The Price of Setting a Precedent Won’t Halt Declining Shark Populations

Nobody disputes that the MFV White Rose was fishing for shark in the De Hoop Marine Protected Area. The vessel monitoring system data confirmed this and two witnesses have produced photographs. The skipper said he made a mistake and has accepted blame. However, there are several mitigating factors related to unclear permit conditions, regulations and applicable legislation, but the prosecution is keen for this case to set a precedent, and conservationists are jumping on the bandwagon even though the incident was five years ago. It also makes great copy for the general media!

The Eastern Cape company which owned the MFV White Rose is Unathi-Wena Fishing CC. It permanently employs more than 100 people and has for many years participated in several commercial fishery sectors. After the vessel was found fishing in the De Hoop MPA, the first and only time one of its vessels has been nabbed, the company sold it and exited the shark longline fishery. No penalties were applied by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) but Unathi-Wena has become exposed to immense litigation costs to defend itself and its employees from harm.

Declining shark populations

The narrative around declining shark populations has been gathering momentum for at least the last decade. It is mainly driven by the concerns of the science community which are justified. Just this week, IFLScience has published an article “Where Have All of South Africa’s Great White Sharks Gone?” written by Dr Kate Spalding. This is a debatable topic as the commentary reflects and because even the scientists don’t really know.