Drumlines to be rolled out at KwaDukuza beaches

A year after the plan was first announced, and after many delays caused by red municipal tape, the KZN Sharks Board (KZNSB) are replacing some shark nets with drumlines at KwaDukuza beaches.

Willard Beach, Thompson’s Bay, Salt Rock Beach, Tinley Manor Beach and Blythedale Beach will from Monday, November 9 have up to half of their shark nets replaced with much more environmentally friendly drumlines (a buoy with a baited hook).

“The combination of shark nets and drumlines, known as combination gear, is an environmental measure to reduce bycatch of non-target species that present no danger to humans like dolphins, ray, turtle and certain shark species like dusky sharks, spinner sharks and spotted ragged-tooth sharks and sometimes large bony fish often caught in shark nets,” said Mike Anderson-Reade, KZNSB head of operations.

Anderson-Reade said shark nets protect bathers mainly by fishing for potentially dangerous sharks. He said by reducing the number of potentially dangerous sharks in the vicinity of each protected beach, the probability of an encounter between a bather and a dangerous shark is reduced.

Drumlines have been used in bather protection programmes in Queensland, Australia since 1962 and are far more selective than nets in terms of what they catch.

Although both shark nets and drumlines have an excellent safety record, neither provided absolute protection from shark attacks.

“Only a physical enclosure is capable of achieving that, and the construction of such enclosures at surf beaches is impractical,” said Anderson-Reade.

The KZNSB introduced mixed gear to the Hibiscus Coast and Umhlatuze in 2007 after conducting experiments for more than ten years. Anderson-Reade said results have shown that mixed gear was capable of catching potentially dangerous sharks while reducing the capture of non-target species by 47 percent at the Hibiscus Coast beaches.

Drumlines will have red floats that are considerably larger than those currently on the shark nets. They will replace up to every second net and be easily detected by small craft. The hooks will be baited every weekday morning with fish taken as bycatch from fishing trawlers.

Considering that sharks are thought to be sensitive to smell over a few hundred metres, Anderson-Reade said baited hooks are likely to attract only those sharks that are already in the area. Each drumline has only one baited hook and most beaches will have between four and eight drumlines, so the total quantity of bait per beach is not large.

Although scavenging off the hooks by small sharks and fish did happen, potentially dangerous sharks are caught regularly.

Mixed gear will not reduce the cost to KDM.

“Most operational costs relate to personnel and to running a fleet of skiboats and these costs will continue to be incurred. In addition, there will be a an ongoing requirement for bait,” said Anderson-Reade.

Drumlines were life-protecting property of the KZNSB and he urged the public not to tamper with the drumlines. The KZNSB would not hesitate to prosecute anyone who did so.

He said the introduction of drumlines was an initiative aimed solely at reducing the environmental impact associated with the provision of safe bathing. Emphasising that bather protection remained the priority, KZNSB CEO, Mthokozisi Radebe asked the public to help the KZNSB assure the success of this initiative by reporting anyone seen tampering with the equipment to the KZNSB and by reporting any displaced equipment found along the KZN coast.