OPINION - The sardines have landed at eManzimtoti and the sardine festival is on.
But as we enjoy these mouth-watering bites, spare a thought for these fish which face such enormous trials and tribulations to fulfil one of nature’s great urges - to reproduce.
As the sardines move up the coast to their spawning grounds, they run the gauntlet of numerous predators, all waiting to feast on this yearly gourmet meal. The “greatest shoal on Earth” faces a three-pronged attack - from air, land and sea.
Sharks, seals, dolphins and whales gorge themselves on the frightened sardines which, massed together for protection, swim for their lives. From the air, gannets and cormorants dive down to take their share of the bounty. And, waiting eagerly along the coast are humans with their boats, nets and baskets to haul in their catch.
But it’s the foreign trawlers which pose the greatest threat to fish in the oceans. Equipped with sophisticated technology, they simply suck in the shoals of sardines.
Humans pose the greatest threat to marine life. We rape the oceans and then dump our plastics into them. It’s predicted that soon there will be more plastics in the oceans than marine life. Some years, the sardines give the KZN coast the slip.
There may come a time when they disappear for good, ending one of the greatest natural spectacles.
T Markandan Silverglen
Daily News