ABSTRACT

Research on the White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus), in southern African waters has spanned more than 150 yrs. Peer-reviewed publications, supplemented by published workshop proceedings, postgraduate theses, and selected books or book chapters, total more than 70. The bulk of the output (58 publications) has been produced in the past 2 decades, with 40 publications since the turn of the 21st century. Approximately one-third of the output has included data or samples from animals caught in nets set to reduce the risk of shark bites at the tourist beaches of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and another third has centered on animals associated with islandbased colonies of Cape Fur Seals, Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus, in the Western Cape. Research topics facilitated by access to specimens from the nets have included age and growth, stomach content analysis, morphology, genetics, and parasitology. No adult females and very few mature males have been caught, however, so there has been little research on reproductive biology. A longterm time series of catch and effort data has enabled an assessment of population status, and a ¢rst attempt at a population estimate has been made using tag-recapture data. In the Western Cape, predator-prey interactions between White Sharks and seals have been examined by means of visual observation and electronic tagging. Tracking technology and photographic identi¢cation have been used to describe ¢ne-scale and long-range movements, as well as site ¢delity. The development of ecotourism based on cage diving, with associated provisioning, has led to research into the potential for sharks to be conditioned and for there to be consequences either for local ecosystems or for human safety. Future research priorities include the following:

INTRODUCTION

Research on the White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus), in southern Africa began in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1849, Andrew Smith published morphological and behavioral descriptions of what he named Carcharodon  capensis, the holotype of which is in the Natural History Museum in London (Compagno, 1999a). Later, Thompson (1914) listed Carcharodon rondeleti Müller and Henle, the Man-eater, the Great White or Great Blue Shark, and Barnard (1925) listed Carcharodon  carcharias (Linnaeus), describing the species as formidable. J.L.B. Smith (1950) included a colorful account of the species’ fearsome reputation, emphasizing the large serrated teeth and adding White Pointer and Blue Pointer to the list of common names.