South Africa: No dead sardine reports since September 3, Pilchard Herpesvirus identified as probable cause

No new sardine mortality cases have been reported along the South African coast since September 3, 2026, according to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), whose statement was relayed Sunday by SAnews.gov.za. The episode began in late July 2026 in the Western Cape, spread to Gqeberha on August 27, then to East London and north of the Wild Coast to Mbotyi Beach, about 60 km from the KwaZulu-Natal border, on September 2. Similar strandings hit Namibia at Langstrand (Walvis Bay), Swakopmund, and Henties Bay. The most distant sites cover about 2,600 km of coastline, with no continuous mortality over this distance, and the Namibian cases cannot yet be formally linked to the South African episode. Tests confirmed the presence of the Pilchard Herpesvirus (PHV) in the Western Cape and Gqeberha. "The consistent detection of high levels of PHV, its confirmation in these samples, and the observed mortality pattern indicate that PHV is the most probable primary cause," the DFFE stated, ruling out harmful algae and biotoxins as primary causes. A sample taken in KwaZulu-Natal in June-July, before the first reports, tested negative for PHV, though its presence in the broader population cannot be excluded. "There is no evidence to establish when or how the virus reached South African waters, nor any basis to attribute its origin to any country, company, or product," the department specified. On September 4, the SWG-PEL scientific panel deemed mortality estimates "highly uncertain" and recommended a temporary catch limitation rather than a total fishery closure, a decision accepted by the DFFE. The joint DFFE-National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications body confirmed that the episode does not warrant halting canned sardine production....