Durban - Crates of sardines were netted along Pennington and Kelso beaches on the South Coast on Tuesday.
Among the netters was Tony Outar, a seine netter from Isipingo. “We netted about 170 crates of fresh sardines in the morning,” he said.
Greg Thompson, operations manager at the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence, also confirmed yesterday’s successful activity.
He said that there were reports of large pockets of sardines moving north behind the back-line in the area, along with shark activity that was visible in the area.
“The sardine shoals, accompanied by all the different predators in pursuit of these fish, have been amazing over this past weekend.
“On Saturday, the main concentration of sardines was in the area between Elysium and Mtwalume, where about eight successful nettings took place,” said Thompson.
He added that there was incredible shark activity feeding on the pockets.
On Sunday, pockets of shoals were spotted between Pennington and Margate. One net was taken in Margate and six in the Pumula area, said Thompson.
The shark safety gear has been removed from all protected beaches from Anstey’s on the Bluff to Port Edward on the South Coast.
“The nets were also removed at Umdloti and Bronze beach at uMhlanga, due to pockets of sardines reported in the area,” said Thompson.
He said that because the shoals seem to be bypassing the Durban beachfront, most of the netting has been replaced.
“The only beaches still closed in Durban are the Laguna, eThekwini and Country Club beaches,” he added.
The Sharks Board is still appealing to the public to exercise caution if entering the water during this time.
Outar said today that he would be starting his search for pockets of sardines at Winklespruit beach, in the hope of catching any further activity.