2011-06-20 22:32
- Sardine Run.jpg (29 KiB) Viewed 1846 times
Pietermaritzburg - Excited locals and eager fishermen welcomed the first shoal of sardines to Hibberdene Beach on Monday.
Small pockets of sardines, referred to as 'pilot shoals' appeared between Mfazazana, north of Hibberdene and Margate beaches.
Charter companies filled the shore with their boats and nets at 07:30, ready to get their share of the slivery creatures, while locals looked on hoping they would get a few freebies.
Johnny de Wet, deputy mayor for Hibiscus Coast Municipality said the sardines could not have arrived at a better time.
"This is fantastic for tourism and I hope we see many shoals on the South Coast," said de Wet.
Although the sardines graced the South Coast every year, one can't help but still feel excited, he added.
"The Sardine Festival is about to begin and we're glad the role players - the sardines - are here," said de Wet.
Lucky
Ntombifikile Gumede, mayor for Ugu District Municipality said holidaymakers, who were about to arrive on the South Coast this Friday, will be happy to know that sardine activity was experienced on our beaches.
"I’m sure that those who decided to start their holiday a few days earlier feel lucky to experience the sardine rush,” said Gumede.
Michael Bertram, chief executive officer for Ugu South Coast Tourism echoed the sentiments of both mayors, saying that the arrival of the sardines had certainly added to the holiday vibe.
"We’re looking forward to a bumper holiday season and an awesome sardine festival programme, jam packed with exciting things,” said Bertram.
Some locals were surprised to see the shoals being netted as the water was still fairly warm and there were no seagulls present.
"Cold water and the presence of the seagulls are usually the first signs that there sardines are on their way, but we haven’t experienced any of that,” said Morgan Naidoo, an on-looker.
Sharks
Mike Anderson-Reade, head of operations for KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board said although water visibility at Hibberdene Beach was fairly poor, the sardines were visible as they surfaced.
"The first net out consisted of 25 baskets. Other netters also attempted to net sardines at Banana beach,” said Anderson-Reade.
He said no bird activity was accompanied with these shoals but about 500 common dolphins moved through the Margate area during the early morning.
There appeared to be a number of sharks in amongst the sardines however these were not easily identified due to the poor water visibility, he added.
"This is not the main shoal of sardines and we would expect this early activity to move relatively quickly northwards over the next few days," he said.
Bobby Naidoo of First Light Fisheries first netted 25 crates and then a further 33. The going rate was R700 per crate or R30 per dozen.
Durban fishery owners flocked to Hibberdene Beach and within minutes, the 58 crates were sold.
"We were lucky to have had two successful nettings. Some of the other netters battled," said Naidoo.
Other charters experienced problems with its nets and lost all of its sardines.
- The Witness
