Ocean experts still do not have clarity as to why there has been a major decrease in great white shark activity along the False Bay coast in the Western Cape. 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.
It is a surfers’ and beachgoers’ paradise. 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 and plenty of decent waves.
This is also where Shark Spotters are on duty as between 200 and 250 sharks, especially great whites, were seen per year. It leads 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. This year only five sharks were noticed by the organisation.
“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 and predate on sharks have had a significant impact on their distribution along the South African coastline. So, while we have seen a decrease in the 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,” says Chief Executive Officer of Shark Spotters, Sarah Waries.
Waries says Great White Sharks play a pivotal role in the sensitive balance of the oceans around South Africa.
“White sharks are apex predators, they have an important role in the ecosystem structure and function and resilience and so the absence of white sharks could potentially have a knock-on impact on the ecosystem. At the moment we’re seeing very minor impact in terms of changing distribution of other shark species within the bay but a longer-term of the white sharks not returning, we’ll see if there is any more significant impact.”
People are urged to remain alert, check with Shark Spotters or lifeguards for any shark activity, swim in groups, and not swim too far out to sea.
Shark Spotters say there is no telling when and if Great White Sharks might return in greater numbers to the False Bay area.
In the video below SABC News talks to Chief Executive Officer of Shark Spotters, Sarah Waries:
