Jenny Day

Prof. Jenny Day is a Professor Emerita at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of the Western Cape, with a distinguished career in aquatic biology. She says: 

I earned my PhD from UCT in 1978 in marine biology but I was lured to freshwater ecology when I realised how little attention was being paid to the management of our rivers and wetlands. As a result, my students and I have studied all sorts of things, from our little local fishes, and tiny goggas from temporary pools, to how to control reeds and the evil deeds of redfin-eating largemouth bass. I hope that we have contributed to the conservation of our native beasties, and the wetlands that they live in. And I am proud to say that my students (who are now also colleagues) are continuing the good work. Several of those students set up the highly successful Freshwater Research Centre in Cape Town, of which I am a Director.

I taught in the Zoology Department at UCT for more than 40 years, serving at times as Head of Department, and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Science, as well as co-founding the Freshwater Research Unit. I loved my years as a teacher of both new undergrads and seasoned doctoral students, although when I retired I was glad to pass on the unlovely job of marking papers and assessing theses to younger, less jaded lecturers. I was surprised to find that I quite enjoyed some aspects of academic admin, although managing people was the most challenging, and the aspect I was happiest to drop when I retired.

I have been involved in water and wetland management for many years and my colleagues and I have influenced South Africa’s policies in water- and ecosystem-management. I have tried to distill some of the knowledge (and, dare I say a little wisdom), gleaned over the years in a book, “Vanishing Waters”, now a standard reference in southern African freshwater ecology. (Download from https://www.wrc.org.za/?s=Vanishing+Waters) [I co-authored the previous edition with my colleague Bryan Davies, who sadly passed away before I tackled this edition.]

My research specialties include the biodiversity and conservation of aquatic invertebrates, and the management of water quality in rivers and wetlands. I currently serve on Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee on water quality in wetlands and watercourses, and I chair the City’s Protected Areas Advisory Committee for the False Bay Nature Reserve. Befittingly, I now live on the banks of Zeekoevlei.

For a fun story how Jenny became involved in Freshwater Ecology, click the link!

Jenny has been a prolific contributor to Probus. Her many rettelsweN articles and Talks are listed below: