Ocean experts still do not have clarity as to why there has been a major decrease in especially Great White Shark activity along the False Bay coast in the Cape Peninsula. While there have been reports of sharks returning in numbers to this area, the organisation Shark Spotters, says sightings are still very minimal compared to previous years.
The False Bay area of the Western Cape includes beautiful beaches such as Muizenberg and Fish Hoek with warmer waters than elsewhere in the city. This is also where the Shark Spotters organisation is on duty, as between 200 and 250 sharks, especially Great Whites, were seen per year.
It’s lead to a dedicated shark warning system on beaches and an exclusion net from 9 AM to 5 PM during peak summer days at Fish Hoek. But since the 2017 season, there has been a drastic decline in shark sightings. CEO of Shar Spotters, Sarah Waries, says they only noticed five sharks this year:
“We don’t have a definitive answer as to why the white shark activity declined so much in the past few years and there are a couple of theories we do believe that the arrival of orcas has had a significant impact on their distribution along the South African coastline. So, while we have seen a decrease in false bay we’ve also seen an increase along the southern coast and so we believe the sharks have moved out of the area rather than seeing a population decline.”
Evidence has been found that these highly intelligent marine mammals hunt in pairs, targeting sharks for their rich livers.
Great White Sharks play a pivotal role in the sensitive balance of the oceans around South Africa.
Source: SABC
