Off South Africa’s coast near Gansbaai, two infamous orcas - Port and Starboard - have gained global attention for hunting great white sharks. Their precision liver extractions stunned scientists, but a new study reveals humans are the true apex threat.
Between 2017 and 2025, only 11 white shark kills by orcas were documented. In contrast, researchers led by Enrico Gennari estimate humans remove 44 great whites annually via South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal shark control program and longline fisheries - 5-10% of the remaining population.
Sightings in False Bay near Cape Town plummeted from 1.64 sharks per hour (2000-2015) to nearly zero by 2018. Genetic studies suggest only 333 mature individuals remain along the entire South African coast.
The 1991 legal protections haven’t reversed decline. Scientists warn extinction risk is imminent without urgent intervention. Orcas operate beyond regulation - but human-caused mortality falls squarely under government control.
South Africa was first to protect white sharks. Researchers fear it may become the first to lose them.