Beware, there’s a shark in the water…

IF you are thinking of taking a quick dip in Port Shepstone’s Umzimkhulu River, think again. Juvenile Zambezi sharks may be back in the river which is fantastic news for shark lovers.

Recently, Marc Lange and his daughter Tayla were paddling up the river when they saw a dead fish floating in the water. When Marc scooped the fish out of the water, he saw it had been cleanly bitten in two. “It was a very fresh perch, and it still had a hook in its mouth,” said Marc.

The discovery of the half-eaten fish has prompted Marc to warn people not to swim in the river. Having worked at the Natal Sharks Board for about 14 years, Marc has a lot of experience with shark behaviour, especially that which has taken place between Hibberdene and Port Edward.

He explained that he saw some men fishing from the bank near where he found the perch, so he paddled across and asked if they had lost a fish. The anglers said they had, and identified the hook as one of theirs. “They said something big had taken the fish and snapped the line,” Marc added. Marc said he knew of an angler who had caught a Zambezi at Spiller’s Wharf about a month ago.

Another fisherman, who often throws a line at ‘The Block’, told the Herald he had hooked a kingfish at the Sandspit near the Umzimkhulu River mouth last October  when he noticed a large shadow in the water. “My line went slack, and I only managed to pull out half a fish,” he said.  He said he had also spotted two Zambezis off ‘The Block’ last year.

Marc believes the reason for the  sharks’ return is due to the nets having been removed over the years to reduce the bycatch. “Then when the nets were removed from Umbango Beach,  the sharks had more freedom of movement  between Umtentweni and St Mike’s,” he said.

“This 120 kilometre stretch of coastline must be home to many female Zambezis, and with the nets removed, there are more needing to drop their young and now they are back,” he said.

Another theory is that the rivers from Durban to Port Shepstone are closed due to silting, and this is forcing the female Zambezis to use the Umzimkhulu estuary  to pup. In turn, these pups will use the estuaries to shelter, feed and mature before they move offshore.

Marc said the Umzimkulu River still has some decent depth, and contains many fish for the Zambezi to feed on. He pointed out that in his opinion,  a juvenile Zambezi was unlikely to attack a person, except perhaps in a case of mistaken identity. “There is probably more danger of contracting a disease from the pollution that spills into the river than from a shark bite,” he said.

Surfers, bathers and spearfishermen are more likely to encounter a shark at Port Edward and Umtentweni beaches as these are close to big river mouths. “The Umtamvuna River is also very big, and  sharks have also been reported there,” he said.