Following an October 2025 Mongabay report of the shark fishing vessel Zanette violating the conditions of its permit to catch endangered sharks, the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) announced that it would consider suspending or revoking the permit. The Zanette mainly fishes for smoothhound sharks (Mustelus mustelus) and soupfin sharks (Galeorhinus galeus), two species that are listed as endangered and critically endangered, respectively, on the IUCN Red List. Both species have suffered steep declines in South Africa and worldwide due to overfishing. In November 2025, both were added to Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, restricting their international trade. “The health of our oceans depends on the rule of law being upheld at sea,” former Fisheries Minister Dion George said in the statement, stressing that enforcing the law is a prerequisite for protecting the country’s marine ecosystems as well as coastal communities. In June 2025, the DFFE fined the shark longliner Zanette 2,500 rand, the equivalent of $145, after its crew was observed cutting off the heads and fins of sharks at sea, a contravention to the strict regulations of its permit conditions. Marine biologist Enrico Gennari took photos of the incident and alerted the fisheries department. Gennari also documented the vessel catching sharks outside the required size limits and failing to correctly deploy bird scaring lines. The Zanette’s crew catching a shark below the minimum length of 70 centimeters (27.5 inches). Image courtesy of Enrico Gennari. In his report,…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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