Wildlife

Extinction threat for South Africa’s great white sharks

They have roamed South Africa’s waters for millions of years but South Africa’s great white sharks are swimming dangerously close to extinction.

This is according to the "gloomy" findings from a groundbreaking six-year great white research project, the results of which were released this morning in Cape Town.

The research by a team led by Dr Sara Andreotti and her colleagues from Stellenbosch University as well as "Shark man" Michael Rutzen of Shark Diving Unlimited, reveal there are 353 to 522 great white sharks left on the country's coastline.

This is 52% fewer than what was estimated in previous similar studies, explains Andreotti.

The findings are based on six years of fieldwork in South Africa’s shark mecca, Gansbaai, and along the South African coastline.

South Africa's great whites, says Andreotti, are in double jeopardy. "Not only do these sharks have the lowest genetic diversity of all white shark populations worldwide; there are also only between 353 to 522 individuals left."

Andreotti blames some of the reasons for the sharp decline on the impact of shark nets and baited hooks implemented on the eastern seaboard of South Africa.

Other contributing factors are poaching, habitat encroachment, pollution and depletion of their food sources. The survival of white sharks in South African water is also threatened by the illegal poaching for trophies (jaw sets) and fins.