Elands Bay Residents Watch Tons of Crayfish Die as Red Tide Wipes Out Their Livelihood

• A severe red tide hit Elands Bay from 25 February 2026 and forced hundreds of thousands of crayfish out of the ocean and onto the beach
• Rescue teams managed to relocate 3.6 tons of live crayfish, but the vast majority that washed ashore had already died and been buried
• Police were called to Elands Bay beaches after public unrest broke out, with several community members arrested during the crisis

Tons of crayfish lay dead and dying on the beaches of Elands Bay on the West Coast as a severe red tide tore through the coastal town from 25 February 2026.

The incident led to hundreds of thousands of rock lobsters stranded. The Cederberg Local Municipality, police, and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment scrambled to respond. For the fishing families making a living from the coastline, the damage was already done.

The tide reportedly forced the crayfish to flee the sea. Since they are weak to survive on land, most of them died where they lay. Elands Bay is about 220 kilometres north of Cape Town.

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Tons of crayfish rescued

Since 25 February, rescue teams managed to relocate 3.6 tons of live crayfish to areas with stable oxygen levels. The bulk of what washed ashore, however, was already dead. Those carcasses have since been removed and buried.

Talking to eNCA, Grant van der Heever from the Department of Forestry and Fisheries explained how the walkouts happen. “During low tides and also when there is high wave action, the lobsters can become stranded. And because they are so weak, they can be washed out to the beach,” Van der Heever said.

He also addressed why residents cannot be advised to take the crayfish for food. “It is both scientifically and legally risky for us as department officials to encourage people eating washed-up lobsters or fish,” Van der Heever said.

“The communities feel as if they’ve been robbed”

Locals said they are being deprived of their livelihoods as they were not allowed to take the live crayfish stranded on the shores. Elands Bay resident Pedro Swartz said, “As a whole, the community is upset. They feel as if they’ve been robbed of their food, and it is not right.”

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Sophia Martin, another resident, added, “We live from the sea. It is how we feed our children. The red tide has massively affected us,” Martin said.

See the eNCA report here:

Arrests made as unrest broke out

People were removed from beaches in the area while attempting to collect crayfish. Franquin Petersen from the Cederberg Local Municipality confirmed that police and other security services had to be deployed.

“As a result of this incident, there was some public unrest. We called in SAPS and other security stakeholders to protect the infrastructure. Some of the community members were also arrested during this time,” Petersen said.

More articles involving marine life

• Briefly News previously reported that a peaceful North Coast fishing spot turned grim when residents found barracuda, mullet and crabs lying lifeless along the Umhlali River Mouth shoreline.
• A KwaZulu-Natal content creator toured Chatsworth mansions and was blown away by a house with a massive fish tank on display.
• A Cape Town surfer shared a video showing SA's most dangerous sea slugs on the beach.

Source: Briefly News