Call for Scientific Inquiry in Guiding Conservation Efforts Needed for White Sharks

The recent sighting of an Orca chasing dolphins off Umhloti and Ballito in KwaZulu Natal might not be such a rare event in the future. That there has been an increase in such sightings since 2015 seems to support the findings from a recent study that South Africa’s white shark population has not decreased, but simply redistributed eastwards to fleet predation from Orcas. But a group of marine biologists specialising in shark ecology, genetics and fisheries are challenging the findings and are calling on authorities to take a precautionary approach.