The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has confirmed no new reports of dead sardines have been received since 10 September 2026, signalling an end to the acute phase of the recent sardine mortality event along South Africa’s coastline.
Laboratory testing for pilchard herpesvirus (PHV), the leading biological factor linked to the die-off, has resumed, with results expected within the coming week, the department said in a statement on 11 October.
“Further laboratory testing for pilchard herpesvirus (PHV) is underway and results are expected during the coming week,” the DFFE said.
An isolated fresh sardine stranding was reported near Mbotyi on the northern Wild Coast on 11 September, but no widespread mortality has been recorded since then, government statements confirm.
Precautionary fisheries restrictions remain in place to protect the sardine population. From 3 to 30 October 2026, a catch limit allows each sardine right holder to harvest no more than 33% of the remaining directed total allowable catch (TAC) in their management areas, a measure designed to ease pressure on the stock while investigations continue.
Members of the public are urged not to collect, consume, or feed dead or dying sardines to pets, nor to use them as bait. Though PHV is a fish virus not known to infect humans, these warnings remain vital as investigations and epidemiological studies are ongoing.
PHV genetic material has been confirmed through laboratory sequencing in dead sardines from the Western Cape, Algoa Bay, and previously in samples from Port St Johns beach. Additionally, PHV has been detected in some apparently healthy sardines collected from the West Coast, though the precise role and impact of the virus in the mortality event are still being studied.
This sardine mortality event is significant as sardines are a key species for both commercial fisheries and the marine ecosystem along South Africa’s coast. The government’s swift imposition of catch limits reflects concerns about the event’s potential long-term effects on sardine biomass and the livelihoods dependent on it.
While the acute mortality phase appears to have eased, unresolved questions remain about the causes and environmental factors contributing to the die-off. Officials continue to monitor the situation closely, awaiting detailed laboratory results and stock assessments before revising any measures.
A discrepancy persists between sources regarding the official end date of the precautionary catch limits, with some indicating 2 October and others 30 October, a matter the Cape Flats News journalist will follow up for clarification.