Mass Sardine Die-Off Threatens South Africa’s Penguins and Fishing Livelihoods

The event began on July 28, when fishers near Saldanha Bay reported dead sardines floating at sea. By early August, similar carcasses were washing up on beaches from Namibia’s Henties Bay to South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Over the following weeks the die-off spanned roughly 2,600 km (1,600 miles) of coastline. Dead fish were sent for testing, and pilchard herpesvirus (PHV) was identified as the primary cause. The virus is specific to sardines and poses no risk to humans or predators that consume the fish.

The Guardian

PHV is endemic in some sardine populations, but naïve groups are especially vulnerable. A 2016 study warned that importing frozen sardines could introduce the virus to South Africa. Similar introductions triggered PHV epidemics in Oceania in 1995 and 1998-99, killing up to 60 % of affected stocks and requiring years for recovery.

The Guardian

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment convened a high-level task team in early September, including local authorities, scientists, the fishing industry and municipalities. The Southern African Pelagic Fishing Industry Association warned that a closure could dent the economy by over 1.2 bn rand (£55 m) and devastate fishing communities.

The Guardian

A coalition of twelve university and NGO scientists urged an immediate halt to commercial sardine fishing until the annual hydroacoustic biomass survey—conducted each October-November and used to set quotas for the season opening on January 15—provides clearer data.

The Guardian

The task team has indicated that, as of October 2, there is no guarantee fishing will continue. Results of the bioacoustic survey are slated for early December, when the extent of the mortality and any subsequent management actions will be disclosed.

The Guardian