Knowing the status of the white shark population is one of the most important questions we need to answer to determine whether the population is increasing, stable or decreasing. We need consistent long-term data to answer this question.
WHAT WE’VE LEARNT SO FAR
Seal Island has one of the largest aggregations of white sharks in the world. The white shark population at the island is made up primarily of juvenile and sub-adult white sharks. Over a nine year period, shark sightings have declined significantly. Future research aims to determine whether the decline is due to environmental factors, distributional changes around the coast or population decline.
- Hewitt, A. M., Kock, A. A., Booth, A. J. and Griffiths, C. L. (submitted). Demographics and site fidelity of the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) at Seal Island, False Bay, South Africa. Marine Ecology Progress Series
- Hewitt, A. M. (2014). Demographics of a seasonal aggregation of white sharks at Seal Island, False Bay, South Africa. MSc thesis. University of Cape Town.
Millers Point, False Bay is a major aggregation site for broadnose sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus). Future research is aimed at identifying the primary reason for sharks aggregating here in large numbers.