Sardine Die-off in Algoa Bay.
By Lloyd Edwards / Sean Pike

1. News

You can help! Sign the Petition Now: https://c.org/MTXR7pVmDc 

Things are not looking good in Algoa Bay, as thousands of Sardines have washed up on our shores. The same applies all the way from Namibia to the Wild Coast.

Scientists have found that the culprit is the Pilchard Herpes Virus, although other environmental factors may also play a roll.

The same virus wiped out up to 75% of the sardine stocks in Australia during the 1990s. If fishing pressure is removed, the stocks can bounce back quite quickly.

What are the implications for all the Apex Predators that depend on sardines? Will they be able to shift to other species that are not affected by the virus? This could include anchovies, saurie, red-eye sardines and mackerel.

Maybe the anchovy stocks will increase in the absence of the sardines. It is the preferred choice our critically endangered African Penguins, especially when the are rearing their chicks. That is because anchovies have the highest fat content of any of the bait fish.

We urge the government to place a moratorium on the purse seine fishery which targets sardines, until they have a better understanding of what is going on. The population will eventually get immunity and increase. That is providing the fisheries do not compound the problem by taking what is left. If there are other environmental issues at play, nothing can be done about it i guess. Please sign the petition in the comments.

Despite that our sardine stocks are well below the natural levels, government has seen fit to increase the fishing quotas this year. In some years the industry has not even been able to meet their quotas!

Look what happened on our west coast . . . the sardine and anchovy stocks collapsed, followed closely by a collapse in seabird populations, especially Cape Gannett and African Penguins.

This is not only a South African phenomenon, bait fish populations all over the world have collapsed. While this happens, the fishery scientists continue bleating that "there are still plenty of fish"!

Tens of thousands of Cape Gannets!

Probably the largest single gathering ever witnessed looking for food, in Algoa Bay!

The largest gannet colony in the world, on Bird Island in Algoa Bay, must be empty today! They are all on our side of the bay.

Does this have anything to do with the mass mortalities of sardines being experienced along our East Coast?