Latest news with #SardineRun
The South African
13 hours ago
- General
- The South African
Sardine run: 25 KZN beaches currently closed for swimming
With the 2025 sardine run already underway, the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB) revealed that they have removed shark safety nets from the waters at 25 beaches along the south coast. The Sharks Board said that that melee of predators accompanying the sardine shoals was problematic, not just to the sardines but also to the Board itself. 'The shark nets that provide bather protection along the beaches take a heavy toll of sharks and dolphins if they are not lifted before the arrival of the Sardine Run,' it said, as per Business Tech. The eThekwini Municipality also announced on Monday, 2 June, that the public was now prohibited from swimming on KwaZulu-Natal's south coast beaches, due to the shark nets being removed. These beaches include: Isipingo Beach Amanzimtoti Beach Warners Beach Winkelspruit Karridene Umgababa Scottburgh Hibberdene Umzumbe Banana Beach Sunwich Port South Port Umtetweni St Micheals On Sea Uvongo Margate Ramsgate Southbroom Kent Bay Umkobi San Lameer Trafalgar Glenmore Leisure Bay To Strand Port Edward Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Climate
- The Citizen
Beaches closed, bathing banned
All beaches on the South Coast are temporally closed – from Isipingo to Port Edward – due to the Sardine Run. Ray Nkonyeni Municipality confirmed the shark nets have been removed and swimming is prohibited, until further notice. Wayne Harrison from the KZN Sharks Board said nets were removed during April (about six weeks ago) and replaced with drum lines to reduce the chance of whale entanglement. 'We naturalised the drum lines from Saturday, with no marine captures reported,' he said. He also cautioned 'sardine watchers' on the beach to be careful in and around the sardine nets, which are heavier than they may appear. His warning comes as a result of a woman who was injured by a sardine net on Port Edward beach last Saturday. HAVE YOUR SAY Like the South Coast Herald's Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
3 days ago
- General
- IOL News
Increased shark activity prompts warnings as the Sardine Run returns to KwaZulu-Natal
Fishermen in Warner Beach netted several crates of sardines on Tuesday morning. Image: Doctor Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers As the famous Sardine Run makes its annual return to the shores of KwaZulu-Natal, so does a significant increase in shark activity, as evidenced by footage from a netting on Saturday. The video shows numerous sharks entangled with the sardines. 'This is a typical illustration of the increased shark activity witnessed during the sardine run. This is a reason why it is essential for us to remove our shark safety gear during this time,' the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB) said. 'We remind residents and visitors that our shark safety gear has been removed from the South Coast beaches of KZN, from Isipingo to Port Edward, and warn against swimming in those beaches.' The Sharks Board added a disclaimer that the nets do not belong to them. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Lifesaving South Africa urged beachgoers and ocean users along the KZN coastline to stay updated with local municipal notices regarding beach closures. Lifesaving SA President Dhaya Sewduth explained that in winter, KZN beaches are lifeguarded due to warm and sunny conditions. However, the influx of sardines from the lower South Coast has led to several beaches being closed due to heightened ocean risks. This includes removing shark nets, leaving beachgoers more vulnerable. Due to the removal of shark nets, the eThekwini Municipality has banned swimming at all southern beaches until further notice, effective Monday. The Ray Nkonyeni Municipality also closed its beaches, except Port Edward. 'When beaches are closed, no designated bathing zones will be marked, and it is crucial that beachgoers remain out of the ocean,' Sewduth warned. 'Strong swells are affecting the lower South Coast, and rip currents, which are common in this region, pose a significant danger to swimmers. 'We urge everyone to respect these closures and prioritise safety for themselves and others.' Fishermen in Warner Beach netted several crates of sardines on Tuesday morning. Image: Doctor Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers Over the weekend, KZNSB teams launched and neutralised the gear from Port Edward in the south through to Scottburgh. On Monday, the gear was neutralised through to and including Isipingo. KZNSB's Wayne Harrison said netters were successful at Pennington and Rocky Bay on Monday morning. Harrison said netting took place at Sandspit (Umzimkulu River) on Sunday. Heavy surf and challenging conditions allowed for the recovery of only slightly over 40 sardine crates; the remainder, along with sharks in the net, were released back into the ocean. By mid-morning, the shoals had moved to the Banana Beach/Pumula area, where the sein netters attempted to net. 'The sardines once again were followed by masses of sharks that were regularly seen breaching and feeding on the sardines,' Harrison said. At dawn on Saturday, sardine shoals were reported at Port Edward. Despite rough 2.5m+ seas and a strong swell, two successful seine net catches were made in the morning.
IOL News
4 days ago
- IOL News
Sardine fever hits KwaZulu-Natal: Swimming banned at southern beaches
Seine netters haul in masses of sardines during the annual Sardine Run, which can be experienced on the KZN South Coast this winter! Image: File Sardine fever has officially hit KwaZulu-Natal leading to the banning of swimming at all southern beaches, until further notice. The eThekwini Municipality stated that this is due to the removal of shark nets to facilitate the sardine run. At the weekend, the KZN Sharks Board reported sightings of sardine shoals in the Port Edward area. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ "The seine netters were at the beach and netting took place. There were two successful nets taken during the morning. The sea conditions were tremendously difficult for netting with a strong ground swell running and surf size of about 2.5 meters or possibly larger on occasions," said the KZNSB's Wayne Harrison. He said this led to a feeding frenzy with sharks and gannets preying on the thousands of tiny silver fish. "Two netters were successful on Saturday and a total of approximately 80 crates of sardines were netted at Port Edward. One of the nets had 21 sharks caught, all of the sharks were released alive," Harrison said. On Sunday, just over 40 crates of sardines were recovered at Sandspit while more were caught along Banana Beach. Fishermen were luckier in Pennington and Rocky Bay with better conditions to net. With all the activity in the water, Harrison warned that swimming is banned from Port Edward to Isipingo beaches. IOL
![‘Greatest shoal on Earth': KZN Sardine Run brings massive shoals and sharks close to shore [VIDEOS]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.citizen.co.za%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2FKZN-Sardine-Run-brings-massive-shoals-and-sharks-close-to-shore.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
‘Greatest shoal on Earth': KZN Sardine Run brings massive shoals and sharks close to shore [VIDEOS]
The annual sardine run has drawn massive shoals along KZN's coast, with sharks and dolphins joining the spectacle and beaches closed for public safety. An uncountable number of sardines have made their way from the Cape to the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, kickstarting the 'Greatest shoal on Earth'. The sardine run kicked off over the weekend. Millions of southern African pilchards, or sardines, migrate along the coast in massive shoals that extend for kilometres in winter in a phenomenon known as the Sardine Run. Sardine run kicks off on KZN south coast Alongside being an incredible sight in its own right, the movement draws in hungry marine predators such as dolphins, sharks, whales, seagulls, and game fish. The eThekwini Municipality has prohibited swimming at all southern beaches from Monday until further notice as a result of this. 'This is due to the removal of shark nets to allow for the sardine run,' the municipality said on social media. ALSO READ: Sardine fever now in overdrive KZN Sharks Board monitoring the run The sardine run is monitored by the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence, which also removes shark protection gear before the run to allow the animals to roam freely. Wayne Harrison of the KZN Sharks Board said on Monday that over the weekend, the reports of sardine shoals off Port Edward prompted a netting operation despite rough sea conditions with large swells and strong currents. 'Two netters were successful on Saturday, and a total of approximately 80 crates of sardines were netted at Port Edward. One of the nets had 21 sharks caught; all of the sharks were released alive,' Harrison said in a statement on Facebook. Sunday's efforts at Sandspit yielded over 40 crates, but most sardines and some sharks were released back into the ocean, with shoals later moving to Pumula, where challenging conditions hampered netting. Harrison said on Monday that conditions had improved, allowing netters to successfully catch sardines at Pennington and Rocky Bay, with large shoals of sardines still accompanied by sharks. The board said over the weekend that its team neutralised gear from Port Edward to Isipingo, with no captures reported despite high shark activity, and bathing remains banned from Port Edward to Isipingo. NOW READ: Bathing banned at certain beaches as thousands of dolphins and birds follow sardines
