South Africa cuts sardine catch to 25% amid herpesvirus die-off

South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has limited sardine catches to 25% of remaining 2026 quotas until 2 October while scientists assess a mass die-off linked to pilchard herpesvirus. The loss of a key food source threatens already depleted African penguin colonies in Algoa Bay. The move signals a precautionary shift in fisheries management, but the full ecological and economic impact remains uncertain.