Africa Wild

Good news.

Richprins wrote: ↑Wed Jul 01, 2020 10:16 am

Amazing how they change in size from year to year...maybe the Chinese have left them alone in lockdown?

RP, the Chinese trawlers may have something to do with the size shoals annually. The weather, temperature, wind and sea conditions also play a huge role on whether or not the shoals move close enough to shore while they are passing here. I doubt if anyone really knows what exactly gets the shoals to behave as they do .

The sea still holds some secrets

It seems as if the 2020 run is over. A few sardines where noticed in the Durban area last week but the shoal was apparently very small.

For how long does it generally last?

Normally about two months or so Lis. All depends on weather conditions etc.

KZN braces for sardine fever in coming months as shoals spotted off Eastern Cape shores
06 May 2021 - 11:28
Suthentira Govender Senior reporter




Last year large volumes of sardines served as nutritious food for many struggling South Africans during hard lockdown. File photo.
Image: JACKIE CLAUSEN

Small shoals of sardines have been spotted off the Eastern Cape coast, with the silvery fish expected to arrive in KwaZulu-Natal waters between June and July.

This is according to the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, which undertook its first sardine observation flight for the 2021 season on Tuesday.

But Greg Thompson, the board's acting head of operations, said the much-anticipated sardine run will take place only if conditions are suitable.

“This flight was conducted earlier than usual due to the continual reports of sardine activity in the Eastern Cape,” said Thompson.

“Depending on the biomass of sardines, water temperatures and the inshore current conditions we would expect to see signs of sardine activity somewhere between Mazeppa Bay and East London.

“Normal activity that accompanies any shoals of sardines includes hundreds to thousands of Cape gannets, very large schools of bottlenose and common dolphins and often many sharks. These are all indicators that the staff keep an eye out for on every flight.”

Thompson described the first flight as “fairly eventful, with small pilot shoals of sardines sighted between Mdumbi and Hole in the Wall”.

“The most concentrated activity sighted was further south, between Chintsa and Gonubie. Hundreds of Cape gannets were seen spread out in this area, with a few diving from time to time, accompanied by hundreds of dolphins.

“There were a few humpback whales sighted, all moving northwards. It is, however, still very early for both the sardines and the humpback whales. These two events, the sardine run and the humpback whale migration, are not connected and merely coincide with each other.”

Thompson said the sardine run off KZN may begin, assuming conditions are suitable, “at any time between early June and late July”.

He added that it may not even occur close inshore, for various reasons. “When the inshore waters are unsuitable, the sardines enter KwaZulu-Natal in deeper waters further offshore and there are no visible signs of their presence from the shore.”

TimesLIVE

https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/sout ... pe-shores/

Sardine Run Watch: The silvery fish are here and it’s going to be a big run

Lyse Comins | 2021-06-01 18:58


hermen netted the first sardines of the 2021 Sardine Run at Port Edward this week. Photograph: WhatApp

Dolphins, birds and sharks can be seen feasting on the silvery fish as they swim steadily up the East Coast towards Durban, signifying the official start of the 2021 Sardine Run.

Seine netters pulled in at least 120 crates of the silvery fish at Port Edward on Monday.

Watch sharks and birds feast on the sardines here.

But netting was hampered on Tuesday along the South Coast on Tuesday by the inclement weather including heavy rainfall and flooding, seasoned Durban fisherman Goolam Essack told the South African.

However, Essack said netters were selling crates of sardines caught at Port Edward on Monday for the “too dear” price of R1500 per crate. He said a crate would ordinarily sell in Durban for up to R800.

“Today there were sardines but all the rivers came running down with the rain. I got to Pumula Beach and the river mouth was open and huge sharks were in the bay hitting the sardines,” he said.

Essack said he then trailed to Hibberdene and Umtwalume where sardines could also be spotting making their way towards Durban.

Essack said the fish were also spotted further south in Port Edward where there were “lots of sharks and birds” on Tuesday. However, he said this week had seen only “the pilot shoal” emerging along the coast, while the main attraction was still on its way.

“The main shoal is not here yet. I think by the weekend, the main shoal will come. I think we can expect a very big sardine run. There is a very big shoal stretching between Port St Johns and East London,” he said

R1500 a crate!