Mass sardine die-off pits survival of South Africa’s penguins against fishers’ livelihoods

African penguins, which feed only on sardines and anchovies, are particularly at risk if the fish populations fall. Photograph: Mike Korostelev/Getty Images

It began on 28 July, when fishers near Saldanha Bay on the west coast of South Africa reported seeing dead sardines (also known as pilchards) floating at sea. Then, in early August, more dead sardines began washing up on beaches near Cape Town.

In the weeks that followed, similar reports came in from places across a vast area spanning 2,600km (1,600 miles) of coastline, such as Henties Bay in Namibia and Mbotyi in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.