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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, a DFFE inspector at the boat’s home harbor, Gqeberha, wrote: “I wish to conduct further criminal investigations into the wrongful and unlawful conduct of skipper Marius Verwey of the vessel Zanette PEA 319. Nobody had the right to commit this crime.” (Verwey did not respond to request for comment at the time.)
In January 2026, department spokesperson Zolile Nqayi told Mongabay via email that any further action would be communicated with the permit holder.
There has been no further word from the DFFE about the investigation; meanwhile, the Zanette continues to fish. Global Fishing Watch, which uses vessel tracking data to monitor fishing, appears to show that in the five months since the fisheries department announced its investigation, the vessel was detected fishing in the Garden Route Marine Protected Area four times: three times on Nov. 13, 2025, and once on Jan. 12, 2026.
Responding to this tracking data, Nqayi said that according to the department’s vessel monitoring systems operations room, the Zanette did not enter the MPA. “The vessel left the Port of Gqeberha on 11 November 2025, heading towards the fishing grounds and towards the Garden Route National Parks. According to the tracking system onboard the vessel, she was outside or stopped before entering the GRNP at 23H57,” Nqayi wrote in an email.
South Africa’s Marine Living Resources Act, states that permit holders contravening or failing to comply with a condition imposed in their fishing right granted may be asked to submit a written explanation within 21 days, following which the fishing permit may be canceled, revoked or suspended.
Gennari said responding to the Zanette’s permit violations beyond the minor administrative fine is a clear opportunity for the department to signal its commitment to sustainable use of marine resources. “The public and law enforcement have done their job, now it’s up to the department to make the decision,” he told Mongabay.
Banner image: The Zanette offloading its catch in Gqeberha harbor in 2025. Image courtesy of Jake Keeton.
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