Sharks Board’s media address on Sardine Festival launch
15. Jun, 2009
2 Comments
Members of the Press – Thank you for making time to come to the Media Launch of this 2009 Sardine Festival, which, by design over the last few years, highlights not only the impending arrival of our fishy visitors from the Cape but also the array of activities which is available on the South Coast during the winter school break.
The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB) has been involved with the annual Sardine Run for over 40 years. The movement of sardines into our coastal waters usually coincides with the winter holiday season and this poses challenges from the aspect of safe bathing. The sardines, which are accompanied by thousands of dolphins, gamefish, seabirds and, of course, sharks, may come very close inshore, drawing the predators to the swimming beaches.
In the past, large catches of sharks and other animals in the shark nets sometimes occurred during the Run and hence every effort is made to remove the nets prior to the arrival of the sardine shoals. The removal of nets used to result automatically in the erection of signs banning bathing at the affected beaches. More recently, signs have been introduced that inform the public that the shark safety gear (nets and, in recent years, drumlines) has been removed and that bathing is at the discretion of the individual. The KZNSB informs the beach managers of the status of the gear and the managers make the final decision on bathing status, which they communicate to the public via the lifeguards.
Aerial surveys conducted using the KZNSB’s Partenavia 68 highwing aircraft allow the Board to monitor the movement of the sardine shoals as they pass East London and head northeastwards along the Wild Coast. As they approach KZN’s southernmost protected beach, Port Edward, the removal of the shark safety gear begins. Generally, the nets will be removed first because the potential for catching a large number of animals is greater in a net than on a drumline. KZN staff members continue to monitor from sea and shore the movement of sardine shoals and the associated predators throughout the Run, which may last several weeks. Once there is no further evidence of the presence of sardines the safety gear is reinstalled and shortly thereafter normal bathing conditions resume. Occasionally the shoals may reappear and the equipment may need to be removed a second time
This is a very exciting time for holidaymakers and locals alike. “Sardine fever” has become something of an institution in KZN and the Sharks Board, together with its partner East Coast Radio, regularly updates the Sardine Hotline (082 284 9495) with the latest information on the location of the shoals.
Our thanks to major stakeholders – Tourism South Coast and Tourism KwaZulu-Natal – for their support and promotion of the Sardine Run and Sardine Festival.
My name is Muzi Mohale a full-time travel blogger, your host at Travelwires.com responsible for all editorial on this blog. I blog about the travel and tourism industry in Africa. Apart from blogging about tourism, I also run 
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[...] I was part of a media group hosted by the Tourism KwaZulu-Natal and the South Coast Tourism on a Sardine Run Media Launch, where we did Ocean Safari, Oribi Gorge Swing etc, do you offer any travel packages from the South [...]
[...] years ago, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN), the Ugu District Municipality and Natal Sharks Board launched a sardine festival to encourage visitors to enjoy all the attractions of the country’s [...]