The Great White Underbelly: International Flake Trade

David Haun is a student in the Masters of Coastal and Ocean Policy program at UNC Wilmington. He graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 2019 with a B.S. in biology and a minor in Spanish. In 2018 David interned under Dr. Enrico Gennari in Mossel Bay, South Africa, where he had the opportunity to assist with a great white shark population study. It was during his time in South Africa that David learned about the difficulties surrounding white shark conservation and was inspired to help through research. 

In 1991 South Africa became the first nation in the world to enact protective legislation for the great white shark.  However, the current South African great white shark protection measures fall short of their goal by lacking to incorporate shark fisheries management regulations for key prey species. 

In 2001 the great white shark gained worldwide notoriety thanks to the work of renowned wildlife photographer and shark conservationist, Chris Fallows. Air Jaws: Sharks of South Africa premier on Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” gave the world a rare insight into the predatory behavior of great whites. In addition to showcasing the power and skill of great whites, “Shark Week” programs like Air Jaws also sought to fix the public perception surrounding the species by educating about the animals rather than portraying them as manhunters, as the media has regularly done in the past.

While South Africa was heralded for its great white shark protection efforts in the early 1990's, recent studies show that the great white population has not recovered since national protective measures were implemented. Additionally, in the last 5 years researchers report a decline in breaching activity and shark sightings in False Bay and other prevalent white shark locations. 

There are multiple factors contributing to South Africa’s great white struggles, including: bycatch from commercial and recreational fisheries, loss of prey species, habitat disruption and illegal poaching for fins, teeth and jaws. 

South Africa’s great white shark population is in decline due to the overfishing and exportation of smoothhound and soupfin sharks, species commonly referred to as gummy sharks and prepared as flake.

Gummy sharks, small to medium-sized bottom-dwelling hound sharks in the family Triakidae, constitute a substantial portion of the great white diet. Juvenile great whites especially rely on gummy shark species as they haven’t yet mastered the hunting skills required to catch larger, more elusive prey, such as seals, dolphins and whales. 

Flake, the term used for gummy shark meat, is a popular dish in Australia that has been a cultural favorite dating back to the founding of the first commercial shark fisheries near Victoria in the 1920’s. However, current demand has grown larger than the total allowable catch (TAC) permitted by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority. As such, it appears that Australia is abusing the lack of oversight on South Africa’s side to meet their own market demands. A 2001 report by TRAFFIC found a discrepancy of more than 100 million tons between the reported exports of South Africa and the reported imports of Australia.  

Australian Fisheries Management Authority diagram portraying demersal longlining technique.

South African fisheries officers, employed under the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), have been caught accepting bribes and studies show the widespread corruption hampers the efforts of sustainability regulations. Presently, the Demersal Shark Longlining fishery (DSL) is managed by total allowable effort (TAE) rather than total allowable catch, which would place explicit limits on the amount of shark able to be caught. 

The DSL fishery currently has 6 permitted vessels authorized to fish in South African waters. In comparison, the Australian equivalent, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, has a 1,775-ton total catch allowance in place for gummy sharks during the 2020-2021 season. In addition to depleting a crucial food source, longline fishing also subjects great whites to being caught as bycatch. Great whites are rarely released in such instances, instead being harvested for their fins, jaws and teeth. 

To effectively protect their great white sharks, South Africa needs to address all parts of the issue at hand.

Firstly, to protect any species their prey species must also be protected. South African great white shark protection and related shark fisheries management need to be revised to include strict regulations, in the form of total allowable catch, for smoothhound and soupfin sharks. Additionally, DEFF should better coordinate shark fisheries efforts, reducing the total number of fisheries and allowing each to only target certain species. 

Furthermore, the South African government should enforce a strict monitoring system for the exportation of shark meat. Australia is importing from South Africa to meet their flake needs while also keeping their own fisheries sustainably managed. The South African government must take a stand, in favor of the sharks over profit. The future of this remarkable predator, and entire marine ecosystems, depend on it.