Ecological conclusions remain unchanged for white sharks in South Africa: A reply to Gennari et al. 2024

Abstract

A recent Letter to the Editor by Gennari et al. (2024) contends that methodological issues and data uncertainties may be obscuring declines in abundance of the white shark population in South Africa in the analyses of Bowlby et al. (2023). We have addressed their critiques using scientifically accepted analytical understanding to demonstrate why our ecological conclusions remain unchanged: (1) the relative abundance of white sharks has not exhibited systematic increases or declines at a regional level since protection in 1991, and (2) observed data on human-shark incidents are consistent with the hypothesis that white sharks have partially redistributed along the South African coastline. Future long-term, standardized monitoring throughout South Africa would be expected to substantially reduce uncertainty about the population trend and status of white sharks. Ultimately, the lack of abundance increase following protection remains concerning and necessitates continued conservation efforts.