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10 Jun 2021

STUCK over sardines

Shona Aylward (South Coast Herald) Picture: Med-Evac.t took many hands and some brute strength to get the vehicle out.

Amidst all the excitement of the stop-start sardine run, a fisherman (unfortunately unknown at this stage) managed to get his 4×4 vehicle stuck more than ‘knee-deep’ on Port Shepstone beach. It took emergency personnel and some enthusiastic onlookers two-and-a-half hours to get the vehicle out of the sand.

It’s believed a group of men had gone fishing, or were hoping to find some sardines – netting had taken place in Margate earlier in the day prompting excited optimism – when the tide rolled in sooner than expected and they suddenly found themselves, or rather the vehicle, stuck in the wet sand near the shoreline.

Glen Preston of Med-Evac said that, together with Port Shepstone K9 Search and Rescue, they managed to pull the vehicle out of the sand.

There was some concern expressed as to what the vehicle was actually doing on the beach in the first place, while others saw the funny side of it – an eager fisherman, perhaps distracted in looking for sardines, almost having his beloved vehicle drenched by sea water.

Whatever the case, there are still strict laws governing the use of vehicles on the beach. Simon April, spokesman for Ray Nkonyeni Municipality said that during sardine season permits are issued by the municipality’s community service department.

“This allows for certain registered vehicles to be on the beach, for the purposes of seine netting only. Our law enforcement officers do check the vehicles for these permits. Otherwise, driving on the beach without the necessary permit is an offence,” he explained. His comments are backed up by Government promulgated regulations controlling the use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) in the coastal zone of South Africa in 2002.

Studies have shown that ORVs influence the fauna and flora of beaches negatively, while also contributing to the destabilisation of coastal dunes. Physical effects of ORVs on beaches include changes in the density of soil bulk and erosion. Erosion can be substantial on slopes, as sand is forced downhill by vehicles, which can lead to lowering of the sand dunes.

Off-road vehicles disturb the flora and fauna on beaches by inhibiting the growth of new plants, disturb nesting and resting birds in the ‘berm’ area above the spring high-water mark and crush ghost crabs along the foreshore. Ghost crabs have been shown to be particularly susceptible to crushing at night as they become disorientated by vehicle headlights, often freezing or running towards the source of light.