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https://theconversation.com/great-white-sharks-off-south-africas-coast-are-protected-by-law-but-not-in-practice-why-this-needs-to-change-227515>
"In less than eight years, white sharks in South Africa have all but
disappeared from their historical hotspots in False Bay and Gansbaai, on the
Western Cape coast. These areas were once known as the “white shark capital of
the world” and were home to a flourishing ecotourism industry. One possible
explanation for this change would be a declining white shark population.
We are part of an international research team with expertise in shark ecology,
genetics, fisheries and conservation, researching sharks for more than 20
years. This has included tagging sharks and monitoring their activities in the
area.
We have published numerous papers on the species. These have included research
into conservation plans for sharks in South Africa, white shark cage diving,
and the importance of coastal reef habitats for white sharks.
Our most recent tracking data on white sharks tells a worrying story: 18 of 21
white sharks tagged since 2019 with internal 10-year transmitters in Mossel Bay
by the Oceans Research Institute have disappeared. This represents the loss of
nearly 90% of the tracked white sharks in less than four years. They have not
been detected moving to the Eastern Cape or elsewhere: they vanished.
Furthermore, nowadays, white sharks larger than 4 metres in length, the big
breeders, are rarely sighted. Combined with the known low genetic diversity of
this population, it is an indication that the white shark population is likely
not stable in South Africa.
Based on this, we urge the South African government to take a precautionary
approach to white shark conservation. Otherwise, South Africa could go down in
history not only as the first country to protect white sharks, but also the
first country to knowingly lose its white sharks."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
