Sardines made a surprise appearance at Scottburgh on Wednesday, said the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board.
A total of 110 crates were netted in one net at Scottburgh main beach.
Twenty-five crates of mackerel were also netted.
Reports suggest that numerous shoals of baitfish have been seen between Scottburgh and Umtwalume and it is highly likely that some, but not all of these, are sardines (pilchards).
These shoals were not accompanied by the normal predator activity.
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“The Sharks Board will be undertaking a flight tomorrow to see if any shoals can be seen further southwards.
It is very generally difficult to try and predict the movement of these fish especially when they move in from deep offshore which we suspect was the case this morning.”
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Head of Operations Mike Anderson-Reade said they would be monitoring the situation.
“The next day or so should give us a better understanding of whether the netting this morning was a once off or a sign of more to come. Shark safety gear has been removed from Scottburgh, Umgababa and Karridene at this stage.”
They said all the other shark safety gear along the coast remained in place and beaches were open for bathing.
“This may change as the run develops and more gear may be removed over the coming days depending on the status of the sardine shoals.”
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