The protection and surveillance within the 2 no-take reserves -where all kind of fishing, mooring and scuba diving are prohibited- is effective, with more than 2.400 hours of enforcement per year, mostly at sea, There is a great increase in fish biomass with an increase of abundance,  more bigger fishes, and come back of rare/sensitive species like groupers, brown meagre, seabass, etc: Experimental controlled fishing operations are conducted every 3 years within the reserve and showed that in 24 years, the mean weight of a fish increased by a factor of 2.6 (287 g in 2019 vs. 111 g in 1995. During this time, fishing captures have been multiplied by a factor of 7, with a catch rate per CPUE effort unit increasing from 1.1 kg / 100 m of net in 1995 to a maximum of 7.1 kg / 100 m in 2019 (Figure 2).

These spectacular results and a clear reserve effect not only concern fishes, but also the invertebrates like spiny lobsters: catches were multiplicated per 8 since the creation of the reserve. These results are important for artisanal fishers who benefits to biomass exportation processes: in the borders of marine reserves, the fishing yields can reach 2.5 kg/100 m of net; while in the rest of MPA, the mean CPUE is 1kg/100 m.

The PMCB is a local initiative and was founded with a “bottom-up” approach and shared governance. This co-construction is based on strong dialog process since the beginning with local artisanal fishermen organizations. These is around 30-35 small scale fishing boats operating along the coastline, using mainly gillnets and trammel nets. Fishermen are at the origin of the creation of the 2 no-takes reserves (Carry 85 ha since 1983 and Couronne 210 ha since 1996). A real success was the re-conduction of the 2 protected reserves in 2014, obtained for an unlimited time. These no-takes zones have a legal status of fisheries reserves and the renewal was asked by fishermen themselves. The Marine Park has daily contacts with individual fishermen in the 5 small ports of Cote Bleue coastline, through patrol at sea, interviews and monitoring on landing, fishing effort, catches We have also formal but irregular meetings, depending of programs (Natura2000 process, PhD study on fisheries, EU scientific programs).

In 2019, Shark Spotters identified the need for more practical interventions to conserve our coastline from human impacts, and therefore started a “Coastal Conservation Team”, working in partnership with the City of Cape Town to conduct proactive and reactive conservation activities that make a significant positive impact on the coastal environment. These include sand dune stabilisation and rehabilitation, removal of ghost fishing gear, vessel waste and other pollution from the coastal zone, management of stormwater outlets at the beach interface to reduce land-based pollution entering the sea, repair and removal of damaged coastal infrastructure after swell/storm damage, ocean water quality testing, responding to stranded animals and more. Their presence ensures our coastal habitat is protected from human degradation as well as the effects of climate change, and that our oceans remain healthy for sharks and other marine creatures.

During the recent pandemic, we found more and more people using the coastal zone as it was often the only "safe" exercise and recreation area. This saw an increase in pollution and other human impacts on the coast and highlighted the need for more awareness around the importance of active citizenship in protecting these areas that provide so much economic and social value to communities.

Education & awareness is key to a successful shark-safety strategy and we work hard to provide factual, non-sensational information about  shark-safety to visitors to our beaches so that they can make informed decisions about risk when entering the water. We also aim to foster a greater understanding of sharks and their important role in the ecosystem in order to change people’s perspective of sharks, from fear to acceptance.

Our Info Centre serves as an interactive space for the public to connect with the program and access information about sharks and marine conservation, seeing thousands of local and international visitors every year. We also perform numerous educational outreach activities in our surrounding communities, reaching +/- 3,000 participants directly and many thousands more through festivals and exhibitions we participate in. We have developed a marine safety and conservation education program for all ages, from pre-primary to University level, with many aspects aligned with the South African CAPS curriculum.

Our unique mobile app provides real time shark-safety information and other beach conditions for all our operating beaches. This is an invaluable tool for visitors to the area to ensure they have the most up to date information about shark risk before visiting the coast.

Our ground-breaking applied research is focused on shark presence and behavioural ecology in Cape Town to inform public safety policy, conservation and management strategies and education and awareness. We drive an adaptive management approach to human-shark conflict which is responsive to conflict and proactive in using research and best practices. Shark Spotters also collates shark bite information and respond to all local incidents to collect factual and objective information.

We have published our results in multiple peer-reviewed journals (see attached) and presented at numerous scientific conferences.

Following the covid-19 pandemic, it has become even more imperative that we understand the negative impacts we are having on our environment to mitigate these timeously before they escalate into large, global issues. Our research focus is therefore shifting to not only understand the behaviour and distribution of sharks in our bay, but also to look at the role they play in maintaining ecosystem structure and resilience, and how human impacts, as well as environmental changes, influence this. We can then target our conservation strategies to ensure that the marine environment can continue to provide important ecosystem services that will help protect us from future pandemics or environmental disasters. 

Shark spotting is a proactive, early-warning shark-safety service provided at 8 strategic beaches around Cape Town where there is a high spatial overlap between people and sharks. It uses continuous visual surveillance by trained observers (spotters) to detect sharks and prevent negative interactions between sharks and recreational water-users.

Spotters scan the water looking for sharks using polarized sunglasses and binoculars. When a shark is seen a siren is sounded and flag is raised, signaling to water users to leave the water and only return when the appropriate all clear signal is given. Shark Spotters uses a system of four informative flags on every beach to communicate the current shark status and spotting conditions to the public.
With over 3,000 shark sightings recorded by the program since its inception, Shark Spotters has significantly reduced the risk of shark bite at our operating beaches, providing safer swimming and surfing areas for visitors and locals alike.