The original discovery of living coelacanth happened in 1938 off the coast of East London in South Africa. The find was astonishing and scientists began asking questions and doing research on this fascinating discovery. After that initial find, several more were found and studied in the years to follow in various South African countries.
In the millennium year 2000 a group of divers came upon a colony of coelacanths in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in South Africa. This find was in shallow water, no deeper than 100m. This made them accessible to easy research and initiated the development of the ACEP.
Various agencies began offering support to furthering the research of the coelacanths in this area including South Africa’s Environmental Affairs and Tourism department, the country of Germany, and the Minster of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology who brought in the resources of South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF).
The ACEP was then officially launched in April 2002 at a special ceremony near Sodwana Bay. There were 90 participants in attendance at the programme’s creation. The early goals for the ACEP have involved phased expeditions to the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park to begin more study and research of the coelacanth. The main focuses for the ACEP include ecological, evolutionary, behavioural and life history information about the coelacanth.
