Draft policy on White Shark cage diving

The Department of Environmental Affairs has published the Draft policy on White Shark cage diving for public comment. "The aim of this policy is to outline objectives and criteria for the permit allocation process which will guide the evaluation and allocation of permits in the WSCD industry. This policy does not cover consumptive use of shark species. The consumptive use of shark species is regulated through the Manne Living Resources, 1998 (Act No 18 of 1998) (MLRA).

WSCD is an activity involving the observation of a free -swimming White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) from within a submerged protective cage It forms a significant and valuable adventure tourism activity in many regions around the world with an estimated local economies ranging from S1.3 to 18 million US dollars. The WSCD has developed in five main regions around the world' California, Mexico, South Africa, South Australia and New Zealand. The activity mostly occurs in areas where the species naturally aggregates. II takes advantage of the naturally higher local abundance of white sharks due lo the occurrence of one of their most preferred food sources, namely seals; rather than attracting sharks to areas where they would not naturally occur. In South Africa the WSCD began in 1991 as an unregulated activity until a policy was introduced in July 2008."