Every year the
silver fish known as the Sardine Run flow onto shore with a hive of
activity and crowds of
bystanders eager to claim their share of the bounty.
Shoals of sardines swimming in the shore line, are preyed upon by
larger
predators such as Garrick,
Shad
and Kingfish. The
shoals are first spotted near the
port of East London, at the southern tip of Africa. From land, the
sight of thousands of seabirds wheeling and diving into the sea at a
certain spot locates a shoal.
Sometimes before the main shoal
appears,
“pilot” shoals are seen swimming ahead. The main shoals are enormous,
often being several kilometres and containing millions of
fish!
Sardine
Gallery
Pictures of
Sardines on Winklespruit Beach. (Kwazulu Natal ->
South Coast). Added on 14 June 2008 and taken on 14 June 2008.
Click on the images to enlarge
Information
on the Sardine:
The scientific name of the sardine or pilchard is “Sardinops Ocellata”.
The juveniles pilchards usually called sardines form the amazing
sardine run. It grows to a length of 25 to 30 cm and is
lightly coloured with and dark blue or light and dark green. Sardines
are fast swimmers and extremely sensitive to variations in the
temperature and density of water.
Spawning?
To a certain extent, the sardine spawns over most of the year. But the
main period is believed to be from September to February. This spawning
is prolific. It is estimated that a single female can lay about 95,000
eggs! These float in the upper waters, then in a few days hatch into
larvae and eventually metamorphose into minute fish.
The main spawning of the South African pilchard occurs within a
temperature range of 13.8° to 16° C (56.8° to 60.8° F) off the west
coast of South Africa. A mean temperature of 15° C (59° F) gives the
most favourable conditions for intensive spawning. From sea-surface
charts issued by the Maritime Weather Office, Youngsfield, Cape Town,
it was established that the temperature of the Natal or east coast
seldom drops below about 19° C (66° F). This is above the range for any
extensive spawning. Considering this factor and the degree of sexual
maturity of sardine-run pilchards, it seems unlikely that the
motivation of the run is spawning.
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Are the countless myriads of the sardine run migrating to find better
feeding grounds?
Stomach samples from the shoals showed that 75 percent of the fish were
empty while the other 25 percent revealed contents of 7.7 percent
phytoplankton and 8.3 percent zooplankton (minute plant and animal
organisms that float in the sea).
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During July
1959 and 1960, in 69 blanket hauls off the east coast it
was found that there was a total absence of young pilchards. So there
is no sign of the existence of a nursery ground in Natal waters. Hence,
it is improbable that the huge sardine run is a feeding migration.
Why, then,
do they follow that course? One possibility could well be
their reaction to currents in the seas. The view is widely held that
currents play a large part in directing the movements of fish. In his
book Fish Migration, Harden Jones shows that fish might use a current
and countercurrent system for migration. However, he also explains that
fish may be carried passively, or drift, over great distances by
currents, and “what may be not more than a dispersal could then have
all the appearance of a true migration.”
Food Value
Sardines are a excellent source of food for humans and animals. The
small fish weigh about 85 mg on average, but yield
175 calories, 20 gm of protein and nine gm of fat. Those delicious
sardines canned in oil or tomato sauce are very nutritious!
Time Period
The Sardine Run can commence at any time during June to July. The key
factor in the run is that the water temperature must be below 19 ºC.
The cold water will trigger the massive event and the sardines will
come close inshore where the seine netters catch them.
For
Accommodation that is affordable and reasonable, and for you to have a
chance to see this amazing event, contact The Fig Tree on 031 916 2524
or visit their website at www.groupaccommodation.co.za
They are situated in Winklespruit and are just a few meters from the
main beach.
Also See:
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