South Africa’s Coastal Communities Unite Against 70 Years of Wildlife Slaughter

A rapidly growing coalition of over 50 organisations spanning the entire eastern coastline has launched a public campaign to end the use of shark nets and drumlines along the KZN coastline.

“The KZN culling devices don’t just kill sharks, they remove whales, dolphins, and endangered species from our oceans,” said Kim McLean from SharkLady Adventures in Gansbaai. “We have proven, modern solutions that can protect both swimmers and marine life.”

The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board’s current system, first introduced in the 1950s, is under increasing scrutiny. While it was once seen as innovative, today it is considered outdated and harmful. Many countries have successfully used non-lethal shark mitigation strategies for decades with zero bycatch.

In a joint statement, The Last Shark Documentary and Earth Legacy Foundation said:
“Research shows that the vast majority of animals caught in shark nets are non-target species. These nets and drumlines continue to indiscriminately kill marine life, including protected, threatened, endangered, and critically endangered species, while failing to provide a reliable barrier against sharks. We must ask why outdated technologies from the 1950s are still in use when effective, modern, non-lethal alternatives are readily available.”

The coalition’s petition, which is addressed to the minister of the DFFE, is open for signatures at: https://www.change.org/KZNSBNetsOutNow.

Organisations are invited to send an email to thelastsharkdoc@gmail.com in order to join the coalition.

Comments

1 Comment

Ronny Kreuzberg on August 30, 2025 14:42

t’s encouraging to see South Africa’s coastal communities taking such a strong stand against outdated and destructive practices. Shark nets and drumlines don’t make the ocean safer – they just kill indiscriminately, wiping out dolphins, turtles, rays and even whales along with sharks. Proven, non-lethal alternatives exist and are already working in other countries. Protecting swimmers and protecting marine life should go hand in hand. Hopefully this campaign will push policymakers to finally modernize shark safety in KZN.