Our great white sharks and the longlining effect

GEORGE NEWS - Reports of suspicious vessels operating off Herold's Bay at night have raised concern among the residents.

Although the authorities have identified these vessels as legally operating squid vessels, the sighting ignited a renewed debate about demersal longline shark fishing along the Southern Cape coast.

Some residents also claim that these vessels may be switching off their tracking systems. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has denied this, saying that its systems show compliance and that the tracking equipment of these vessels was in working order.

The department has not confirmed whether shark fishing is taking place in the area, but it is believed that the Gqeberha-based demersal longline shark fishing vessel, the Zanette, has recently been moving between Mossel Bay and Gqeberha.

She is the only vessel in South Africa licensed to target sharks in the demersal longline sector. Demersal longline fishing is a method with which a fishing vessel sets a very long main line (sometimes kilometres long) along the seafloor (demersal zone) with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of baited hooks attached at intervals.

The Zanette has, however, recently been in deep water after it had been fined in 2025 for several permit breaches, including illegal handling and gear issues, but it still operates under the same licence without what some would call serious repercussions.

The vessel mainly targets smooth-hound and soupfin sharks, listed as endangered and critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List.

Both species were also included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora's (Cites) Appendix II in late 2025, placing tighter controls on international trade.

Their meat is used locally, but mostly exported to Australia as 'flake' for fish and chips.

The Zanette operates on total allowed effort (TAE) and not total allowed catch (TAC). This means it is permitted to catch as much as it wants.

The department says an endangered listing does not automatically ban fishing at national level.

The Zanette's permit is valid until about December 2026, subject to compliance and review. Conservationists warn that targeting these species raises sustainability concerns, especially as shark numbers decline.

George Herald contacted the Zanette for comment. Despite being given two weeks to respond, no comment was received by the time of publishing.

The Zanette at sea. Photos: Drone Fanatics

Are our great whites going extinct?

Debate continues about the drop in great white sharks along parts of the South African coast, especially near Cape Town. Some scientists point to orca predation, particularly by the pair known as Port and Starboard, while others blame human activity.

There are about 535 species of sharks in the world, and one in three is listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.

Despite being protected in South Africa, the great white shark is missing in action, possibly collapsing a billion-rand tourist industry.

Dr Enrico Gennari of the Oceans Research Institute in Mossel Bay says the main drivers are longline fishing and shark nets off Durban.

He says longlining poses a double threat. It removes key great white prey like the smooth-hound and it can also attract great whites to baited lines, where they risk being caught or injured.

"A live smooth-hound shark on a hook is like a dinner bell for a great white," he said. In one year, nets killed between 20 and 40 white sharks, while longlining caused about 20 to 30 deaths.

"Of course, the orcas have an impact, but we need to control what we can. We can't control the orcas."

Compared with the human impact, orca predation is generally considered much less.

Gennari said in 2011 there were about 500 to 1 000 great whites in South African waters.

Although that number was already lower than the black rhino population at the time, the situation has since worsened significantly.

"We used to see 20 to 30 sharks a day. Now, if we're lucky, we see one every two months," he said, warning that South Africa could lose the species despite being the first to protect it.

While experts differ on the cause, most agree that the loss of great whites from former hotspots is a serious warning for the marine ecosystem, and that something needs to be done before it's too late.

A small shark being caught by longlining fishermen. Photo: Supplied