Protect Sharks Where They Matter Most
Just 1.2% of Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) in the Western Indian Ocean are fully protected within Marine Protected Areas. The proposed Mossel Bay Shark Catch Exclusion Zone offers a low-economic-impact, high-ecological-benefit, and immediately implementable solution in one of South Africa’s most important shark hotspots.
The Problem
Mossel Bay is one of South Africa’s most important shark aggregation areas, supporting scientific research, dive tourism, marine education, and ocean-based livelihoods. Yet the same waters used by tourism and research vessels are also exposed to targeted commercial shark fishing by the demersal shark longline fishery operating in close proximity to key shark activity areas.
The proposed Shark Catch Exclusion Zone (SCEZ) would establish a defined spatial buffer restricting targeted shark fishing in critical aggregation areas — a practical management approach already proven through the gazetted Dyer Island SCEZ established in 2021.
The Mossel Bay SCEZ proposal is currently being progressed through the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). This campaign aims to build awareness and stakeholder support to help advance the process.
The Urgency
White shark sightings in Mossel Bay have declined significantly in recent years, while bronze whaler sharks, now supporting local cage diving and research, are increasingly exposed to targeted demersal shark longline fishing operating in the same waters. At the same time, vessels such as demersal shark longliner, Zanette, continue to operate in close proximity to known shark aggregation areas, increasing pressure on species already under regional ecological stress.
Without timely spatial protection, Mossel Bay risks repeating the trajectory already observed in other historic shark hotspots: declining sightings, weakened tourism value, and long-term ecosystem disruption. Establishing a Shark Catch Exclusion Zone now offers a proactive, science-aligned intervention while populations and tourism value can still be stabilised.
Key Facts
- Mossel Bay supports important shark aggregation areas used for research, ecotourism, and marine education.
- Demersal shark longline vessels legally target species such as bronze whaler sharks in the same operational areas used by tourism and research vessels.
- Much of the shark catch is exported, meaning limited long-term economic benefit remains in South Africa while ecological impacts are felt locally.
- The Dyer Island Shark Catch Exclusion Zone, gazetted in 2021, demonstrated that spatial management solutions can successfully balance conservation and fisheries interests.
- Similar spatial protection in Mossel Bay would reduce direct conflict between shark tourism, research operations, and targeted shark fishing.
The Solutions
The proposed Mossel Bay Shark Catch Exclusion Zone would:
- Establish a clearly defined spatial buffer where targeted shark fishing is restricted.
- Protect key shark aggregation areas that support research, marine education, and tourism activities.
- Reduce operational conflict between commercial fisheries and marine tourism operators.
- Support long-term ecological stability by allowing local shark populations to remain functional components of the ecosystem.
- Demonstrate South Africa’s continued leadership in pragmatic, science-based shark conservation policy.
Spatial management solutions such as SCEZs do not require blanket fishing bans; instead, they provide targeted, practical measures that allow fisheries to operate while safeguarding areas where the ecological and socio-economic value of living sharks is highest.
How You Can Support
Public awareness and stakeholder support play a critical role in advancing conservation policy. You can support the Mossel Bay SCEZ campaign by:
- Sharing campaign information with your networks and local communities.
- Supporting ocean conservation initiatives that protect sharks and marine ecosystems.
- Following and engaging with our Too Rare To Catch campaign, which highlights the urgent need to protect vulnerable shark species through science-based management solutions.
Project DEEP — Awareness Through Action
The Swim
Project DEEP is a youth-led ocean awareness initiative by Kane Johnstone, an Earth Legacy Foundation ambassador and endurance athlete. Created to raise awareness of the ecological importance of Mossel Bay’s shark habitat and support the proposed Shark Catch Exclusion Zone (SCEZ), Project DEEP has now seen Kane complete three challenging open-water swims along the Mossel Bay coastline.
Rather than simply talking about the proposed protection zone, Kane has physically traced it through the water, using endurance swimming to make the coastline, the habitat and the conservation issue tangible.
Three Swims + One Message
Swim 1 — Mossel Bay → Glentana
19 February 2026 | ±22km
Kane completed the first recorded solo swim across Mossel Bay, from The Point to Glentana. The swim covered approximately 20.5km, with 23km recorded on tracking, and took around 9.5 hours.
In what has historically been one of South Africa’s most recognised white shark hotspots, Kane reported seeing no sharks, rays or fish during the crossing; an absence that became a powerful illustration of the changes taking place in Mossel Bay’s marine ecosystem.
Swim 2 — Fransmanshoek → Dana Bay
4 April 2026 | ±14.2km
The second swim took Kane from Fransmanshoek to Dana Bay, covering approximately 14.2km along the coastline of the proposed Shark Catch Exclusion Zone.
The route was chosen to physically trace another significant section of the proposed protection area, helping to make the scale of the coastline and marine habitat Earth Legacy Foundation is advocating to protect visible and tangible.
Swim 3 — Dana Bay → The Point
September 2026 | ±13km
The final swim brought Project DEEP full circle, taking Kane from Dana Bay around the exposed coastline and back towards The Pointm where the project began.
The route mirrored the iconic St Blaize Trail, creating a unique opportunity for members of the public to follow Kane’s progress from land while he completed the route at sea.
Across the three swims, Kane covered approximately 49km of open ocean in support of the proposed SCEZ.
The final swim was also dedicated to Mossel Bay 13-year-old Alba Overbeeke, a young shark conservation advocate who is currently fighting a relapse of leukaemia, and was undertaken in honour of Kane’s best friend, Robin Skeates, who died from osteosarcoma in 2024.
Conservation Purpose
Project DEEP was created to:
- Raise awareness and public support for the Mossel Bay Shark Catch Exclusion Zone
- Highlight the ecological importance of sharks and other marine predators
- Draw attention to changes in Mossel Bay’s marine ecosystem
- Demonstrate the value of practical, spatial protection for vulnerable shark habitat
- Encourage meaningful engagement between government, conservation organisations, researchers, ocean users and local communities
- Show how endurance sport and youth-led advocacy can create public awareness around complex marine conservation issues
From Awareness to Action
The three Project DEEP swims have physically connected the coastline at the heart of the SCEZ campaign. The message now moves beyond the water: Mossel Bay’s shark habitat needs meaningful protection.
The proposed SCEZ is intended as a practical, localised fisheries management measure to protect critical shark habitat from targeted commercial shark fishing, while supporting the ecological health of the wider Mossel Bay coastline and the communities, tourism and ocean-based activities that depend upon it.
If successfully implemented, Mossel Bay could also provide a blueprint for similar spatial protection measures elsewhere along South Africa’s coastline, demonstrating how targeted conservation can be applied without closing entire coastal areas to fishing.
Still Waiting for Action
Following the Project DEEP swims, Earth Legacy Foundation continues to seek meaningful engagement with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) regarding the proposed SCEZ.
Despite previous indications that a DFFE delegation would meet with stakeholders in Mossel Bay to discuss marine protection in the area, no meeting has yet taken place, and no substantive response on the proposed SCEZ has been received.
Project DEEP has therefore completed its physical journey, but the conversation it was created to start is far from over.
The next step is action.
A Community-Driven Message
The swim represents growing public momentum behind practical, science-informed spatial protection solutions. It also demonstrates how local communities, ocean users, businesses, and conservation organisations can collaborate to safeguard South Africa’s marine heritage.
Project DEEP is not a one-off event. It is the beginning of a broader advocacy journey. Further campaigns, awareness activations, and endurance initiatives will continue as part of the ongoing effort to secure meaningful protection for Mossel Bay’s shark habitat.
Next Steps
The Mossel Bay Shark Catch Exclusion Zone proposal remains under review within the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, involving both Fisheries Management and Oceans & Coasts branches. While this process is ongoing, administrative timelines have resulted in slow progress as the proposal moves between departments.
Earth Legacy Foundation and collaborating stakeholders continue to engage constructively with government processes, provide technical input where requested, and advocate for practical spatial management solutions that protect South Africa’s marine biodiversity while supporting sustainable ocean-based livelihoods.
Protecting sharks in the places where they matter most is one of the most practical and achievable conservation actions available today. With continued collaboration between scientists, communities, policymakers, and ocean users, the Mossel Bay Shark Catch Exclusion Zone can become another successful example of South Africa leading the way in pragmatic shark conservation.
