WATCH: Sardine run netting frenzy on KZN south coast
Phumula Beach was a hive of activity as thousands of sardines were caught
Hundreds of anglers and opportunists gathered at Phumula Beach on the south coast this morning (Sunday) as thousands of sardines came ashore.
Anglers with rods, others with crates and any other suitable container were at the ready, intent on being part of the natural phenomenon that is the annual sardine run, and not run return home empty handed.
Sharks and other predatory species were seen in close proximity to the sardines and shoreline, with one shark beaching itself as it ventured too far into the shallows.
The shark was redirected back towards deeper water. The sardine run of southern Africa occurs from May through July when billions of sardines – or more specifically the Southern African pilchard Sardinops sagax – spawn in the cool waters of the Agulhas Bank and move northward along the east coast of South Africa. Their sheer numbers create a feeding frenzy along the coastline.
