EASTERN CAPE. – The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) is investigating new reports of sardine deaths on beaches and in the sea and harbours of Gqeberha. The public is warned not to collect or eat dead or dying sardines found on beaches or in the sea, and not to feed them to pets.
Zolile Nqayi, departmental spokesperson, says sardine deaths have also been reported along the Namibian coast, after which Namibian authorities will provide samples for sardine herpesvirus testing (PHV). PHV remains the most likely explanation for the deaths in the Western Cape. A link with the occurrence of fish deaths at Gqeberha is considered likely, but still needs to be confirmed. The department says the scale of the deaths remains uncertain. The Small Pelagic Scientific Working Group meets on four September to discuss the latest findings and possible management measures.
PHV is not known to infect humans. The department emphasises that there is no reason to stop the consumption of commercially produced tinned sardines processed under the supervision of the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS).
Print here to read more.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
