The annual Sardine run begins it’s ‘life’ in the Agulhas Banks south-east of Port Elizabeth before making it’s way up to Kwazulu-Natal to be scooped up in buckets in the surf.
From February onwards sardines come into the area between Cape St Francis and Port Alfred, followed by thousands of dolphins, sharks, whales, gannets and penguins.
From May onwards, when the first winter storms hit, these fish then begin to move north towards Durban. The almost 1000 km long swim to Kwa-Zulu Natal takes them until June and July.
Now scientists are trying to prove that the sardines that appear on the KwaZulu-Natal coastline are a different population group in the hope to pressure government to provide them better protection.
There is a belief that time is running out with research revealing that with each passing season the annual sardine run is becoming less predictable.
It is unclear why, but over-fishing of the commodity before it reaches our coastline is believed to be a contributing factor.
Last week a pilot shoal landed in Margate, but recent rough seas may have dashed any hope of another shoal being spotted any time soon.
The shoal moves up the East Coast generally when water temperatures drop during winter, beginning their trek at the Agulhas banks south-east of Port Elizabeth. The main batch heads up the West Coast while a smaller group, just two to five percent of
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Read More Here: http://mype.co.za/new/did-you-know-this-about-the-sardine-run/50063/2015/06
