NATIONAL NEWS - The KZN Sharks Board conducted an observation flight to the Eastern Cape, last Thursday to track the movement of sardine shoals.
All indications are that large sardine shoals are moving towards KwaZulu-Natal. It remains unsure it the sought after little fish will arrive without warning or stay in the deep waters and miss the KZN coast completely.
A lot of activity, with large shoals and dolphins and sharks feeding, was spotted from Hluleka until Hole In The Wall where the plane turned around.
The sharks board reported that other than a few bottlenose dolphins and gannets all was quiet from take-off at Virginia Airport until Port Edward. Poor water visibility hampered spotting in certain areas.
At Lupatana, two groups of common dolphins about 1km offshore, were spotted charging north. Each group consisted of about 400 dolphins.
Operations manager at the KZN Sharks Board, Greg Thompson, says when they got to the Mboyti River, they started seeing the first signs of sardine-related activity with about 600 common dolphins spread out in small groups all the way through to Poenskop, just north of Port St Johns.
As they headed towards Umngazana, sardine related activity started to increase along with numerous groups of common and bottlenose dolphins. Sardine pockets started becoming more frequent with shoals on the surface scattered from the backline right out to the deep.
Off Rame Head they spotted more than 15 shoals of sardines all accompanied by dolphin.
The activity continued off Hluleka with scattered pockets as well as two very large shoals of sardines with shark activity. Here there was a huge pod of about 1000 common dolphin feeding.
Thomposon says the activity stretched from the backline as far as the eye could see offshore.
“We turned at Hole in the Wall and there was still activity for as far south as you could see. The last stretch was very active, and the visibility was very good,” says Thompson.
He says indications are all positive that the sardines are making their way up from the Eastern Cape towards KwaZulu-Natal.
There is a possibility that the predicted cold front last weekend is well timed. A cold front can often enhance the movements of the shoals and cause them to move inshore and north at a rapid pace.
However, there have been many occasions in the past when predictions and opinions have been totally incorrect.
These fish can move through in deep or in discoloured water that is currently being experienced, out of sight of most of the predators and arrive in KZN without warning.
There is also the possibility that they continue moving north on the deeper line and we don’t get to see them at all.
The next observation flight to East London is scheduled Thursday.
