Interim directed sardine catch limits run through 30 November 2026 under measures approved and implemented on 5 November, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment says.
Its statement dated 12 November describes initial limits of approximately 2,800 tonnes west of Cape Agulhas and 2,700 tonnes east of it.
Increase depends on catches in each area
If catches exceed half the initial limit for an area by 15 November, the limit in that area increases by 80%, according to DFFE. This report does not establish that either threshold has been reached.
The department says uncertainty about the mortality event and poor fishing informed the stepped approach. The scientific working group will review the limits before expiry, or earlier if necessary.
Monitoring continues
DFFE reports no further dead sardines since the 23 October wash-up, while pilchard herpesvirus testing and preparations for a biomass survey continue. An absence of reports is not proof of eradication or a measurement of fish abundance.
Archive photograph of fishing boats in Kalk Bay harbour, taken on 10 July 2011. It does not depict current sardine catches, a mortality event or vessels identified as holders of these allocations. Photo: Wesley Nitsckie / Flickr via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kalk_Bay.jpg . Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ . Display may crop or resize; adaptations retain the same licence.
