Important report on shark conservation

Writer Elaine Davie

What happens when a pair of apex marine heavyweights muscle their way into the territory of another less powerful predator, in search of a piece of shark liver? If you’re a smart white shark and you’ve seen some of your mates wash up on the shore without theirs, you hit the highway and make for safer waters.

The large bronze whaler shark is becoming a firm favourite with shark cage divers in the Gansbaai area and helping to sustain the eco-tourism industry in the Overstrand.

In layman’s terms, this is roughly what has been happening in Gansbaai since 2017 when two killer whales (or orcas), named Port and Starboard first made their appearance and began to terrorise the resident great whites.

The release on 17 November of the Expert Panel Review of South Africa’s National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA-Sharks) seems to reach the firm conclusion that this is indeed the main reason for the ‘disappearance’ of these magnificent creatures from this stretch of ocean.

Happily, they continue to thrive and play an important role in the marine biodiversity of areas like Mossel Bay, Plettenberg Bay and Algoa Bay. The point is made, however, that some demersal shark species like smoothhound and soupfin have undergone substantial declines in population through overfishing over the past seven decades and this needs urgent intervention.

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 13)