South Africa faces penguin-fishery clash
A massive sardine mortality event along southern Africa's coast has triggered a dispute between conservationists and the fishing industry over whether to
A mass die-off of sardines along southern Africa's coast has ignited a conflict between protecting endangered seabirds and preserving fishing livelihoods. The event has seen dead fish wash up across 2,600 kilometres of coastline from Namibia to South Africa's Eastern Cape.
Scientists from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment identified pilchard herpesvirus (PHV) as the primary cause. The virus poses no threat to humans or animals that eat the fish. Dr Janet Coetzee, a government scientist, says the scale is unprecedented. "We've never had an event of this scale," she stated. A ministerial task team was formed to coordinate the response.
The virus's origin is suspected to be imported frozen sardines used for canning or bait, introducing the pathogen to a vulnerable local population. A 2016 study had warned against such imports. The situation mirrors a past epidemic in Australian waters, where similar PHV outbreaks in the 1990s killed up to 60% of affected sardine stocks.
Conservationists call for fishing halt
A group of 12 scientists from universities and conservation NGOs has demanded an immediate stop to commercial sardine fishing. They argue the full impact of the die-off is unknown, as most dead fish sink unobserved. Dr Alistair McInnes of BirdLife South Africa is a leading voice for caution.
"The only thing we know is that the range of the die-off is extensive," McInnes said. He warns that a fishery collapse, as seen historically in California and Namibia, would be worse than a temporary closure. His primary concern is the African penguin, a critically endangered species that relies almost exclusively on sardines and anchovies.
Industry warns of economic devastation
The Southern African Pelagic Fishing Industry Association strongly opposes a fishing moratorium. The association's Mike Copeland, who sits on the government task team, highlighted the potential economic damage.
He argues a closure would cost the South African economy over 1.2 billion rand and have devastating impacts on fishers and their communities. The commercial sardine fishery supports thousands of jobs and contributes billions of rands annually.
Government opts for temporary restrictions
The government task team decided against a full fishery closure in early September. Dr Coetzee explained their analysis showed little difference in population trajectory between closing and not closing the fishery based on current evidence. Instead, temporary restrictions were imposed to prevent a rush to catch fish before an annual survey.
This survey, a hydroacoustic biomass count conducted every October and November, is key. It sets the quotas for the fishing season opening on 15 January. Coetzee acknowledged the survey is the only way to gauge the die-off's true extent and stated there is no guarantee fishing will continue after 2 October.
A history of tension and a shared hope
Disagreements between conservation and fishing interests are longstanding. The two sides reached an out-of-court settlement over no-catch zones near penguin colonies just last year, in March 2025.
Despite the current dispute, both sides share a common hope: that the high mortality rates seen in Australia's PHV outbreaks are not repeated locally. All parties are now awaiting the bioacoustics survey results, which will be released in early December.
