This once-sleepy little fishing village is close to an enormous Cape fur seal colony, which becomes a seasonal larder for a large transient population of great white sharks. For some it’s the adrenaline rush, for others it’s ticking off another adventure on the gap year list, and some want to see sharks for their own sake, for their beauty, vulnerability and rarity.įor those who want to get up and personal with a great white, there is no better place in the world than Gansbaai, near Cape Town in the Western Cape. While most people are terrified of sharks, the animals are fascinating to them, and they really want to see one. Money spinnersīut fins and jaws aren’t the only way to make money from sharks. In 2005, whale sharks and basking sharks were added to the list of protected species, but many other species remain unprotected. The jaw of a great white sells for up to US$80 000 (R800 000) on the black market, so there are more than a few unscrupulous people willing to take the risk. If a great white is accidentally hooked and cannot be returned to the water, it must be surrendered, whole, to a fisheries officer, and no part of the shark may be sold.ĭespite this protection, poaching remains a big problem, says Steve Smuts of the South African Shark Conservancy. In 1991 South Africa became the first country in the world to pass legislation to protect the great white shark, making it illegal to catch the fish in territorial waters. As with apex predators on land, they breed late and produce few offspring, so if the big sharks are taken out, the population can’t recover for a long time. Because there is naturally little mortality among mature sharks, they are slow breeders. Small sharks are eaten by bigger sharks, perhaps, but bigger sharks are not eaten by anything – at least not till they die of old age.
Sharks have few natural enemies other than other sharks. Many of the last use only the valuable fins, cutting them off and throwing the definned sharks back in the water – sometimes still alive. Millions of sharks are killed every year by shark nets, recreational anglers and commercial fisheries. Ironically, while most people have a deep-seated fear of these great fish – brought on by movies like Jaws and sensational news stories of the few (but admittedly terrifying) shark incidents that do occur – it is the sharks that are under constant attack from humans. Human beings, the Johnny-come-latelys of evolutionary development, are a new and deadly threat to shark survival. Great white sharks in particular reign supreme in the ocean with no natural enemies, they’re untouchable. Evolution works on the principle that you don’t mess with what works, especially if it works superbly.
They evolved into the perfect predator a few hundred million years ago, remaining relatively unchanged ever since. Sharks are incredible animals – the ultimate survivors. And, at the same time, helping to preserve these ancient and magnificent creatures. Want to go eyeball to eyeball with a great white shark? Most of us are terrified of sharks, but a new South African industry is making good money by dropping people into the ocean, in a cage, to get up close to the big fish. You don’t even need to leave the boat for Up in Kleinbaai, Gansbaai village’s small
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