Three of them - a male, a female and a little chick.  For a few minutes they entertained us with an airshow. While two of the three rested on the telephone poles beside the road, they took turns in showing off what they could do. With their charcoal black bodies and striking white markings, they glided back and forth gracefully, took low sweeps over the coastal fields, to just suddenly shoot up in the sky and hang there - motionless.  Their long barred tails spread for balance. Totally unaware of the pleasure they gave the three humans sitting in the pickup down below, looking up completely awestruck. Of all the wonderful birds in our skies, this species is by far my favourite, the most special. The flagship of the West Coast.

Circus maurus. 

The name just appears in my head.  Black Harrier. I grew up with an almost life-sized poster of one of these birds in my room. All through my primary and high school years, it was there! I also had posters of the Black Eagle, Lanner Falcon and Black Shouldered Kite against my walls - all birds of prey that can be found at the West Coast, but the Black Harrier was the one standing out. There was something mysterious in those yellow eyes with the penetrating look out of the black head!

Circus maurus.  

Unfortunately they are one of the rarest of Southern Africa`s breeding endemics - with an estimated population of just 1500 birds. Although I have seen them a few times on the West Coast, they actually are some of the most scarce birds of prey of Africa.  Less than 100 occur in protected areas. The Black Harrier is listed as Vulnerable at a global level and at a South African level as Near Threatened.

The breeding range of the Black Harrier is limited to South Africa, and is concentrated in the coastal and montainous regions of the Western Cape.  The West Coast and in particular, the West Coast National Park is their breeding stronghold this is where I saw them the first time.  A truly exceptional moment. The poster against my wall came alive...  Even more spectacular than it ever looked against my wall. 

This species prefers coastal and mountain fynbos, highland grassland, Karoo sub-desert scrub and open plains with tall shrubs and croplands.  They prefer hunting for small mammals in open ground with low vegetation.  Mammal prey comprises mainly of rodent species such as Otomys and Rhabdomys.  Mammals, as well as reptiles and birds are caught in coastal sites, but birds (especially quail) are preferred in the diet of pairs nesting in mountain terrain.

The rarity of the species is directly linked to shrinking habitats.  Habitat transformation, by agriculture, burning of fynbos and grasslands and invasive alien plants, coupled with habitat fragmentation, pose the major threats to this species.  This trend is likely to be exacerbated in the future by factors such as climate change.  Presently more than 90% of the Cape lowlands have been transformed by agriculture and because of this the Black Harrier has lost over 50% of its breeding habitat in the last century. Harvesting of crops generally coincides with the middle of the Harrier breeding season.  The Black Harrier only nests on the ground and therefore it is doubtful that pairs breeding in wheat- or barley fields could successfully raise a significant number of young.  There is also a concern that wind turbine blades placed inappropriately might cause a serious threat to the harriers, causing significant mortalities.

While the mountainous regions are well protected as mountain catchments and provincial nature reserves, the breeding success of the species is lowest in this habitat.  In protected coastal areas with high rodent populations, the birds manage to raise on average of two young per breeding attempt, in stark contrast to mountainous terrain where more than half of all nests fail. Though the harriers do utilize the transformed landscape for foraging, they seem incapable of actively nesting in this landscape. Harriers breed close to coastal and upland marshes, damp sites, near streams with tall shrubs or reeds.  Black Harriers however do congregate in large numbers at suitable breeding grounds along the coast, especially in the West Coast National Park.

But unfortunately there is another major threat:

A study by PhD student, Sophie Garcia-Heras, suggests that the toxic PCB oils found in electrical transformers are making their way into the environment and being taken up by the harriers.  Garcia-Heras tested blood from over 100 Black Harrier adults and chicks  and confirmed that they have high levels of PCBs.  The greater the density of transformers found within 5km of harrier nests, the higher the pollutant levels in their blood - especially the nestlings - showing that PCBs are being acquired locally.  

The question arises: could PCBs be contaminating ground-water, too? 

More worrying was that DDT - banned in the Western Cape - was found in adult and nestling harriers of the Western Cape.  Those pairs with most wetlands within 5km of their nests had the highest levels of DDE. This means that DDT bio-accumulates and breaks down in local wetlands, and pollutes prey taken by the local harriers.  Most affected, are those pairs that feed on songbirds and deliver them to their brood. 

So, small-bird-prey and wetlands are dangerous for harriers as a source of DDT and, particularly, DDE. Studies show that nestling Black Harriers have the highest levels of DDT in their systems.  Are they acquiring it locally or are the females “dumping” it into their eggs and chicks?  Of concern: nestling Black Harriers have the highest of all concentrations.  

This suggests that DDT is being picked up directly by young birds, despite the ban on DDT in non-malarial areas of South Africa.

One of the consequences of high levels of PCBs is that the harrier’s immune system is compromised (gauged from white blood cell counts). This suppressed immunity could have a negative impact if harriers are exposed to natural diseases, and could affect survival or breeding success. (Black Harrier Research, Newsletter #1: April 2017)

The Black Harrier research team, lead by Dr Rob Simmons is housed at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town.  They are also the BirdLife Species Guardian for the Black Harrier under the global Preventing Extinctions Program.
  
Because of its dependence on pristine patches of indigenous vegetation, the Black Harrier can be a good indicator of the status and health of their preferred habitat.  Research has shown that presence of breeding Black Harriers indicates high mice diversity and high bird numbers.  Thus the presence of a Black Harrier on your property means it is rich in biodiversity.  Black Harriers will regulate rodent populations and in this way play an important role in maintaining community structures and ecosystems.

Morele verval en ekologiese vernietiging: Donderdag 4 Januarie

Lees: Hosea 4:3 “Daarom treur die land, en alles wat daarop woon, kwyn weg: die wilde diere van die veld en die voëls van die hemel, ja, ook die visse van die see kom om.”

Die moderne mens (ook Christene) dink al te veel dat die morele en natuurlike wêreld twee aparte kategorieë is.  Aan die een kant is daar ‘n lewe van vertroue, liefde en kennis van God en aan die ander kant die natuur. Die verbintenis tussen hierdie twee het net êrens verdwyn. Ons teks gee egter ‘n geheel ander beeld.  Moraliteit en die natuur is verbonde. Menslike boosheid en sonde het ekologiese konsekwensies. 

Hosea profeteer in ‘n tyd van stygende ekonomiese voorspoed in Israel.  Hierdie welvaart het egter nie gepaard gegaan met ‘n groter trou aan en liefde vir Jahweh, die God van die verbond nie, maar eerder met goddeloosheid, groot ongelykhede in welvaart en die misbruik van mag. In verse 1-3 lees ons dat Jahweh ‘n klag maak teen Israel dat hulle die verbond verbreek het en dat daarom ‘n vloek oor die land sal kom.  Mense het God nie meer vertrou nie, daar was geen liefdevolle vriendelikheid en ook geen erkenning van God se gesag en gehoorsaamheid aan sy wil nie (vers 2).  Mense het gelieg en gesteel, owerspel gepleeg en mekaar vervloek en vermoor (vers 2).

Die vloek wat dan kom oor die verbreking van die verbond is nie beperk tot mense nie, maar het konsekwensies vir die land en diere (vers 3, sien ook Deut 28:15-44). Dit is nie net Hosea wat so praat nie. Verskeie ander profete koppel ook ‘n treurende aarde met die boosheid van mense wie daar woon (bv. Jes 24:4-5; Jer 12:4; Joël 1:18; Amos 5:16).  As mense nie meer in ‘n intieme verbondsverhouding tot God staan nie (klaarblyklik soveel makliker ten tye van ekonomiese voorspoed en die besit van mag) dan treur die aarde.

Die vernietiging van die natuur is nie maar net onkunde en dwaasheid nie, maar word willens en wetens deur die mens se arrogansie, hebsug en sug na mag aangewakker. Selfs die voëls ken hulle tye (Jer 8:7), maar die mens wil van God se wil niks weet nie.  Die volk Israel destyds en ons vandag vergeet al te gemaklik van ons roeping om na die groter aarde om te sien en fokus veel eerder net op die finansiële onafhanklikheid van ons eie gesin, enersdenkende groep, ras of kerk se ekonomiese voorspoed.  Die valse leiers van destyds wou nie na Hosea luister nie; voorspoed was toegeskryf aan God se seëninge. 

Christene behoort veel eerder vooruit te loop, nie net oor morele sake (bv. eerlikheid, afwysing van moord (en aborsie) en owerspel), maar ook oor hoe ons sorg dra vir die land, lug, water, diere en ekosisteme - selfs en veral wanneer dit dalk aan ons eie finansiële voorspoed knaag. Dit bly maar soveel makliker om morele oortredings by ander raak te sien as wat ons self tot bekering wil kom oor die skandelike dade wat aan God se skepping gedoen word. Gehoorsaamheid is geen abstrakte breinspeletjie nie, maar word konkreet in hierdie wêreld met alle ekologiese dimensies daarvan, uitgevoer.

Die oproep aan Israel van weleer om hulself te bekeer (sien Hos 6 en 14) geld net soveel vir Christene vandag wie skuldig is aan wangedrag teenoor die skepping.  Hierdie bekering is slegs moontlik in Christus, die enigste Persoon Wie die verbond ten volle onderhou het en vernuwe het (Heb 8). Vernuwing word bewerk deur die Heilige Gees Wie God se wil in ons harte skryf. Oppad na die vervolmaking by Christus se wederkoms mag elke Christen-lidmaat van die kerk nou al besig wees om ekologiese regverdigheid na te streef terwyl ons in volle verwagting leef na die dag waar God self regverdig sal oordeel en herstel. 

Elke korrupte verwoester van die natuur wat gestraf word, elke hebsugtige of nodelose ontwikkeling wat stopgesit word, elke siek dier wat versorg word, elke opruimaksie, elke habitat wat herstel word, elke tuin wat dier- en mensvriendelik ontwikkel word – al hierdie dinge en veel meer wys nou al ten dele wat eendag volkome sal wees. 

Refleksie: In watter ekonomiese tye leef jy? Het jy ‘n oorvloed aan geld, kos, klere en behuising? Hoe staan jy as Christen in ‘n land wat gekenmerk word deur groot welvaartsongelykhede en ekologiese verwoesting? Dink jy die ekologie lei onder die hebsug en morele verval van die mense in die land? Watter voorbeelde het jy al gesien? Bid vir bekering vir die wat betrokke is. Bid dat ekologiese reg mag geskied. Bid dat God jou persoonlik asook leiers van kerke sal bly lei op ‘n pad van bekering, herstel en vernuwing in jou en hul verhoudings tot God se skepping.

Mariculture

We are stopped just outside the gates of the Alexcor offices in Kleinzee. Several "No entry" signs assure that the message is clear, you cannot proceed by accident or use the excuse that you didn't know...  They do not beat around the bush: you are not allowed in here! And if you are one of the really fortunate people to get permission to enter, you will not by any means be allowed to take pictures...

And no, these are not the gates to a restricted diamond field, a nuclear plant or a secret arms testing site... 

Just behind these high walls oysters are being cultured... and looking at the fences and signs, this is a highly secret venture!

Oyster-, mussel- and abalone farming are collectively named mariculture.

Mariculture generally is an aquaculture in marine environments – the raising of marine plants and animals in the ocean itself.  It includes a wide range of species and culture methods and is growing fast on a global scale.  This is due to the fact that many fish stocks are over-fished and catches are declining.  At the same time the world population is rising and with it the need for dietary protein.  The expansion of mariculture can reduce pressure on wild fish, shrimps and mollusks, because they reduce their market price and by this the investments in fishing fleets, or they can increase the pressure due to the use of fishmeal in feed for some mariculture-species.  Some forms of mariculture provide good quality food and the production is more efficient than that of terrestrial animals (roughly half the level of feed input per unit output is necessary.)  Products obtained from mariculture are not only used directly as food items, but also as inputs for e.g. cosmetics, nutraceuticals, medicines, food additives and many more.

Mariculture can play an important role, especially in rural areas, for food security, economic and social welfare.  Its practices are many and varied and mariculturists may use experimental laboratories, shore-based systems or farms in sheltered bays and estuaries to produce seafood products such as oysters, mussels, abalone, fish, prawns and seaweed.  

In heavily populated coastal areas mariculture is in competition with other human activities for space and other resources.  These activities can for example be fisheries, tourism, harbour operations, nature conservation and industry.

Mariculture accounts for less than 1% of South Africa`s seafood production, but a recent surge in the cultivation of abalone has shown that the industry has a high growth potential.  South Africa does not have a coastline suited for mariculture, and the few enterprises that have flourished are located in physically protected bays and estuaries.  Land-based impoundments with a pumped seawater supply are used to grow abalone.

Saldanha is the mariculture headquarters of the West Coast, with mussels, seaweed and oysters being farmed there.   It has the potential to grow even bigger (10 to 28 times its current size) and could provide direct employment for 940- 2500 people in the area, provided certain regulatory and market requirements are met.  Based on research it is estimated that in the 345 hectares now allocated for bivalve culture in the Bay, Saldanha is capable of producing 12 470 to 333 253 tonnes of live bivalves per year, much more than the 1176 tonnes it is now producing per year.  South African oyster production has the advantage that when northern countries are experiencing summer mortality, South African oysters are in peak condition in the middle of the southern hemisphere winter.  Culture of bivalve mollusks like oysters, mussels and clams can produce a high-value product without some of the drawbacks of farming other species.  Bivalves do not require feeding as they remove phytoplankton from the water and convert it to edible protein.  In 2010, annual production of oysters and mussels was R14,4 and R9.1 million respectively, making these the second and third most valuable mariculture products in South Africa, with the R355 million abalone sector dominating. 

But mariculture can also have some disadvantages: there are several environmental problems that are associated with it.  The extent of the problem depends on species, culture method, stocking density, feed type, husbandry practice, hydrodynamic site conditions and the sensitivity of the receiving ecosystem.

Eutrophication defined as nutrient enrichment is considered by some the most important pollution threat to marine waters.  This problem is often mentioned in the context of intensive culture of fish and shrimp, where a lot of artificial feed is used.  Here waste consisting of uneaten feed and faeces move down into the benthos.  This can likely cause the development of (non-) toxic algal blooms, like red tide. 

Water-based mariculture practices, such as oyster cultivation on racks, have also caused habitat transformation by obstructing the natural flow of water in estuarine environments, increasing sediment accumulation and smothering the benthos underneath the racks.  

Toxic chemicals, such as water treatment compounds, disinfectants, antibiotics and vitamins, are used by fish farms and may have an impact on the environment if they are released in the natural systems.  

The introduction of exotic species for mariculture purposes is common practice worldwide.  The most important ecological concern is that some of these species might escape into the natural environment where they might out-compete natural species and introduce foreign parasites.  In a previous post I have already mentioned how the Mediterranean mussel is rapidly displacing our indigenous black mussels along our western and southern Cape coasts.

West Coast Islands

There are actually very few islands in the coast of South Africa. Most of what we have, are on the West Coast.  The picture of the West Coast will not be complete if we do not  pay at least a bit of attention to these islands. To tell the truth, these islands have played their significant role in the history and economy of our country and today they have an important role in our seabird conservation. Because of this, our world-renown Robben Island is a World Heritage Site and most of the other islands are protected under the care of Cape Nature Conservation or the South African National Parks.

In a previous post we spent time on Bird Island off Lambert's Bay and its importance as a safe breeding and nesting place for gannets. Other islands which fulfill the same important function, are the four islands known as the Saldanha Bay Group. The group consist of Marcus Island (17ha), Malgas (18ha), Jutten (43ha) and Schaapen Island (29ha). 

SANParks is responsible for the management of these islands.  Meeuw Island actually is also part of this group, but it falls in the military area and is therefor under the management of the SA National Defense Force. 

History has a whole bundle of interesting tales about these Saldanha Islands. The French were the first to recognise the potential of these islands and started trading in seal skins, bird's eggs and guano. Schaapen Island was used in later years as a World War II prisoner-of-war camp and on Jutten Island are the graves of seamen buried there when the Merestein wrecked in 1702.  Although historical records show that Cape fur seals once colonised these islands, they were eventually slaughtered or driven away.  Naturally these islands did not escape the huge guano-rush and the incredible devastation it left in its wake, but that is a story for another time.

Today these islands are known for being a sanctuary for seabirds. About 30% of the world's African Black Oystercatchers breed on these islands. As do the endangered Bank Cormorant which numbers have drastically dropped from 8700 breeding pairs to 4900 pairs. The biggest colony of Kelp Gulls are found on Schaapen Island.

Today there are no indigenous mammals found on these islands. A few European rabbits on Schaapen and Jutten Island - most probably brought here by Jan van Riebeeck in the hopes that they will breed and be a source of protein for the hungry sailors mooring in the bay. Interesting enough, all the rabbits on Schaapen Island are all albino`s. To survive the warm dry summers, the rabbits eat seaweeds on the seashore.  

On Schaapen and Meeuw Islands egg-eating snakes are a problem.  Because they do not have natural enemies, the snakes grow up to a meter long and they have a significant impact on the breeding success of the seabirds.

A small distance away from the Saldanha Islands, more in the direction of Langebaan, is Vondeling Island (9ha).  The brick wall defacing the island, an unfortunate feature  characteristic of many of our islands, was built to limit the movements of the African penguin to the shores, to ease the collection of the eggs and guano.  A few stairs were built into the walls a few years ago, to give the penguins access to the whole island again.

The next important island is Dassen Island.  Or Ilha Blanco (white island) as the Portuguese called it, after the thick layer of guano covering the island years ago.  Dassen Island had different names over the years, but it was in 1656 when Snyman Turvey, one of Jan van Riebeeck's men, saw the large population of rock hyrax (dassies) on the island and the name stuck. Interestingly, according to estimates the 222ha island, 9km offshore from today's Yzerfontein, was home to an estimated two and a halve million penguins in the early 17th century!  It must have been something to contemplate! But the Dutch saw the dassies and decided to name the island after them?! Unfortunately the numbers of the penguins quickly started dwindling because of guano scraping, egg collecting, competition for food with the pelagic fishery, later oil pollution so that today there is only a fraction left of the big colony.  Dassen Island is still the principle home of the African Penguin. 

Dassen Island is also one of only two South African breeding sites for white pelicans.  The other site is at  Lake St. Lucia in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The Dassen Island pelicans are, however, causing big problems on the surrounding islands and this is halting the breeding success of seabirds. The 2006/7 breeding season yielded a virtually zero production of hatchlings. 

Why are the pelicans suddenly posing such a problem?

A few years ago a pig farm near Cape Town started feeding its pigs chicken carcasses. These carcasses were gutted before feeding and the offal  was thrown into a hole in a remote corner of the farm. It didn't take scavenging birds long to realise that here was a source of regular and nutritious food.  Great White Pelicans also discovered this. Like most battery reared chickens, these chickens were also raised on growth hormones. Scientists think that these hormones allowed the pelicans to breed stronger and have more hatchlings each year. The hatchlings did not follow their parents to the natural hunting grounds, but preferred to use the easy way out: the supply of food on the pig farm.  Furthermore, it was believed that they never learned that their waterproof feathers, long beak and gular pouch were so ideally suited to bulk fishing in the sea, for here was easy pickings on land.  Today, a whole generation of pelicans has grown up with no knowledge of fishing techniques, or even what a fish is, or looks like.

When the authorities finally realised what was happening on the pig farm, they intervened and closed up the offal hole, effectively cutting off this bountiful food supply. After some initial confusion during which some of these birds died from starvation, the remaining pelicans started looking for alternative food sources, by seeking in an ever-widening search pattern. After some time, they found that some unpopulated, predator free islands in the mouth of the Langebaan lagoon just outside Saldanha Bay had thousands of defenseless gannet, cormorant, penguin, oystercatcher and gull nests, ripe for easy pickings. These hungry pelicans waddled through the breeding colonies, scared the resident parent birds away with their daunting size, and swallowed every egg and chick they could find, in many cases, decimating local populations of our endemic sea birds. 

Teams of conservationists on the two larger islands, Malgas and Jutten, take 5 day shifts to protect the eggs and hatchlings of different seabirds during breeding season (October to January).  This is a lonely, risky and labour-intensive operation entailing much scrambling over rocks and climbing to high ground to watch, and down again to chase, followed by more climbing.  Their day starts at first light (05h00) when the pelicans arrive and ends at sunset (20h30) when they leave to roost on the mainland.

Meetsnoer: Woensdag 3 Januarie

Lees: Ps 19:5: “Hulle meetsnoer gaan uit oor die hele aarde, en hulle woorde tot by die einde van die wêreld” (OV)

Die woord “meetsnoer” in ons teks is in verskeie ander vertalings vertaal as boodskap of stem.  Daar is baie goeie gronde daarvoor. Ps 19:5 word bv. aangehaal in Rom 10:18 en daar word die woord stem gebruik.  In die Griekse vertaling van die Ou Testmanent (oftewel die Septuagint) word ook die woord stem of boodskap gebruik. 

Daar is egter wel ‘n groter betekenis wat in die getuienis van die skepping oor die eer van God met sulke vertalings verlore mag gaan.  Die Hebreeuse stamwoord qav in Ps 19:5 beteken koord of meetsnoer. Dit moet egter wel onderskei word van die woord chelin wat ook met meetsnoer vertaal is (bv Ps 16:5). 

Die spesifieke woord qav kom slegs een keer in die Psalms voor, maar 9 keer in die profete, waarvan 6 keer in Jesaja. Die woord word gebruik in die konteks van God se oordeel (2 Kon 21:13, Jes 34:11; Klaagl 2:8), waar reëels verstrik (Jes 28:10, 13) of juis waar God sy reg laat geskied deur reëls (Jes 28:17), waar land uitgemeet word (Jes 34:17) of om die see simbolies te omspan in die tempel  (1 Kon 7:23; 2 Kron 4:2).  Die woord word ook gebruik met verwysing na God se almag toe Hy ‘n meetsnoer oor die aarde gespan het by die grondlegging van die aarde (Job 38:5) en by God se herstelwerk; die herstel van die skepping (Eseg 47:3), die herstel van ‘n nuwe verbond (Jer 31:39) en die herstel van Jerusalem (Sag 1:16).

Dit mag duidelik wees uit hierdie tekste dat as daar van ‘n meetsnoer (qav) gepraat word daar groot dinge gebeur wat God se almag laat blyk. Is dit nie juis waaroor hierdie Psalm gaan nie? Die hemele vertel die eer van God (vers 1) en verkondig dit deur die meetsnoer wat uitgaan – nie net oor ‘n klein gebied of oor een volk of oor 'n sekere groepie mense nie – maar oor die hele aarde.  Die meetsnoer gee dus wel dieper inhoud aan die enorme boodskap wat die skepping wyd en syd uitdra.

In ons teks word die gebruik van die woord qav meestal figuurlik as die domein van die hemelruim gelees en dan meestal vertaal met verwysing na die snaar (koord) van ‘n harp.  Die geluid van musikale koord dra dan ‘n boodskap uit oor die hele aarde.  Solank dit maar nooit afbreuk doen aan die eer van God wat met groot letters deur die hemelruim aangekondig word. ‘n Boodskap van oordeel, maar ook van herstel. 

Sit maar regop as daar gepraat word van meetsnoere. Dit gaan beslis nie oor sagte aandmusiek om jou aan die slaap te sus nie. Die hemelruim verkondig luid en kragtig die eer van God! Ons sal baie dwaas wees om nie te kyk en te luister nie.

Sing: Ps 19:2

Refleksie: Koorde maak vry en kan ook bind.  Dink na oor hierdie boodskap wat deur die skepping aan die hele aarde duidelik gemaak word.

Whaling

At least 19 whale species are found in South African coastal waters. They differ in size: from the 2,7m and 3,5m long Dwarf and Pygmy Sperm Whales to the Blue Whale of 30m - the biggest mammal ever to live on earth. Some of them are rarely seen, like the beaked whales, the two small Sperm Whales and the Pigmy Right Whale. We only know about them what we could learn when a few of them beached on our coast. On the other hand, the  Southern Right Whale and the Humpback Whale are renown and are a tourist attraction for thousands of (overseas) visitors  to the Cape during wintertime. Hermanus is even world renown for its whale festival in September and its very own whale crier.

Mr Wilson Salakuzana from Zwelihle, Hermanus Picture credit: SA-venues.com

In the old days before commercial exploitation, it must have been quite a sight to see a school of Southern Right whales filling the bays along our Cape coasts - playing, feeding, giving birth... Or the Humpback Whales finding shelter and a place to rest here with us going to or from their tropical breeding grounds.

The Southern Right Whale, Eubalaena Australis, is the most common whale in our waters and can be found here during June to November. They were named this by the first whalers to signify that they were the "right whales" to hunt.  They are slow swimmers (0,5 – 4km, with a top-speed of 17km/h) and like to come close to the coast, which makes them easy prey. for the whalers operating from small open rowing boat from land based whaling stations. Other characteristics making them "the right whales", are the facts that they float when they're dead and that they yield large quantities of oil and baleen.  The Southern Right Whale can be distinguished on large distances from other whale species by the fact that they do not have a dorsal fin and they have a double or V-shaped “blow”, which is the spout from the blowhole as the whale surfaces.  

The head is usually covered with pale, wart-like patches, called callosities.  We do not know the reason or function of these callosities, but the pattern is unique to each whale and helps researchers in identifying individual whales. The adult female is a bit larger than the male and can grow up to 14m long and weigh in at 41 tons.  They primarily feed on small crustacean zooplankton, found in dense swarms in the icy Southern Ocean near Antarctica.  The whale needs to consume an estimated 600-1600kg of food daily.  The Southern Right Whale lives around Antarctica most of the year  do almost all their feeding here, laying down food reserves for their long northward migration.  In late April the whales leave the Antarctic and in June begin arriving in our coastal waters, where conditions are more suitable for newborn calves.

The large baleen whales and the sperm whales attracted man`s attention from the earliest of times because of the substantial quantities of oil and meat each one represented.  Subsequent attempts to capture and process these species forced pursuers to learn more about their characteristics and habits.  Archaeological evidence indicates that even the first inhabitants of Southern Africa, the Khoi-San made use of beached whales for their meat, oil and bones, the latter as a building material for rudimentary shelters.

In the late 18th century the French, American and British whalers operated on the west coast of Africa, making their way south slowly, leaving a trail of destruction behind them. By 1791 a British fleet of 32 ships operated out of St Helena Bay.  In just over two years they hunted and killed 1200 whales.  Most of these were Southern Right Whales. The oil was used as illuminant and lubricant, while the tough  but flexible “whale-bone” or baleen was exported to England and used for such diverse products such as chair spring, hairbrush bristles, corset stays, skirt hoops, umbrellas and shoe horns.  

It wasn't just the foreigners hunting whale. The ruling Dutch East India Company opened up whaling for the locals. The industry actually only took of in 1806 with the second annexation of the Cape by the British. Operations were established all along the coast of South Africa and on the West Coast, particularly at St Helena Bay and Table Bay.  The problem was the fact that the small boats operating from land, targeted the nearest whales - mostly females coming to calf. Therefor a lot of pregnant cows were killed and this obviously had an immensely large and immediate impact on the numbers of the Southern Right Whale.  An estimated 12 000 were taken from the southern African coast between 1785 and 1805 alone.

This is not yet the end of it...  Modern whaling, using harpoon canons mounted on steam-driven catcher boats, came to South Africa in 1908.  Two Norwegian businessmen set up the South African Whaling Company and opened a whaling station on the Bluff, Durban.  In 1909 they opened a second station at Donkergat in Saldanha Bay, and at both stations the catch was mainly Humpbacks.  The problem of these whales sinking when dead was overcome by the development in the late 19th century of a harpoon that had an explosive head and was attached by line to the boat. Soon the number of Humpbacks dwindled and other species had to be targeted.  By 1913 the company was so successful that they took a total of 10 135 whales between Gabon and Mozambique.  Off Saldanha, Blue and Fin Whales dominated the catch between 1914 and 1930, while about 39% of the Natal catch during that period was made up of Sperm Whales.  By the mid 1920`s the first factory ship began operating in Antarctica and ten years later 41 such ships were involved in “ice-whaling”, with a combined catch of over 40 000 whales, three quarters of them Blue Whales.  This soon flooded the market and led to a drop in oil prices, with the result that most of the shore-based stations in southern African closed.

In 1931 the League of Nations produced a Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, adopted by 26 nations.  This banned the catching of all Right Whales, as well as calves, sexually immature whales and pregnant and lactating females of any other species.

Unfortunately the war against whaling is still going on. Even a country like Norway, who targeted especially Minke Whales near Antartica, came to better judgement only recently.  Japan was the only IWC member country to vote against a Southern Ocean Sanctuary for whales and has continued to take up to 440 Minke Whales from Antarctic waters each year for “scientific research”, although the meat is sold in Japan where it fetches high prices as a delicacy.

Since 1969, aerial surveys of cow-calf pairs have been conducted annually and have revealed that the Southern Right Whale population is recovering at the maximum rate biologically possible – 7% per year.  The number of Right Whales in the entire southern hemisphere is now estimated at 7000, while the South African stock comprises some 2000 whales.  However, despite a doubling of the population every ten years, this is still only 10% of the original numbers pre-whaling.