Marine Biology, Hydro-acoustics, Marine Mammals, Ecological Modelling

Dr Fannie Shabangu, Marine Biologist at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE)

I currently work as a Marine Biologist in the Fisheries Management Branch at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), Cape Town, South Africa, as well as a research fellow in the Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

I completed my BSc degree in Zoology and Biochemistry at the University of Limpopo in 2005 and did my BSc Honors degree in aquaculture at the same university in 2006. In 2009, I received my MSc degree in fisheries biology and management from the University of Bergen, Norway, focusing on the effects of wind-induced air bubbles on fisheries acoustics surveys. I completed my PhD at the University of Pretoria in 2018 on the acoustic occurrence and behaviour of Antarctic blue whales in the Southern Ocean and off the west coast of South Africa.

My research focus is mainly on marine mammal acoustic occurrence, behaviour and interaction with environmental conditions. Large marine mammals of interest are Antarctic blue whales, fin whales, Madagascan pygmy blue whales, Antarctic minke whales, humpback whales, sei whales, southern right whales, sperm whales and killer whales. And smaller marine mammals of interest are crabeater seals, leopard seals and Ross seals.

I conduct this research in waters of South Africa, Prince Edward Islands and Antarctica. Additionally, I conduct research on fish including their sounds and how they reflect sounds. A combination of active and passive acoustic methods allow me to study the animals that would have been difficult to study using other methods. Overall, I am open to collaborate and work on other marine organisms to help improve our knowledge of how the marine ecosystem functions.

When I am not working, I run marathons, watch soccer, martial arts and endurance sports, spend time with my kids and maybe go for a walk on the beach. I enjoy the outdoors, and hope to one day climb one of the highest mountains in Africa.