Dolphins dodge death during lockdown
'ROSKLQ DFWLYLW\ KDV EHHQ SUROL¿F GXULQJ WKH ORFNGRZQ SHULRG«EXW SRGV ZLWK WKHLU \RXQJ KDYH PRUH RIWHQ WKDQ QRW EDVNHG LQ WKH VKDUN QHW ]RQH DQG HQYLURQPHQWDOLVWV UHOLVK WKH WHPSRUDU\ UHVSLWH IURP IHDU
Local pods are enjoying hunting and romping in shark net zone
WHILE most in the country can’t wait for all Covid-19 restrictions to be fully lifted, many would like to hold on to some of the lockdown positives.
Among them are environmentalists who have enjoyed seeing nature’s creatures reclaim space previously denied to them by human activity.
This includes supporters of Richards Bay’s endangered humpback dolphins, which have enjoyed a three-month reprieve after the lifting of the shark nets that usually guard the city’s beaches.
While the intention is to protect bathers from the extremely unlikely event of a shark attack
– on average about six a people a year die from shark attacks worldwide – the nets reinforce the irrational fear and bad reputation of sharks, whose legitimate domain humans choose to share.
The shark nets also unintentionally snare dolphins and other bycatch, including turtles and rays.
Monitors of the Bay’s humpback population’s movements during lockdown have been thrilled to see the pods appearing almost daily... but more often than not in close proximity to where the shark nets would have been.
‘Usually, the dolphin sightings are within about 300m of the lookout platform at the end of the pier, on both sides,’ says head researcher of the local humpback dolphin research effort, Shanan Atkins, a marine biologist with the Wits School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Science.
‘But recently the dolphins have been sighted further east and often close to the buoys that mark the position of the shark nets.
‘Many of the recent photos have had both dolphins and shark net buoys in the frame.
‘Luckily, there have not been any nets attached to the buoys as they were lifted when beaches were closed and bathing was banned just prior to lockdown.
‘We have relished knowing that the dolphins have not been in danger. I feel sure that had the nets been in, some of those dolphins would’ve become tangled and died,’ said Shanan.
‘I do hope that when the time comes for the shark nets to be set again, the dolphins are no longer using that area.
‘In the past, the KZN Sharks Board has worked to balance the risks to bathers with the negative impact the nets have on the environment.
‘We need a healthy ocean ecosystem for a healthy human population,’ Shanan said.