The Sardine Run has reached the South Coast, prompting many locals to shut up shop and head to the beach.
The action varied from one beach to the next, and fishing rods, nets and buckets were put to good use. Cars lined the pavements around good fishing beaches, creating a lovely local weekday holiday vibe along the coast.
We are truly blessed to enjoy the Sardine Run… even though we have to endure chilly weather if we want them to come to the people!
Not only do the sards provide us with a fun, free and historically established local tradition, but they provide food for some and bring masses of dolphins, whales and birds, too.
The Sardine Run also plays an important part in tourism, and footage of the event on channels like National Geographic has played a big role in supporting our winter tourist season.
The Sardine Run forms part of the annual whale emigration, which features humpback whales swimming some 2,500km from Antarctica to Mozambique, where the females give birth to their calves. The humpbacks pass our section of the coastline between May and July, returning home until as late as November.
The Sardine Run is never guaranteed but always enjoyed when it happens.
It is part of our natural bounty, fortunately still abundant on the South Coast; and, at the same time, reminds us to take care of the ocean.
This means keeping our beaches clean – and, equally importantly, keeping our rivers and streets clean.
Most of the litter on the beaches comes down via our rivers and stormwater drains.
As climate change continues to increase, it is quite reasonable to put some effort into measures that can help buffer the impacts of more severe weather events going forward and to minimise actions that make us more vulnerable to these impacts.
Protective measures include maintaining or restoring the Admiralty Strip; looking after wetlands and mangroves; not building on top of or close to rivers; floodplains and wetlands; cleaning rivers, removing AIPs and restoring riparian vegetation; improving drainage systems; creating and using waste management systems; and opposing polluting activities and industries such as offshore oil and gas, which exacerbate climate change and threaten the well-being of our ocean and marine animals.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
