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The disappearance of great whites from the coastal sites of False Bay and Gansbaai had previously been attributed to illegal hunting and overfishing, among other causes.
FILE: A great white shark jumps out of the water while hunting Cape fur seals near False Bay in 2010. Image: AFP
JOHANNESBURG – Killer whales are suspected of being behind the disappearance of great white sharks off the coast of Cape Town in recent years, according to a report released by the South African government on Tuesday.
The disappearance of great whites from the coastal sites of False Bay and Gansbaai had previously been attributed to illegal hunting and overfishing, among other causes.
But the results of a study by a government-appointed team of nine local and international experts suggest killer whales could be to blame, after a pair of killer whales were first spotted in the area in 2015.
The researchers said they “found some evidence of a causal link between the appearances of a pod of killer whales that had specialized in hunting white sharks.”
The number of great white sharks in the area is unknown, but observers initially reported steep drops in 2017, then a prolonged absence.
The remains of five great white sharks killed by killer whales were discovered in the Gansbaai area in 2017.
This year another similarly dead shark was found on a beach, and there could be many more, said a marine biologist and one of the researchers, Alison Kock, during the report’s presentation.
“Each and every time this happened, there was an immediate drop and gap in the white shark sighting,” Kock said, admitting that “we don’t have all the answers yet.”
Great white sharks are a major tourist attraction in South Africa – seen from boats or cages lowered into the water.
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