Sharks Board prepare as sardines move towards Durban

Pods of up to 200 dolphins and a frenzy of shark activity has followed the sardines up the coast, to add to the excitement of hauls of the little fish being netted on the beach, North Coast Courier reports.

Sardine activity was reported from the Scottburgh to Hibberdene beach area on Thursday morning with a few small pockets also seen off Uvongo and TO Strand.

There were also numerous unidentified pockets of baitfish scattered from Umhlanga to the Durban beach front.

The main concentration of sardine activity was between Pennington and Sezela.

“Netters managed to get one net of about 150 crates early  this morning in front of the Pennington Ski Boat Club,” said KZN Sharks Board operations manager Greg Thompson.

“Once again there were plenty of sharks spotted jumping in this area and smashing the shoals of sardines.

“At one stage there were sharks in the midbreak right behind the netted fish.”

There has also been an increase of dolphin throughout this area with one group of about 200 commons being reported and numerous other groups of Bottlenose.

Shark safety gear has been removed from all protected beaches from the Durban beachfront to Port Edward.

Netting along the Durban beachfront was removed on Thursday morning in anticipation of the sardines moving into this area over the next few days.

The Sharks Board appeals to members of the public to exercise caution should they enter the water during this time.

The Board will continue to monitor the movement of the shoals and will manage the shark safety gear in consultation with the coastal municipalities that are affected.