Hobie Beach fish farm spawns shark fears

A SIX-kilometre floating fish farm anchored off Port Elizabeth’s popular Hobie Beach is set to go ahead despite an outcry that it will be a magnet for sharks and pose a massive threat to eco-tourism, marine life and investment in Nelson Mandela Bay.

It is the first government-sanctioned project of its kind in South Africa, with testing grounds marked for Algoa Bay.

But in an attempt to block the project, top Bay marine experts, conservationists and several beachfront hotels formed a consortium last week and are seeking legal advice on how to stop the plan.