Scientists have found that Great White Sharks have not completely disappeared from South Africa’s waters, but have migrated from False Bay and Gansbaai to Mossel Bay in the Western Cape and Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.
The panel of experts have been tasked with reviewing South Africa’s National Action Plan for Shark conservation and management.
Minister of Fisheries Barbara Creecy presented their plan in Cape Town.
Creecy says the rapid decline in the White Shark population in the Cape was not caused by overfishing, but due to the presence of two Orca whales.
“The disappearance is directly linked to the appearance of two Orca whales, affectionately known as Port and Starborad, who started hunting Great Whites in the False Bay area in 2017 and what our scientists indicate is that there were several incidents that occurred in 2017 and it is from this time that the Great Whites disappeared.”
