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nets, which stretch from Richards Bay to Port Edward, also entangle turtles, dolphins and rays. According to Precious Shamase, public education officer at the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, the 22km of nets are cleared Monday to Friday, enabling the release of a reasonably high proportion of the catch. However, between 2010 and 2014 the average live release of sharks caught in the nets was only 15.7 %.
The Sharks Board also uses bait hooks on drum lines, but they are quick to point out that the bait is only likely to attract those sharks already near the bathing area. They also say that each drum line has only one baited hook with most installations having only four to eight drum lines with each bait weighing about 500g. This is less than 5 % of that used in rock and surf angling.
Shamase says further that several initiatives have been implemented or are being evaluated( including a shark-repellent cable) to reduce mortalities without jeopardising bather safety and minimising environmental impact.
In contrast, Cape Town uses Shark Spotters along the Cape Peninsula, primarily along the False Bay coastline. A spotter is placed on the mountain with polarised sunglasses and binoculars. This spotter is also in radio contact with another spotter on the beach. If a shark is seen, the beach spotter is alerted who, sounds a siren and raises a white flag with a black shark. When the siren sounds surfers and bathers are requested to leave the water and only return when the“ all clear” signal is given. Shark spotting initially started in 2004 in Muizenberg on an informal basis, with car guards being asked to keep watch from the mountain overlooking the beach and to warn of any sharks with their cellphones.
Since then, Shark Spotters have expanded to eight beaches and won a silver award in the Cape
Town Mayor’ s Portfolio of Urban Sustainability. There are also exclusion nets( not the same as gill nets) in Fish Hoek. These are in place during the day and removed at night, as leaving the nets unsupervised poses a risk for entanglement of marine life other than sharks. The nets are supervised at all times and removed should whales, dolphins or other animals be at risk.
Knowledge turns into respect
Contrary to belief shark cage diving doesn’ t increase shark attacks or shark activity. Marine Dynamics in Gansbaai was the first South African company to only use fish products in chumming practices. Shark cage diving is strictly monitored by the Department of Environmental Affairs, tour operators are not allowed to use shark products, such as livers, for chumming. It doesn’ t feed the sharks, it lures them to the boat if they are in the area. Even that isn’ t a guarantee as you may wait for a long time and they may only stay for a few minutes. Shark cage diving is likely to turn fear into awe, as people experience the great white’ s grace while gaining insight into their behaviour.
Food for thought
According to Paul Millar, education co-ordinator at Save Our Seas Shark Education Centre in Cape Town, great whites are probably faring better than other sharks, even though shark numbers are generally in decline. That’ s likely because smaller sharks, such as the smooth hound and shortfin mako, are being targeted for their fins and meat. South Africa exports shark fins to Asia, while shark meat often ends up in someone’ s“ fish” and chips in Australia. An article written by Dave van Beuningen, research assistant / technician for Shark Spotters, highlights how the shark and ray fishing industries in South Africa are big business, with seafood fraud a massive problem.
Most shark and ray processing is done around Cape Town, with small amounts of products sold locally( either frozen, smoked or as dried shark“ biltong”), but the majority is exported. It’ s difficult to monitor catches and control shark imports and exports, but South Africa recently established a National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, which includes key issues such as identifying and providing protection to vulnerable shark stocks, minimising the unutilised by-catch of sharks and encouraging the full use of dead sharks.
It seems we not only need to pay attention to the plight of the big guy, but also to the little guys. Our ocean ecosystems need them and depend on us to save them. Encourage net-free beaches, and make sure you know what you’ re eating the next time you order fish and chips.
Sharks in aquariums
Unlike most animals in captivity sharks survive longer in an aquarium, according to Renée Leeuwner, communications and media executive at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. Aquariums provide a stable and protective habitat free from threats of predation while parasites are monitored and controlled. Likewise, the quantity and quality of their food supply is also regulated( they feed their sharks every 10 days using hake stuffed with sardines, which are stuffed with vitamins and minerals specially designed for the sharks). However, a great white should not be kept in an aquarium as they need a vast amount of space to swim.
56 Travel Update | issue 9