Ecosystem Reference
Ecosystem Agulhas Current
Type Sea/Bay/Gulf
Salinity saltwater
Other Names
Location
LME SAU No 30. From Cape of Good Hope to Southern Tanzania. Includes Mozambique Channel (111). LME2002, LME2006, SAUP 2008. 9° S 34° S - 18° E 57° E
Location Map agulhas-current.jpg
Size Ref
River Length Area 2626583 km2 Drainage Area
Depth
Average Depth Max Depth Ref
Temperature
Surface 21.0 °C Map1.gif
100 Meters Depth 18.0 °C Map2.gif
Description The Agulhas Current LME lies off the southeastern coast of Africa and includes the continental shelf of Mozambique and South Africa (up to the Cape of Good Hope), the Comoro Islands, and the islands of Madagascar and Mauritius. Its dominant oceanographic feature is the swift, warm current for which it is named and its precursors, the Mozambique and Madagascar Currents. While less productive than some other LMEs, it has a high species diversity, with >1500 species of fish recorded from its waters. The main threats to the system are overexploitation and pollution due to rapidly increasing population, urbanization, and industrialization. Sewage, industrial effluents, solid wastes, agricultural run-off, and oil spills are some of the problems requiring study and monitoring (http://www.na.nmfs.gov/lme/text/lme30.htm). Check northern boundary; 26 S? Includes Reunion Island checklist.
Comments on faunal list Area from SAU (November 2015).
URL 1 http://www.seaaroundus.org/lme/30.aspx
URL 2
Ecosystem Checklist Link
Total
FishBase Literature
Species Families Species Families Reference
1371 225
Sampang-Reyes, Arlene G. on 01.10.01
Modified by Kesner-Reyes, Kathleen on 01.11.16
Checked by Kesner-Reyes, Kathleen on 06.06.12
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