Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) has pulled the plug on White Shark Joint Venture, the shark tour operation run by the controversial Theo Ferreira.

Ferreira flouted eight requirements for running a shark cage business, an investigation by MCM, fisheries and police has concluded, and on Friday the shark hunter turned conservationist was told he had to shut up shop.

Ferreira was one of three shark tour operators in False Bay. He had an exemption, granted in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act, that allowed him to take tourists on "chumming" expeditions.

Ferreira said yesterday that he felt "like a wounded lion" about the charges, because he had never been given the information and documents he is accused of ignoring.

He plans to take legal action if MCM refuses to give him a further hearing.

In December, two brothers spotted Ferreira's tour boat feeding fish heads to a shark near Kalk Bay harbour and lodged a complaint. Ferreira claimed at the time that his boat was drawing the shark further out to sea, away from swimmers.

Shaheen Moolla, the chief of monitoring and surveillance at MCM, said the investigation had revealed Ferreira was allowing sharks to eat the "chum" he put overboard, which is forbidden by law, and had admitted to dumping a bucket of ammonia into the sea.

He had neither a registered tour guide nor at least two experienced shark handlers on board, as the law requires, and did not have the code of conduct and exemption notice displayed on his boat.

Moolla insisted that the withdrawal of the exemption had "nothing whatsoever" to do with the shark attack on JP Andrew and the many shark sightings near the shore recently.

"Maybe there are greater numbers (of sharks) because there is a greater abundance of food," he said.

Ferreira said he would not appeal to Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, as is permitted, "because I have never done anything wrong, dangerous or reckless in any way".

Ferreira said he ran the business out of a passion for Great White sharks and to fight economic inequalities. The operation was owned mostly by formerly disadvantaged people and he paid costs out of his 40% share, which left him less than 10% of the turnover, he said.

He added that he earned a living by selling 4x4 vehicles, not from shark tours.