A committee has been set up to establish the scale and extent of the outbreak along the Cape coast

Hundreds of dead Cape fur seals are washing ashore dead in Pelican Point, puzzling marine experts

Work is underway to determine if a marine biotoxin is linked to seal mortalities, although preliminary tests have proven negative or insignificant

Starvation caused by overfishing is thought to be a major culprit but investigations are ongoing

Discarded fishing gear is the main culprit