HKScientists in South Africa are investigating the cause behind the recent mass deaths of sardines along the country's west and south coasts. The phenomenon has puzzled the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, but researchers have identified a herpes virus called pilchard herpesvirus (PHV) in the fish for the first time in South African waters. This virus, previously associated with sardine die-offs in Australia during the 1990s, causes gill inflammation and impaired oxygen absorption in sardines. Sardines and pilchards are biologically similar, with sardines being the younger, smaller variant. Authorities emphasize that PHV does not pose a threat to human health, and commercially available sardines remain safe for consumption. Researchers are analyzing samples from both dead and live sardines to determine the extent of the outbreak.
Bias read (Center): The article focuses on environmental science and marine biology, discussing a natural event involving fish mortality. There is no political framing, controversy, or ideological emphasis present. The content remains strictly scientific and factual, with no indication of bias toward any political side
