Every year in the winter months of June and July in South Africa, one of natures greatest happenings takes place. An incredible number of little sardines leave their spawning waters of the Agulhas Bank located in the southern waters of South Africa the spot where the chilly Atlantic Ocean and warm Indian Ocean meet. It's the coming together of those two seas that produce the waters perfect spawning grounds as they are abundant with nutrients.
The actual explanation why the sardine move off such nutrient rich waters may not be known nonetheless they prosper in water conditions of around 20 Celsius. Because winter waters of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal cool, it's presumed the sardines take full advantage of their widening area and go north up the South Africa coast.
Measuring nine inches long, the small sardines journey in gigantic shoals clearly seen from the surface of the sea. Often the shoals are usually many km's long and up to a km wide hence in terms of numbers, they simply compare with Africa's other famous migration of the wildebeest when they venture north through the Serengeti to the Masai Mara.
The Sardine Run can be described as a huge event for the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal. Because sardines are nearly towards the bottom of the food chain, it's not much of a shock anytime they generate shoals more than a million deep that potential predators are usually soon on their path. Underneath the waves, the shoals of sardine are mercilessly attacked by sharks, tuna, dolphin and even whales. As they come under attack, the little fish form defensive bait-balls but it is very little protection because over and over, the predators hit the bait-balls, consuming a number of the small fish with every raid. There are so many sardines and predators in the water during the Sardine Run that the Natal Shark Board remove the shark nets that typically guard beaches to prevent the sharks, dolphins along with other large marine creatures from getting trapped and dying.
As the shoals come under assault, they're pushed into shallower waters where they begin to come under attack from above as the sardines come within range of gannets who join in the abundant feast that nature has provided. People get in on the act as well. As sardines move to try and dodge the caravan of predators, they swim into shallow waters small fishing boats arrive the fish are literally dragged ashore by throngs of waiting people. Along with the fishing nets a variety of containers are utilized to capture the sardines by people wanting to collect as many as they are able to take.
The Sardine Run is a natural event and it is therefore in no way assured. There were no shows recently but each wintertime, the Greatest Shoal on Earth is excitedly expected by folks who dwell throughout the coastline of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal in South Africa.
The actual explanation why the sardine move off such nutrient rich waters may not be known nonetheless they prosper in water conditions of around 20 Celsius. Because winter waters of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal cool, it's presumed the sardines take full advantage of their widening area and go north up the South Africa coast.
Measuring nine inches long, the small sardines journey in gigantic shoals clearly seen from the surface of the sea. Often the shoals are usually many km's long and up to a km wide hence in terms of numbers, they simply compare with Africa's other famous migration of the wildebeest when they venture north through the Serengeti to the Masai Mara.
The Sardine Run can be described as a huge event for the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal. Because sardines are nearly towards the bottom of the food chain, it's not much of a shock anytime they generate shoals more than a million deep that potential predators are usually soon on their path. Underneath the waves, the shoals of sardine are mercilessly attacked by sharks, tuna, dolphin and even whales. As they come under attack, the little fish form defensive bait-balls but it is very little protection because over and over, the predators hit the bait-balls, consuming a number of the small fish with every raid. There are so many sardines and predators in the water during the Sardine Run that the Natal Shark Board remove the shark nets that typically guard beaches to prevent the sharks, dolphins along with other large marine creatures from getting trapped and dying.
As the shoals come under assault, they're pushed into shallower waters where they begin to come under attack from above as the sardines come within range of gannets who join in the abundant feast that nature has provided. People get in on the act as well. As sardines move to try and dodge the caravan of predators, they swim into shallow waters small fishing boats arrive the fish are literally dragged ashore by throngs of waiting people. Along with the fishing nets a variety of containers are utilized to capture the sardines by people wanting to collect as many as they are able to take.
The Sardine Run is a natural event and it is therefore in no way assured. There were no shows recently but each wintertime, the Greatest Shoal on Earth is excitedly expected by folks who dwell throughout the coastline of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal in South Africa.
No comments:
Post a Comment